Clamorous news reported by Bloomberg: Intel is about to lose its most profitable market because of the choice of a giant, ready to take a historic step.
A very bad air is blowing for Intel: after the presentation of Apple's M1 chip based on ARM architecture, which started the farewell to X86 processors by the Cupertino's house and showed that without Intel you can get better performance and efficiency, now another big would seem willing to produce its own ARM processor to emancipate itself from Intel solutions.
The news is bad for Intel for two reasons: the first is that this big is Microsoft, the second is that the new ARM-based processor would replace Intel Xeon CPUs in the server market segment for processing huge amounts of data, for Artificial Intelligence and for the Internet. Microsoft saying goodbye to Intel also means something else: Windows 10 for ARM on all computers, the revolution many have been waiting for for years. For Intel losing the server market, then, would be disastrous because it is the most profitable market, where the company makes higher margins than the segmendo of CPUs for desktops and laptops. In short, if this news (which was launched by Bloomberg in recent hours) proves to be true it would be a huge blow to Intel.
Addio X86, not only on servers
There is then a news in the news: always according to Bloomberg Microsoft is working not to one but to two new ARM processors: the second would be intended for high-performance laptops Microsoft Surface.
With such a processor, on which Windows 10 runs, Microsoft could balance the scales and respond to the new MacBook Pro, Air and Mini with the M1 chip, the "wonder processor" built by Apple with ARM architecture.
And here things would be further complicated not only for Intel, but also for AMD that for years has been chasing and challenging Intel in the X86 field. With excellent results, in the last two years, which now risk being thwarted by Microsoft's choices.
Windows 10 on ARM
Windows 10 for processors with ARM architecture already exists, since June 2015, but it is certainly not a loved and widespread operating system. The reason is simple compatibility (in emulation) with 64-bit X86 applications was only announced in October this year. A problem that Apple has solved since the launch of its M1, with the excellent Rosetta 2 emulator that allows you to run almost all existing apps with acceptable stability and performance.
If Microsoft decides to use its own ARM processor on its own servers, then it can only develop its operating system for this architecture thoroughly. Finally, if it decides to integrate it on laptops as well, it might even decide to license its design to third-party manufacturers so as to create a new ecosystem of ARM Microsoft devices without Intel, but with Windows 10.