Hannah Hopkins 
Dec 23, 2023
Microsoft is preparing grounds for another mainstream push to its Arm-based laptops in 2024, a decade after their first failed attempt. This time, though, with the help of AI, they might have something worthwhile up their sleeve.
What is Windows on Arm?
What is Windows on Arm, you ask? Well, to put it simply, it refers to Windows OS being run on Arm-based processors, instead of the traditional x86 architecture.
Microsoft’s first attempt, in 2012, at Arm-powered devices wasn’t a commercial success (otherwise we wouldn’t have to explain what it is), because of various faulty practices and self-sabotaging decisions, but with the help of AI chips, Microsoft may finally be able to push its Arm-based Surface laptops to the mainstream public in 2024.
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AI chips to the rescue
The first to wet their feet in this new venture is Intel. Intel has already released their Meteor Lake Core Ultra chips, which have a dedicated AI coprocessor for AI features that the next version of Windows (probably Windows 12) will take advantage of. With MacBook completely dominating the laptop market, Microsoft needs this boost to stumble back in the list of Apple’s competition.
Other than Intel, AMD and Qualcomm, have also introduced themselves as potential aides for Microsoft’s Arm-based devices, with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 mobile processors that include a dedicated AI engine and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X elite processors having the raw processing speed to match the performance of Apple’s M2 powered MacBooks. Both of these can help Microsoft finally bridge the gap with Apple’s devices and capture a major portion of the market, starting in 2024.
