It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Microsoft wants to follow Apple in designing its own ARM-based processors to support Windows 10. The latest leak focuses on Windows servers, but there is a splash of consumer devices in it. also.
Panos Panay, chief product officer of Microsoft Corp., shows the Surface Pro X hybrid tablet and … [+]
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Microsoft’s current ARM-based family, the Surface Pro X, runs on silicon developed in collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm, with the first and second generation of Qualcomm’s 8cx processors at the heart of Microsoft’s SQ1 and SQ2.
By moving to its own design of ARM chips, Microsoft could reap the same benefits that Apple has found with its M1 processor. The latter has a specific circuit that works with macOS’s low-level code, providing significant speed and efficiency benefits.
Microsoft Windows runs on a much larger technology footprint, with different manufacturers and different chipsets. It should be much more universal and offer greater compatibility. To get that reach, something has to be traded, and that’s the incredible connections between software and hardware that Apple can lean on.
Microsoft certainly has advantages in designing its own silicon, but it would have to control both computer hardware and software to find the maximum benefit. The latest news may not contain much detail, but the wide reach suggests that this is the plan. Ian King and Dina Bass for Bloomberg:
“The world’s largest software manufacturer is using Arm Ltd.’s designs to produce a processor to be used in its data centers, according to people familiar with the plans. It is also exploring the use of another chip that is part of would fuel his Surface line of personal computers. People asked not to be identified and discussed private initiatives. “
The effort appears to be one powered by cloud computing, and if all goes well running with its own silicon in its servers will enable the natural benefits of increased processing power for less energy and heat, allowing for better performance from any server farm to be possible.
But it’s the potential for a consumer device with tighter integration, and that excites me personally.
The aforementioned Surface Pro X has proven that the Windows 10 on ARM project is ready for general use, and as 2020 draws to a close, the beta of 64-bit emulation will join 32-bit emulation and the ability to run native ARM64 to run, bringing the extensive catalog of Windows applications.
It is also noticeable that the two emulation choices do not provide performance equivalent to running the apps on an x86-based machine, and the battery life is high. That contrasts with the feeling of running x86 macOS apps on the new M1-powered MacBooks and macMini. The reason is simple: the extra grunt in Apple’s machines makes up for the inefficiencies that each emulation layer has.
Microsoft making a custom Arm chip will use the best of the Surface Pro X (and there’s a lot to like) and pair this with the tight integration of Windows 10 and the new chip would certainly close the gap now exists between Windows and macOS.
The question may be how far Apple’s new hardware will be when Microsoft catches up with first-generation M1 hardware?
Now learn more about the impact of the ARM race on the desktop web browser …