Here is an utterly terrifying thought for Intel: These Microsoft processors are clearly destined for their own servers. That’s bad for Intel, but not existentia

Here is an utterly terrifying thought for Intel: These Microsoft processors are clearly destined for their own servers. That’s bad for Intel, but not existential. But what if Microsoft takes the lessons learned from making their server chips, and uses that to develop their own chips for the Surface. Again, bad for Intel, but hardly a huge deal. But what if Microsoft then takes these Surface chips, and licenses them to Windows manufacturers to create the next generation of PCs... PCs that can compete with the M1 in terms of performance and efficiency. For Microsoft, the benefits would be immense. Microsoft obviously knows Windows better than anyone, and would be able to tailor both the operating system and their CPUs to work far more efficiently than Wintel. This also increases Microsoft’s vertical integration and control over the Windows operating system, which they’d no doubt view as positive. Microsoft becomes vendor of the Windows operating system and the CPUs it runs on. Intel systems would be at a permanent competitive disadvantage, as they don’t have the tight level of integration of Windows and MS-designed chips. The off the shelf ARM core designs are likely good enough for Microsoft to create an offering that’s competitive with Intel, if they implement some tweaks to make it integrate and perform better with Windows (as Apple has done with M1 and macOS) This might sound bonkers right now, but there’s definitely a version of the future where we’re buying a Dell XPS powered by Windows 10 and “Microsoft Silicon”