AI-powered Arm chips - a turning point for Windows computers?

Microsoft is ready to launch a series of Windows laptops running Arm chips that promise to beat the Apple M3 Silicon processor on the MacBook Air line.

The software giant is betting that its Qualcomm-made Snapdragon X Elite chip, which is expected to appear in Windows PCs as well as Surface products this year, will outperform the M3 MacBook Air in CPU tasks, AI acceleration and simulation applications.

TheVerge cites internal documents that show Microsoft claiming Windows AI PC has the power to “simulate applications faster than Rossetta 2” — the emulator Apple uses to run apps designed for 64-bit Intel.

Windows devices powered by new Arm chips will integrate many AI features.

App emulation has long been a major challenge for Windows computers running on Arm chips. In 2022, Microsoft introduced x64 software emulation for Windows 11.

Meanwhile, native Arm apps are the key to improving performance on upcoming devices, and Google recently released an ARM64 version of its Chrome browser specifically for these new computers.

In addition, it is known that Microsoft will equip Snapdragon X Elite on Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, in addition to the business-focused versions using Intel's Core Ultra chip.

The Windows maker describes the new chips as creating “the next generation of AI Copilot PCs,” which are distinct from PCs powered by AMD’s latest Core Ultra processors. These will be the first PCs to have access to new AI features in Windows, including an AI Explorer app that “retrieves everything that’s ever been seen or done on the device.”

The AI Explore feature works like a timeline, which was removed by Microsoft from Windows 10. However, unlike the old Timeline feature that relied on developer apps to work, AI Explorer uses the device's neural processor to scan the timeline of events, and works with all Windows apps.

Next, Microsoft is looking to improve video streaming on Windows machines with Arm chips. AI computers will have access to Windows Studio Effects, which can remove backgrounds, create AI-powered images, and the option to enable Copilot, which “learns” how individuals use their computers to provide more accurate prompts and feedback.

In terms of gaming, Qualcomm claims that most Windows games can run on Arm laptops. The chipmaker also showed off performance tests that beat the Apple M2 and Core Ultra 7 of the Snapdragon X Elite in some areas. The AI PC launch event will take place on May 20, a day before Microsoft’s annual developer conference.

Microsoft’s vision for AI PCs may be similar to the “PC for every home” campaign the company has been running for decades. The Verge reports that the software company expects 50% of new Windows devices to run AI-powered chips by 2026.

The Viet (Source: TheVerge)

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