Qualcomm has an exclusive agreement with Microsoft for Windows on ARM

XDA reports that Qualcomm has an exclusive agreement with Microsoft for Windows on ARM, made several years ago. Due to that agreement, all devices running this version of the popular OS are only based on Snapdragon chips. One more interesting thing is the agreement is expiring very soon.

For other vendors, the agreement is not news. They are aware of the existence of an agreement between Microsoft and Qualcomm. They are already working in the same direction.

For example, MediaTek has already announced its intention to build its own processor for Windows on ARM devices.  Samsung can also release a desktop ARM chip. The company is already working in partnership with AMD to integrate the RDNA graphics core into its Exynos.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm has decided to separate the name of its Snapdragon mobile processors into a separate brand. The manufacturer will also stop using the three-digit model numbering of its SoCs.The company wants to simplify the recognition of the new brand.

From now on, Snapdragon is not just the name of a separate series of mobile processors, but a whole independent brand. The Qualcomm name will no longer be used in the names of the chips. The manufacturer began to move in this direction since the release of the Snapdragon 888 Plus model, which lacked the Qualcomm name portion.

The company is already using the new processor numbering in its PC chips. For example, it has Snapdragon 8cx Gen2 and Snapdragon 7c Gen2 models. The company will introduce the first mobile unit under the new model naming scheme scheme on November 30th.

Microsoft and Qualcomm have a long-standing relationship that dates back to the Windows Phone era. This unique OS was only supported by Snapdragon devices.