Next Windows 8 will Support ARM based devices

At CES 2011 in Las Vegas, Microsoft has confirmed that the upcoming Windows 8 OS will support ARM-based devices. Windows currently supports only the x86 architecture utilized by Intel and AMD’s processors. But now the next version of Windows 8 will also support the System on a Chip (SoC) architecture, including the one designed by ARM.

More specifically, Windows 8 will support ARM-based systems from NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments. The upcoming version of Windows is separate from the Windows Phone 7 OS, which already powers mobile phones utilizing the ARM architecture.

“With today’s announcement, we’re showing the flexibility and resiliency of Windows through the power of software and a commitment to world-class engineering,” Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, said in a statement. “We continue to evolve Windows to deliver the functionality customers demand across the widest variety of hardware platforms and form factors.”