Apple launched its M1 chip series back in 2020, and it single-handedly smacked every other chip maker in the face. It was able to pack a lot of power into an ARM-based and other companies are scrambling to catch up. Last year, Qualcomm expressed its plans to make its own competitor with the purchase of Nuvia. Now, it looks like Qualcomm is on track to launch its ARM-based chip for Windows PC platforms next year.
We can all tell that this is going to be the next frontier in chip-making: ARM-based chips for PCs. ARM chips power your phones, tablets, portable gaming consoles, and other pocket products, but Apple decided to blow convention out of the water. The company’s M1 series of chips is able to power its full desktop platforms, and that means big trouble for Intel.
But, Qualcomm wants to make an ARM-based chip for the Windows PCs, and it’s moving forward
Qualcomm, the creator of the Snapdragon chips, is the next company to go toe-to-toe with Apple. The company has been working on bringing an ARM-based chipset to power Windows PCs since last year, and, according to XDA Developers, it’s on track. Cristiano Amon, the CEO of Qualcomm, stated that the company is on track to launch its chip sometime in late 2023.
Qualcomm plans on making the chips available for OEMs to sample in the second half of this year with an official launch sometime in the second half of 2023. There’s not too much more information on what this chip will be called or what it will pack in terms of power.
What we can expect is for this chip to be behind Apple’s chip in the future. The company will be launching its first ARM-based PC chip. Meanwhile, Apple will have about three years of experience. However, we can’t forget that this won’t be a head-to-head fight, as these chips won’t be powering the same platform.
This could usher in a new age for mobile computing
Not only will this Qualcomm ARM-based chip power Windows computers, but it’s planned to power phones and mobile devices as well. This means that a chip that’s (hopefully), going to power full desktop software will be in Android smartphones.
There has always been this gap between phones and computers in terms of power. However, if Qualcomm could pull this off, then we might be able to start closing that gap. Phones are already striving to boost productivity and deliver a more PC-like experience. If these ARM-based chips were placed in phones, then there’s no telling how much better the experience will be.