It should come as no surprise that Microsoft is trying to track Apple in designing its own ARM-based processors that support Windows 10. The latest leak focuses on Windows servers, but there are a number of consumer devices out there. also.
Panos Panay, Microsoft Corp. Product Manager, displays the Surface Pro X and Tablet hybrid … [+]
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Microsoft’s current ARM-based family, Surface Pro X, runs on silicon developed in partnership between Microsoft and Qualcomm, with the first and second generation Qualcomm 8cx processors at the center of Microsoft’s SQ1 and SQ2.
Switching to its own ARM chip design could allow Microsoft to take advantage of the same benefits that Apple found with its M1 processor. The latter has specific circuits that work in tandem with the low-level code of macOS, which offers significant speed and efficiency benefits.
Microsoft Windows works on a much wider footprint of technology, with different manufacturers and different chipsets. It needs to be much more universal and offer wider compatibility. To get this coverage, something needs to change and this is the incredible connections between software and hardware that Apple can lean on.
There are certainly benefits to Microsoft designing its own silicon, but it should control both computing hardware and software to find the maximum benefit. The latest news may not have many details, but the magnitude suggests that this is the plan. Ian King and Dina Bass for Bloomberg:
“The world’s largest software maker is using Arm Ltd. projects to produce a processor that will be used in its data centers, according to people familiar with the plans. It is also exploring the use of another chip that would power part of its Surface line of personal computers. People asked not to be identified discussing private initiatives. “
The effort seems to be one that is driven by cloud computing and everything is fine, running with its own silicon in its servers will allow the natural benefits of increased processing power for less energy and heat will allow better performance from any server farm .
But the potential for a consumer device with tighter integration has been floating and personally that excites me.
As mentioned above, Surface Pro X has proven that the Windows 10 project on ARM is ready for regular use, and as 2020 draws to a close, the 64-bit emulation beta joins the 32-bit emulation and the ability to run native ARM64, opening the vast catalog of Windows applications.
It is also worth noting that the two emulation options do not offer performance that matches running applications on an x86-based computer, and the impact on battery life is high. This is in contrast to the feeling of running x86 macOS applications on the new M1 and macMini MacBooks. The reason is simple, the extra murmur in Apple cars compensates for the inefficiencies of any emulation layer.
Microsoft creating a custom Arm chip will take the best of the Surface Pro X (and there are many things to appreciate) and associate it with the tight integration of Windows 10, and the new chip would certainly reduce the gap that now exists between Windows and macOS.
The question might be how far will the new Apple hardware be when Microsoft reaches the first generation of M1 hardware?
Now read more about the impact of the ARM race on the desktop web browser …