Microsoft ARMs Windows 8 Technology

Preparing for a World of Non-x86 Tablets and Desktops. When Intel introduced the Atom in 2008, was the master plan to take forward the X86 processor architecture suitable for products such as mobile phones. In fact, in the market for mobile phones has reportedly ARM share of 98%, thus comparable to X86 in the PC world. Indeed, there are an average of 2.6 ARM chips in a modern phone! ARM is a completely different architecture and thus these processors speak a different language.

' Microsoft has finally made it official, announcing that its next operating system, Windows 8, will support ARM-based processors. This represents a major shift away from the company's x86 tunnel vision, hearkening back to the days of multiplatform Windows NT, and properly identifying a changing marketplace where the powerful Wintel machine continues to lose steam.

On the Microsoft side, this announcement is simply good business. ARM-based processors control the majority of the system-on-a-chip (SoC) market for handheld devices, and Microsoft simply wants to get some of that heat. By not supporting ARM, the company risks losing market share to insurgents like Google Android or Apple iOS, and perhaps even ceding the mobile market entirely.


The ARMs Race

Microsoft already supports ARM-based smartphones and similar handheld devices with Windows Phone and CE, but this latest announcement extends full-blown Windows to ARM-based tablets, notebooks and potentially even desktops, assuming ARM makes a push there. ARM-based tablets are already here, small-form-factor netbooks and all-in-one desktops are not far off, and Microsoft sees the platform's potential.

ARM has not disguised its intention to take on Intel in virtually all markets, even going so far as to launch a small server entry of its own. The challenge is very real, as low-power ARM processors have taken over large portions of the smartphone, handheld and tablet markets, and this announcement sets the company up for a push even higher in the PC channel.

A large part of this momentum is due to the ARM business structure, which does not make or sell any physical hardware, but licenses designs to third-party developers who then produce the actual silicon. This gives ARM incredible flexibility and the potential to overwhelm any single company based on the sheer number of ARM partners.

Now that Microsoft has effectively opened up the doors to the lucrative Windows-based tablet, notebook and desktop segments, ARM now has the entire digital marketplace at its fingertips. Exactly how all this affects the powerful Wintel alliance is anyone's guess, but it certainly does not look like a match made in heaven.

Time for a Rewrite

The upcoming Windows 8 OS may be programmed for ARM-based processors, but that does not mean the upstart will get a free ticket to the existing application base. ARM and x86 are very different architectures and will require existing Windows apps to be significantly rewritten for use on ARM hardware.

This is not a scenario where a quick port will do, and it extends to system drivers and other software, all of which need to be revised for the ARM architecture. This means that Microsoft and its partners have a lot of work ahead to get the Windows 8 ARM software library anywhere near its x86 counterpart. This could be solved through virtualization, where x86 code is translated into ARM code, but that would place a heavy processing demand on these tiny, low-power chips.

ARM processors are small and run very cool, but fall behind their Intel and AMD x86 counterparts in terms of outright performance. This adds another level of complexity to the development job, especially concerning the overhead from the operating system and applications.

The breadth of an operating system's application base is integral to its success, and Microsoft knows that a healthy software library will help drive Windows 8 ARM sales. There should be no problem on the Microsoft side of things, and the company is already demoing Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer for ARM. The question is whether the legion of third-party software publishers will also jump on board the ARM bandwagon.

There is a definite economic benefit to rewriting popular programs for ARM, as the potential hardware base looks good for tablets, and should only expand in the future. Whether that makes sense today is the open question, especially as tablets are viewed as consumer rather than business devices, but now that Microsoft has officially supported ARM, most partners will follow.

Another potential issue for Microsoft is communicating that Windows 8 for ARM will not allow tablet or mobile users to install their existing x86-based software. With two different Windows 8s, this may cause some confusion in the retail marketplace, along with a reevaluation of what the Windows logo means to platform compatibility.

Intel Plays It Cool

Intel responded to this announcement in a traditional manner, downplaying any of the negatives and even spinning this potentially bad news into a positive. Intel contends that while ARM has gotten a free ticket into the tablet/notebook market with Windows 8, so too has Intel gained access to tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices.

This presents an opportunity for Intel to challenge ARM on its home field, potentially taking away market share in Windows-based phones, tablets and slates. Software drives hardware, and while ARM will face considerable challenges here, this could be Intel's greatest advantage.

The ability to run existing, or slightly modified, x86 software on Intel-based processors will be a powerful tool in getting ARM hardware vendors to switch platforms, especially with bridge devices like tablets. Familiarity, existing developer partnerships and overall portability will be key elements to this strategy, and could be similar to Atom-based netbooks, which can run virtually all x86-based software, albeit with some performance concerns.

Intel could also take a different angle, and convince developers to create x86-exclusive code, thereby cutting the ARM-based devices out, and heightening the attractiveness of the Intel x86 platform. The danger in this type of move is that it splinters the market, eliciting confusion in customers -- whom you want buying and not worrying -- as well as opening the door to an ARM-only killer app.

It is not all wine and roses for Intel, as ARM SoC processors are less expensive and run cooler than their Intel counterparts, and these are very important factors with tablets and smartphones. Closing the gap with new low-power Intel processors is going to be the main challenge, while promoting the performance advantage over comparable ARM models.

On the notebook and desktop side, Intel just got a wake-up call and its position as undisputed market leader could come under heavy attack. The Microsoft Windows 8 announcement has totally shifted the landscape, and soon Intel will no longer have just AMD to contend with, but also an army of ARM partners. Nvidia has already announced its "Project Denver," a plan to build ARM-based CPU/GPU hybrids for market segments ranging from servers to workstations.

Waiting for 2013

While it is refreshing to see Microsoft acknowledge the market presence of the ARM processor and help set the company up for the future, some would prefer that the future is now. Microsoft's release date for the multiplatform Windows 8 is slated for sometime in 2012 or more likely 2013, and this is definitely not sitting well with current x86 partners, some of whom see Microsoft dragging its heels in order to support the ARM architecture and tablets in general.

Google Android is already out in the wild, as is the iOS for iPad, both of which look to be the two major players in the emerging tablet market. If Microsoft does not watch out, the tablet wars could be over before Windows 8 even hits the market. '