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ARM Could Disrupt Microsoft-Intel Marriage

Company hopes to better compete with the world's leading chip maker

Jul 31, 2009 07:59 GMT  ·  By
ARM hopes Microsoft will port Windows to its architecture
   ARM hopes Microsoft will port Windows to its architecture

One of the most interesting battles that have been recorded in the IT industry is that of Intel versus the conglomerate of chip makers that have adopted ARM's microarchitecture. There's an immense potential in the market for low-power, ultraportable and low-cost computing systems, especially since the line between smartphones and portable computer systems is getting increasingly blurred. On that note, it appears that ARM is hoping Microsoft, the company responsible for the operating system on the majority of the world's computer systems, will port its OS to the ARM microarchitecture.

 

The fellows over at Hexus Channel have been lucky enough to sit down and talk to Bob Morris, ARM's director of mobile computing, about some of the challenges that the company faces in light of the upcoming Pine Trail and Moorestown platforms from Intel. Apparently, the company is confident that it can stay one step ahead of the Santa Clara, California-based chip maker, which is currently the world's leading chip vendor and holds a major advantage in the netbook space. However, ARM is much like Intel in the smartphone business, where the latter is also hoping to grab a segment with its upcoming Moorestown platform.

 

When it comes right down to it, the situation is largely connected to Microsoft and its operating system, which is currently featured on the majority of computer systems on the market. ARM is hoping that the Redmond, Washington-based software giant will reassess its relation with Intel and consider porting the full Windows operating system to ARM microarchitecture. One of the reasons that could sustain the idea is that Intel has been recently taking a large interest in the open-source world, promoting its own Linux-based OS for upcoming MIDs. Microsoft could see this as a threat and try to deliver its operating system on a wider range of platforms.

 

There are still a number of questions to be answered, but it's clear that we’ll be assisting to an interesting market situation, with both Intel and ARM trying to promote their solutions.