ARM chips to get support for desktop Windows in 2017

Right now, choosing between Intel and AMD for a new desktop computer or laptop is a no-brainer in most cases. Maybe AMD was great once, but now Intel has no serious competition in the desktop PC market. However, things might soon change as ARM-based processors get support for Microsoft's Windows operating system for desktops.

Qualcomm recently unveiled that its collaboration with Microsoft would allow its next-gen ARM-based processors to run legacy Win32 programs. This confirmation comes after multiple rumors mentioned that Microsoft was working on adding ARM chip support to future Windows 10 versions. This way, 64-bit ARM processors would emulate the x86 architecture supported by Microsoft Windows on desktop PCs.

A few years ago, Microsoft introduced Windows RT for tablets and other devices with ARM-based processors inside. However, the Redmond giant discontinued it in the meantime. With Windows Mobile also dead, Microsoft will focus on adding support for mobile platforms and chips to the desktop version of its operating system.