Microsoft’s long-term strategy in Arm chips has maintained a very close relationship with Qualcomm. Whether it is Windows Phone or Windows 8 RT to the current Windows 10 on Arm and Windows 11 on Arm, Qualcomm is a close comrade-in-arms of Microsoft, especially the computing level. Both Windows 10 on Arm and Windows 11 on Arm are exclusively owned by Qualcomm chips. So far, we have not seen the products of other Arm-based chip suppliers. MediaTek plans to provide support for its computing-level chips. Windows, now it is said that the exclusive agreement between Microsoft and Qualcomm will expire.
Although Microsoft and Qualcomm have never mentioned that the two parties have signed an exclusive agreement, Qualcomm has always been a comrade-in-arms since Microsoft announced the Windows on Arm plan. Qualcomm provides hardware resources and Microsoft optimizes its platform ( Although the whole plan is much later than expected…) The model has created the current situation of Windows on Arm, and Microsoft even cooperated with Qualcomm to create customized SQ1 and SQ2 chip platforms, but the exclusive cooperation between the two parties will also end.
▲Currently, Windows on Arm only has Qualcomm platform to choose from
It can be speculated that the two parties originally signed a cooperation agreement timetable (just like the mysterious long-term cooperation signed by Microsoft Xbox game controller and Golden Top Battery), or it may be that Microsoft considers that Apple’s Arm-based Apple Silicon devices are already on the ground. , Microsoft needs to try to expand the choice of Arm architecture.
Of course, Qualcomm may also be aware that PC devices need to provide more technological differentiation. Recently, the investor conference announced that it will launch a PC platform based on the Arm instruction set CPU architecture developed by the NUVIA team in 2023, supplemented by its own Adreno GPU and communication technology to expand the difference with the eye-catching MediaTek and Samsung platforms.
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