This afternoon, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft is within the strategy of creating its personal ARM CPU designs, following within the footsteps of Apple’s M1 cellular CPU and Amazon’s Graviton datacenter CPU.
Bloomberg cites off-record conversations with Microsoft workers who did not need to be named. These sources mentioned that Microsoft is at present creating an ARM processor for datacenter use and exploring the potential for one other for its Floor line of cellular PCs.
Bloomberg’s sources paint the datacenter half as “extra doubtless” and a Floor half as “doable.” This appears believable, on condition that Microsoft’s chip design unit reviews to the Azure cloud VP, with no direct reporting ties to the Floor division. Microsoft declined to touch upon any particular plans, saying solely that it “[continues] to spend money on our personal capabilities in areas like design, manufacturing and instruments, whereas additionally fostering and strengthening partnerships with a variety of chip suppliers.”
Given Microsoft’s deep partnerships with Intel, AMD, and now Qualcomm, this might be a delicate matter for the software program large. With nothing greater than nameless sources to go on, it is just a little early to make certain what, precisely, Microsoft plans to get out of its silicon analysis. Microsoft might nonetheless be merely co-developing designs with current {hardware} companions like Qualcomm, the best way it already has with the SQ1 and SQ2 processors in Surface Pro X.
If Microsoft does comply with Apple’s and Amazon’s lead in designing its personal customized ARM processors, it stands doubtlessly to shorten its provide chain and add one other supply of revenue—however relying on scale, fabrication of the brand new designs might show to be a stumbling block.
Even when Bloomberg’s report proves 100% correct, the tip result’s prone to comply with Amazon’s lead rather more carefully than Apple’s. Though Amazon tightened its provide chain by producing its personal Graviton {hardware}, its software program ecosystem stays open—with out strong Linux working system assist, a server’s future in a datacenter may be very poor certainly. Microsoft would face the identical challenges with a datacenter-focused product, and for a similar causes—though the “much less doubtless” Floor ecosystem could be significantly much less constrained.
We’ve got reached out to Microsoft for remark, and we’ll replace this story with any new info because it arrives.
