In five years, 50% of PCs will have ARM processors - say ARM and Qualcomm CEOs

The CEO of ARM Holdings, Rene Haas, expects that by 2029, more than 50% of Windows PCs will use ARM-based processors instead of x86 chips, as reported by Reuters. CEO of Qualcomm, Cristiano Amon, shares a similar estimate.

ARM processors have been working on PCs for some time now. However, the introduction of Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Plus, which are capable of competing with dominant x64-x86, could change a lot. Optimism is added by Microsoft's strong collaboration with the ARM ecosystem recently. Haas noted that Microsoft is very dedicated to ARM in terms of software.

"ARM's market share in Windows - I really believe that in the next five years, it could exceed 50%," says Rene Haas.

Paul Alcorn from Tom's Hardware asked Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon during Computex 2024 about his thoughts on Haas' words. Amon confirmed the possibility that ARM will take 50% of the Windows PC market in five years, and even mentioned that some OEM manufacturers are already planning for 60% of their sales in computers with Snapdragon chips within the next three years.

"Well, I like it. We do all the work [for them]," Amon replied amid journalist's laughter. "Different OEM manufacturers say things a little differently. For example, I like some of the things they said during the earnings call. The way they think about it is changing. Some talk about 40-60% of their total sales in three years. I've also seen some OEM manufacturers talking about 50%, but these are pretty much the opportunities we have."

Microsoft's work with ARM started back in the Windows RT era but has never been as intense and successful. Thanks to continuous development, Microsoft's cooperation with ARM over the past decade is now ready to provide strong support to developers and customers.

However, achieving 50% or more is a very bold forecast for just a few years. People are usually conservative about their computer environment, and it may take years for psychological adjustment. Additionally, there is a computer and laptop replacement cycle that typically ranges from 4-5 years. There is also competition with AMD and Intel processors, which are also improving performance and energy efficiency.