Sept 30 (Reuters) - Opera on Tuesday launched

Neon, an artificial intelligence-powered browser that can

execute tasks and run code inside web pages, adding to the

intensifying competition among technology firms to make web

browsing more agentic.

The move underscores the race to transform the browser into

a productivity hub that acts on behalf of users rather than just

delivering search results. Perplexity AI released its Comet

browser earlier this year, while The Browser Company, the maker

of Arc, launched Dia.

OpenAI is poised to roll out a Chromium-based AI web browser

potentially integrating its "Operator" agent to let users browse

and transact without leaving a native chat interface, Reuters

reported earlier this year.

Opera said Neon can fill out forms, compare data across

sites or draft code directly inside the browser. Its "Neon Do"

feature allows the software to navigate pages on a user's behalf

without routing information to external cloud services.

The Norwegian company is pitching Neon as a subscription

product aimed at power users. Early access begins Tuesday, with

broader availability expected in the coming months.

Other features include "Tasks", which create self-contained

workspaces for AI to analyze multiple sources, and "Cards",

reusable prompt templates that automate repetitive workflows.

Opera said all actions occur locally, giving users control over

when the AI model acts or pauses.

The company's U.S.-listed shares have surged in the past

three years on the back of consistent earnings beat and investor

optimism around its push into AI-powered products.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Oslo, Opera has more

than 300 million active users across its desktop and mobile

browsers. The company emphasized Neon's privacy-first design,

arguing that on-device operation could appeal to European users

as regulators tighten scrutiny over data use.