Microsoft released a new feature update for its Windows 10 operating system last month. Windows 10 version 21H1 is a smaller update that installs almost as fast on devices running Windows 10 version 2004 or 20H2 as the monthly cumulative updates the company releases.

The rollout is limited currently via Windows Update to devices running Windows 10 version 2004 or 20H2, and it may not be offered to all of those devices right now.

Microsoft is throttling the availability of the update in the first weeks after release to "ensure a reliable download experience".

Windows administrators may install the update using other means, for instance by using Microsoft's Update Assistant or Media Creation Tool. You can check out our guide on downloading and installing Windows 10 version 21H1 for details.

A recent update on the known issues and notifications page of Windows 10 version 21H1 on Microsoft's Docs website reveals that Microsoft has started the first phase of machine learning training to improve the delivery of updates to customer systems.

We also started the first phase in our rollout for machine learning (ML) training, targeting devices on Windows 10, version 2004 to update automatically to Windows 10, version 21H1. We will continue to train our machine learning through all phases to intelligently rollout new versions of Windows 10 and deliver a smooth update experience.

In the first phase, machine learning is trained on devices running Windows 10 version 2004 who are updated to the latest feature update automatically. Microsoft plans to use machine learning in the future to improve the delivery of updates, by rolling updates out intelligently and making the update experience smoother in the process.

Microsoft is using machine learning already to improve the Windows 10 update experience. The approach helps Microsoft detect and fix potential issues faster, and to prevent the distribution of problematic updates until issues are resolved.

Closing Words

The majority of feature update had several issues, some of which were detected only after the official release by Microsoft. The machine learning approach won't remove the need to backup systems before installing updates, as issues may be still be introduced that cannot be fixed using built-in features of the Windows operating system.