Microsoft is working on its own PC chips

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Jamie McKane

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Microsoft is working on its own PC chips

Microsoft Corp. is working on in-house processor designs for use in server computers that run the company’s cloud services, adding to an industrywide effort to reduce reliance on Intel Corp.’s chip technology.

The world’s largest software maker is using Arm Ltd. designs to produce a processor that will be used in its data centers, according to people familiar with the plans. It’s also exploring using another chip that would power some of its Surface line of personal computers.
 
They are probably getting really scared after seeing Apple's M1
 
It makes sense for any cloud provider to be looking at something other than Intel for server CPUs, but I'm sceptical about Microsoft's ability to design a CPU, even one that uses ARM architecture, just take a look at how badly Microsoft designs and implements software seemingly with no dogfooding taking place and alpha testing on customers in production with every update rollout.

Maybe Microsoft's plan is to employ a whole lot of ex-Intel CPU designers, I'm sure the bad software designers and bad hardware designers will get on like buildings on fire, each blaming the other.

I'm convinced that the reason Microsoft developed WSL (and WSL2) was that the developers in charge of WSL had Linux backgrounds and wanted a proper terminal window to get stuff done that just couldn't be done easily in Windows 10 without crashing.
 
Park@82 said:
They are probably getting really scared after seeing Apple's M1
Click to expand...
Why would anyone be scared of M1? Real world testing shows its not that great. Sure works well for YouTubers that get review units, but most normal users that want to use the chip for anything other than producing and consuming video have complaints about how slow it is. Can't even compile proper c++ code on it without having to find hackarounds to get it to work. Current Intel chips doesn't have the same growing pains, its well past it. People might be praising it now, but first generation still and x86 will be around for a long time to come still.
 
Park@82 said:
They are probably getting really scared after seeing Apple's M1
Click to expand...

d0b33 said:
Microsoft copying Apple? What's new.
Click to expand...
The competition is more likely the Amazon Graviton2 and Ampere Altra with 64 and 80 cores per CPU respectively. These are like 1st/2nd gen production products competing and beating 10th+ generation x86/x64 products from both AMD and Intel at lower power, heat etc.

Apple are only consumer based, but this has already started on the server side before Apple M1.
 
d0b33 said:
Microsoft copying Apple? What's new.
Click to expand...
The fact that I hear this all the time while most of Microsoft's revenue come from services Apple is a blip or doesn't even compete in is hilarious. Also, these are where the most benefit of their own chip will be gained. Quick question, do you honestly think Microsoft started working on their own chip after Apple's announcement?
 
hahhaahahhahaaaahhhhaahaahah give it to them. why have a whold chip wen u only use half !!
 
d0b33 said:
Microsoft copying Apple? What's new.
Click to expand...

Don't be silly. Microsoft has an Azure hardware division, where work on their own Azure hardware started years ago. Just search for it. Google does the same. Amazon does the same.
 
j4ck455 said:
It makes sense for any cloud provider to be looking at something other than Intel for server CPUs, but I'm sceptical about Microsoft's ability to design a CPU, even one that uses ARM architecture, just take a look at how badly Microsoft designs and implements software seemingly with no dogfooding taking place and alpha testing on customers in production with every update rollout.

Maybe Microsoft's plan is to employ a whole lot of ex-Intel CPU designers, I'm sure the bad software designers and bad hardware designers will get on like buildings on fire, each blaming the other.

I'm convinced that the reason Microsoft developed WSL (and WSL2) was that the developers in charge of WSL had Linux backgrounds and wanted a proper terminal window to get stuff done that just couldn't be done easily in Windows 10 without crashing.
Click to expand...

Software & hardware are completely different disciplines. The vast majority of software developers don't have a clue about the intricacies of CPU architectures unless they're involved with embedded designs & driver coding etc. and they don't need to know. Hell some of them don't even know what assembler is.

I'm sure MS will hire the right talent to do the job... for all we know they might be hiring people like jim keller etc...
 
I would kill for a crystal ball, and see where initiatives like this will leave Intel in a few years time.
 
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