Following Qualcomm, AMD could become the next major x86 player to support Windows on Arm (WoA) devices. According to Kepler_L2 (via ITHome), AMD is reportedly developing an Arm-based APU codenamed “Sound Wave” to power Microsoft’s next-generation Surface device in 2026. The Sound Wave APU is expected to use standard Cortex CPU cores, while likely featuring AMD’s Radeon GPU for graphics.
Last year, Microsoft launched its Surface devices for consumers exclusively with Arm-based Snapdragon X chipsets. However, facing x86-to-Arm compatibility challenges, the company introduced Surface laptops with Intel’s Lunar Lake chipset for business users in 2025. Now, AMD is reportedly preparing to enter the Arm space as well, aiming to offer competitive performance and better battery life on Windows PCs.
Earlier reports indicated that Qualcomm’s exclusive agreement with Microsoft to develop Arm-based chips for Windows would end in 2024. With the agreement now expired, new players are beginning to adopt the Arm architecture to power Windows devices.
We previously reported that Nvidia is working on Arm chips for Windows PCs, specifically the N1 and N1X chipsets. In fact, Nvidia is expected to unveil its Arm-based SoCs next week at Computex in Taiwan. With Qualcomm, Nvidia, and AMD all embracing the Arm architecture, it remains to be seen how Intel will enhance the x86 architecture to stay competitive in the evolving PC market.
