At Computex this year, Nvidia launched yet another amazing product: the RTX Spark chip, which derives record performance from the ARM instruction set. Looking back, this transformation started with Apple, which executed its transition from x86 to ARM smoothly, thanks to its centralized ecosystem and substantial cash flow support. Then came Qualcomm, which stepped into the PC market by leveraging its massive accumulation in the smartphone market. A prime example is the Snapdragon X Elite, which is based on ARM as well. As consumers who have been using x86 chips for years, we may wonder, "What is Intel doing to preserve the realm of x86?"
In fact, they have made a lot of changes, but the world is still running toward the realm of ARM. In order to radically throw away legacy instructions in x86, Intel started an internal project called "x86S." However, analysts at Intel estimate that products built under this new project will inevitably be unpopular due to declining compatibility, leading to the loss of even more critical market share. Consequently, they announced the cancellation of "x86S." Intel is now focusing on chip manufacturing, which is said to be its unshakable core competence in the new era. We can't say x86 has lost the game just yet, as Intel is actually working on things like pushing developers to deprecate old software dependencies. However, the trend is obvious. People and big tech companies are embracing ARM.
Insight: From an objective standpoint, some may be confused by the series of actions that Intel has taken. What lies beneath could be the ultimate result of dirty business and political games.
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