]Microsoft announced today that it is integrating its next-generation Windows client operating system on system-on-a-chip (SoC) hardware and will use the architecture developed by Cambridge, UK-based ARM Holdings.
The SoC deals, announced prior to Microsoft's keynote address tonight at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, are wholly associated with what Microsoft describes as its "next version of Windows." Most people think that new client OS will be called "Windows 8," although Microsoft refused to describe it.
As part of this effort, Microsoft is working with chip-making partners leveraging the ARM architecture. Those partners include Nvidia Corp. Qualcomm Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc., according to Microsoft's announcement. The announcement was quick to add that Microsoft is not neglecting its long-established x86 hardware partners, such as Intel Corp. and AMD Inc., which also are planning SoCs running the next-generation Windows OS.
Intel and AMD are both working on "new low-power systems," although they apparently will not be rolled out at the CES event. Instead, Intel is showcasing its 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family. AMD will talk about its Fusion accelerated processing units at CES.
The next-generation Windows integration with ARM SoC architecture constitutes a new milestone for Microsoft, at least on the client side of the Windows OS family of products. The company has long worked with ARM Holdings based on Windows Embedded products.
