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

ARM Holdings CEO Rene Haas expects more than 50% of Windows PCs to use ARM-based processors instead of x86 chips by 2029, according to Reuters. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon shares the same assessment.

In general, ARM processors have been powering PCs for some time. But the emergence of Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Plus, which are able to compete with the dominant x64-x86, can change a lot. Microsoft’s strong recent cooperation with the ARM ecosystem adds to the optimism. Haas noted that Microsoft is very committed to Arm from a software perspective.

«ARM’s market share in Windows — I think, indeed, in the next five years it could exceed 50%»,” says Rene Haas.

Paul Alcorn of Tom`s Hardware during Computex 2024 asked Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon what he thought of Haas’ words. Amon confirmed the possibility that ARM will occupy 50% of the Windows PC market in five years, and even said that some OEMs are already planning to allocate up to 60% of their sales to Snapdragon computers over the next three years.

«Well, I like it. We do all the work [for them],» Amon replied to the laughter of the journalists. — «Different OEMs talk a little differently. For example, I like some of the things they said during the earnings call. The way they think about it varies. Some are talking about 40-60% of their total sales within three years. I’ve also seen some OEMs talk about 50%, but that’s about the kind of opportunity we have».

Microsoft’s work with ARM dates back to the Windows RT era, but it has never been more intense or successful. Thanks to the continuous evolution of Microsoft’s engagement with ARM over the past decade, the company is now poised to provide strong support to developers and customers.

However, 50% or more is a very bold prediction for a few years. People are usually conservative about their computer environment, and it can take years to psychologically adapt. In addition, there is a replacement cycle for computers and laptops, which for most is 4-5 years. There is also competition from AMD processors and Intel products that also improve performance and energy efficiency.