The agreement between Microsoft and Qualcomm could come to an end this year and other manufacturers would be on the starting line to offer ARM chips dedicated to Windows PCs.
If the majority of Windows PCs sold today are equipped with Intel or AMD processors, Microsoft started a small revolution a few years ago by offering a few machines integrating an ARM chip. These processors, used in smartphones, tablets and many other mobile devices for their low energy consumption, are developed for PCs with Qualcomm, the world leader in the sector. The American company notably supplies most smartphone manufacturers and has partnered with Microsoft to develop a range dedicated to laptops produced by Microsoft or certain third-party manufacturers. But the situation could quickly change.
An exclusivity agreement coming to an end
If the existence of an exclusivity agreement between Qualcomm and Microsoft has never been mentioned, the two companies have worked hand in hand since 2016 and the creator of Windows has never approached another partner to design new ARM processors.
Rene Haas, the president of the ARM company, threw a wrench into the pond in an interview with the website Stratechery. The latter confirms that Microsoft and Qualcomm have signed an exclusivity agreement for the design of ARM processors for Windows computers.
The manager goes further in his statements and indicates that this contract has an end date, and this would be very close: “ I think it’s very well documented that Qualcomm’s exclusivity with Windows expires, I think, this year “. The man gives no specific date, but it seems likely that the deal will be completed as early as early 2025.
NVIDIA and AMD in the running to offer their processors
According to the press agency ReutersNVIDIA and AMD would be well aware of the end of the contract between Microsoft and Qualcomm, and would already be hard at work designing their processors, to be found in future Windows ARM PCs.
According to AMD, the work is not the most complicated and the manufacturer could very quickly offer new references if Microsoft and its partners ask it. NVIDIA is not taking its first steps in the field, in particular thanks to the design of Grace CPUs intended for servers.
That remains the case of Intel. If the American company has experienced some turmoil in recent years, it does not feel attacked by the emergence of ARM processors in personal computers, and remains confident in its current range of processors.
It is true that Windows ARM only represents a very small market share in the PC world today, and that the renewal of the fleet to ARM machines could take many years. However, the trend could accelerate with greater competition and we will have to wait until 2025 to see the first effects of the end of this agreement between Microsoft and Qualcomm.
Source : Tom’s Hardware
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