MediaTek, the renowned Taiwanese chip designer, is reportedly working on a new Arm-based chip designed for Microsoft’s Windows operating system. This development, shared by insiders familiar with the matter, marks a significant collaboration between the two tech giants.
Chips based on arm holdings for Windows
Last month, Microsoft introduced a new generation of laptops equipped with chips based on Arm Holdings technology. These chips are designed to handle advanced artificial intelligence (AI) applications, which Microsoft executives have identified as the future of consumer computing. MediaTek’s upcoming chip is a part of this forward-thinking initiative.
Competition with Apple and Intel
Microsoft’s push towards optimizing Windows for Arm-based chips is a strategic move aimed at competing with Apple, which has been using its own Arm-based chips in Mac computers for nearly four years. This shift could potentially challenge Intel’s longstanding dominance in the personal computer (PC) market. Both MediaTek and Microsoft have declined to comment on this development.
Increase of MediaTek’s shares
Following the news, MediaTek’s shares on the Taiwan stock exchange saw a 2.4% increase, outperforming the broader market’s 1.2% gain. The new MediaTek PC chip is expected to launch late next year, coinciding with the expiration of Qualcomm’s exclusive agreement to supply chips for Windows laptops.
Arm’s ready made designs to speed up the development
The MediaTek chip will utilize Arm’s ready-made designs, significantly speeding up the development process by reducing the amount of required design work. While it’s unclear if Microsoft has officially approved MediaTek’s chip for the Copilot+ Windows program, Arm executives have noted that one customer was able to create a chip using these designs in about nine months.
Historical and Future Outlook Of Arm’s processor architecture
In 2016, Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm to transition Windows OS to Arm’s processor architecture, a move driven by the need for power efficiency suitable for devices with small batteries. The exclusivity agreement with Qualcomm is set to end in 2024, paving the way for other designers to develop Arm-based chips for Microsoft’s latest initiatives. Historically, Windows machines have relied on chip architectures from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel.
Competition on arm-based designs
Nvidia and AMD are also reportedly working on Arm-based designs for Windows machines. Nvidia’s efforts in this space include collaboration with MediaTek, though MediaTek’s PC chip project is independent of this partnership.
Conclusion on Microsoft’s AI-focused laptops
MediaTek’s venture into creating an Arm-based chip for Microsoft’s AI-focused laptops signifies a major advancement in the PC market. As the tech industry evolves, the collaboration between MediaTek and Microsoft could introduce powerful, AI-capable laptops that challenge existing market leaders like Apple and Intel. This shift underscores a broader trend towards Arm-based architectures, promising enhanced efficiency and performance in future computing devices.
