Nvidia and AMD’s rumored plans to make Arm-based PC CPUs could turn the laptop world upside down
Nvidia plans to make Arm-based processors to challenge Intel’s dominance in the world of Windows PCs, a new report shows, as does AMD.
Reuters has the scoop on this – add an appropriate dose of caution as always with rumors – and on the Nvidia side, the report cites two sources familiar with the alleged plans.
Apparently Nvidia is ‘quietly’ designing these new CPUs, which will likely be used in laptops (running Windows on Arm) – and probably desktops too – as part of Microsoft’s plan to encourage chip makers to adopt Arm-based processors to use.
After all, Microsoft has undoubtedly watched as Apple built its own highly successful business, moving to in-house Arm chips and away from Intel with Macs, and Nadella’s company wants a piece of that action.
As the Reuters report points out, in the three years since Apple launched the M1, Apple has nearly doubled its PC market share, according to preliminary Q3 figures from analyst firm IDC.
Microsoft’s plan has apparently caught AMD’s attention as well, and Team Red will apparently make Arm-based processors in the same vein as Nvidia, again if word from two separate sources proves correct.
We’re told that both Nvidia and AMD could have PC chips on the market fairly soon, perhaps as early as 2025.
Analysis: A worrying prospect for Intel
Windows on Arm has struggled to make any meaningful impact until now, with existing Qualcomm chips powering devices running the operating system. However, the entry of Nvidia and AMD could be a turning point in producing sharper chips, and that’s clearly what Microsoft is hoping for.
It’s clearly not as simple as ‘ooh, let’s do what Apple does’ with faster, better and more efficient silicon, as combining the hardware and software sides of the equation is a whole different problem for Microsoft and potential partners Nvidia and AMD .
Apple, of course, has complete control over its hardware and software stack, which is a significant advantage when it comes to making everything work in harmony and producing the best results. And the results achieved with the M1 and M2 SoCs (with the M3 most likely following next year) have been remarkable, to say the least.
Microsoft’s other problem would be convincing developers to code for Windows on Arm while Intel chips remain dominant – and Team Blue wouldn’t be easy to dislodge. (Interestingly, Microsoft just rolled out a consulting service to help developers create apps for Windows on Arm).
Clearly, this potential development will worry Intel. Apple’s MacBooks are moving forward with those Arm-based chips, as noted. With the M1 and M2 boasting serious power efficiency improvements, this is, unsurprisingly, something Intel has focused on: Meteor Lake laptop processors (coming in December) are designed to play an important role in terms of efficiency. (And Raptor Lake Refresh desktop CPUs feel like an afterthought by comparison).
So laptops may be Intel’s fortress, but Apple’s attack is being taken seriously, and further competition from possibly Nvidia and AMD in a few years won’t help Team Blue.
If both Nvidia and AMD get behind Windows on Arm in laptops (and yes, chips for desktop PCs could be made too, of course, as mentioned at the outset – but notebooks would presumably be the main driver), then perhaps it will become a more powerful force in the computing world. To be honest, we still have a hard time believing that, but the addition of two big players in the form of Teams Green and Red could change things, if anything…