Built for what's next: Arm's advantage in the AI PC era

When considering your upgrade for Windows 11, it’s time to look at Arm vs x86 - It's an upgrade to improved efficiency, performance, and battery life.

Sponsored Feature Sometimes a window closing really does mean a new door opens. Certainly that's the case for those who have discovered Arm when forced to find an alternative to Windows 10.

Nearly three quarters of the world's desktop computers run on Windows. That means that hundreds of millions of computer users had to consider what they were going to do when Microsoft announced the end of support for Windows 10 in October 2025.

Being forced to re-evaluate hardware strategies for your organization seems like a major inconvenience, but it's also an opportunity to step up your game with a new architecture that delivers sustained, efficient AI performance.

From migration to transformation with arm

Imagine what you could do with devices that offer up to 22 hours of battery life, fanless designs, and AI-optimized performance. These capabilities are the result of Arm's consistent engineering focus on efficiency and its extended collaboration with Microsoft. Now Arm is established as a viable alternative to x86 for Windows PCs.

Arm is now delivering to PCs what it had been delivering to mobile devices for years. Parag Beeraka, senior director of consumer computing at Arm, explains: "The roots of Arm were traditionally in smaller devices such as smartphones and with microcontrollers in home devices, which is why energy efficiency and power efficiency  have always been at the core of our DNA."

As Beeraka points out, "Microsoft has put more and more emphasis on applications from the ISV side of things over the last three years or so because it knew the revamp of products to be released in 2024."  

When native becomes the norm

Over 900+ of the most popular Windows applications, including Slack, Spotify, WhatsApp, Google Drive, and Adobe Lightroom, are already available in Arm-native form. Each new conversion further strengthens a self-reinforcing cycle of adoption. As more users experience better performance and battery life, more developers commit to optimizing for Arm.

"It's been an amazing journey, seeing how the ISV community has come together to enable native apps for Arm," declares Beeraka.

The transformation of Windows on Arm from niche offering to mainstream platform is the result of a committed collaboration with developers. The architecture supports a wide range of devices from multiple OEM partners, ensuring customers can select hardware that fits their particular needs and budgets.

Support services empower developers

Developer empowerment through Microsoft and Arm support services is key to that explosion of the native app ecosystem. Microsoft's App Assure team focuses on the most-used apps from consumer and commercial installation points of view, breaking them into different categories like browsers, anti-virus, VPNs, and Microsoft applications.

Microsoft’s Arm Advisory Service provides a library of code examples and conversion pathways for companies looking to go native. Much of this work involves recompiling different libraries and content that serves as the foundation for countless applications. The service offers developers a clear path forward with proven approaches.

"Say a company is looking into developing an app for Arm. When they look for something to start with, they can see examples that demonstrate how to do the conversion in Python or whatever they choose to use without worrying about compatibility," Beeraka explains.

Arm Learning Paths offer how-to examples for developers to reference, which removes barriers to adoption. These free resources have helped many developers optimize their applications. The impressive result is 900+ native apps to date.

A surprisingly streamlined transition

Many people are daunted by the prospect of porting because they typically take much longer than expected and present many headaches. That's why those who convert from different architecture-based apps to Arm are pleasantly surprised when it just takes them a few weeks to effect the transition and see real-world results.

For example, Pieces for Developers, an intelligent memory system for software developers, saw immediate performance improvements when transitioning to Windows on Arm. Key AI models now run significantly faster, with latency reduced from 400ms to 143ms and token generation speeds nearly tripled.

As the company's case study notes: "Building native, local-first AI experiences on Arm isn't just feasible — it's the future."

Opera also reported that it had builds completed in just days rather than weeks or months. Apps built with newer technologies for phones, tablets, and PCs find the transition particularly straightforward. "If the base layer of architecture is similar, then it's easier to do something with Arm," Beeraka notes.

That ease of porting, combined with full native support for VS Code and other popular IDE’s means developers now build and test for Arm PCs as naturally as they do for x86.

Enterprise-grade security and compatibility

For enterprises, security is a primary concern. That's why Arm is designed to meet the high security standards set by Microsoft to serve commercial customers that process sensitive and regulated data.

"We see these standards as baseline, so when enterprises get them, they don't have to worry if the device is secure or not," Beeraka points out. Organizations can deploy these devices with confidence that they'll work with existing systems and protect their data.

Enterprise buyers are also concerned about platform flexibility. That's why Arm's architecture supports a wide range of OEM partners, price points, and device types. There is no need to compromise on preferences and options when adopting the native option for maximum efficiency.

Equipped for an AI future

Business integrations with AI models are well on their way to becoming the norm rather than the exception. Arm's customers will be ready for whatever emerges, thanks to partnerships with key players in this space and the architecture's inherent efficiency for on-device AI workloads, whether users opt for Microsoft's Copilot or another tool.

" Arm Architecture continues to be a core part of AI enablement by doing a lot of pre and post processing of tasks along with running the models themselves," Beeraka notes.

"As we embrace AI in daily workflows, we want to make it as seamless as possible," Beeraka says. Arm and its partners plan continued enhancements in AI acceleration, battery efficiency, and overall performance, ensuring that devices will be up to the task for any workload demands.

Arm's roadmap for the future

Earlier this year, Arm CEO Rene Haas reaffirmed the company's commitment to PCs, introducing a dedicated product portfolio for this category. Microsoft continues to be a key partner and influencer in that roadmap, ensuring alignment on future capabilities designed to meet the needs of enterprise customers.

The roadmap extends beyond immediate needs to prepare customers for emerging AI-based technologies while maintaining optimized performance and security. Organizations planning multi-year deployments can regard Arm-based Windows devices as strategic platforms that will evolve with their business requirements.

From promising to proven

Real-world performance results are the proof of the Arm platform advantage. With native applications now accounting for more than 90 percent of user time, the platform is more than promising; it is proven.

Arm-based devices represent a transformative upgrade. They empower developers, improve enterprise infrastructure, and enable users to capitalize on the AI-driven applications that will evolve in the future. Those who recognize the opportunity of adopting Arm now will not just keep up but be equipped to get ahead.

Sponsored by Arm.