Microsoft Officially Announces Big Plans on ARM Chips, Mac Users Profit?

At the Build 2022 event yesterday, Microsoft finally officially announced their plans in developing computers with ARM chips. This time it seems they are serious and not kidding.

Microsoft has prepared a mini computer that is very similar to the Mac Mini. The device is named Project Volterra and will be a test device to develop ARM technology for Microsoft.

Microsoft is also preparing a variety of software updates to be optimized on ARM-based chips. Starting from Visual Studio 2022, VS Code, .NET, WSL, WSA, and so on.

The Mac mini-like computer was designed as a Windows for Arm Developer Kit. This step is certainly very similar to Apple before releasing the first Mac with the M1, namely by releasing a Developer Kit in the form of a Mac Mini with an A12Z chip.

If Microsoft is successful with the development of ARM technology for Windows, it could be that Apple will also benefit greatly because it is likely that Microsoft will open Windows for Arm access to more devices. Including Macs.

As we know, Microsoft and Qualcomm were caught having an exclusive partnership that made Microsoft only able to release Windows for Arm on computers with Qualcomm chips. That’s why Windows for Arm can’t be installed to Mac via Boot Camp.

Later after the collaboration ends, Microsoft will be more open with Arm-based chips other than Qualcomm. Windows for Arm will also be increasingly Arm-ready and a wide variety of third-party software will also be increasingly optimized for Arm chips.

Even so, there has been no official information from Microsoft about the plans for Windows for Arm on a Mac with an M1 chip. Hopefully Mac users with Apple Silicon can install Windows natively via dual boot using Boot Camp.

via Macworld