The biggest news at Computex is how Snapdragon chips are storming the beaches of the Windows-based PC market, spearheading Microsoft’s huge Copilot+ laptop push. We’ve seen Arm-based PC hardware before, but the designs have improved so much that they’re meeting and sometimes beating the Intel and AMD competition. Qualcomm’s CEO thinks they might be good enough to dominate, and do it very quickly.
Speaking to Tom’s Hardware, Cristiano Amon doubled down on bullish projections from Arm, the company that designs the architecture behind the chips in smartphones, tablets, most integrated electronics, and now, Macs and PCs. Amon said that he subscribed to the idea that Arm-based chips could take over 50 percent of the PC market within five years.
“Some OEMs are talking about 40 to 60 percent of their total sales within three years,” Amon said. “I also saw some OEMs talking about 50 percent, but those are the order of magnitudes. That’s kind of the opportunity that we have.”
Yesterday PCWorld’s Mark Hachman spoke with Arm CEO Rene Haas about Qualcomm’s designs for Arm Snapdragon chips, the rise of AI in consumer PCs, and how Apple pushed the industry to open up to Arm processors. For a more practical look at what an Arm-based Windows PC might mean for you, be sure to check out Gordon Ung’s analysis of benchmarks between laptops powered by Qualcomm, Apple, and Intel hardware.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.