MediaTek plans to launch its own ARM-based CPU for Windows laptops next year, following in the footsteps of its competitor Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite.

MediaTek wants to build processors for laptops. Reuters knows this. The first CPUs for Windows computers should be available by 2025. MediaTek is following its big competitor Qualcomm.

If your Android smartphone does not have a Qualcomm chip, it is most likely running on a copy of the Taiwanese MediaTek. This company converts Arm’s ARM designs into its own chips, which are very popular in the East and are also well represented in mostly slightly cheaper smartphones here.

Qualcomm made the leap from smartphones to laptops this year with the launch of the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus: two ARM chips designed specifically for laptops. Microsoft is banking on these processors with Windows for ARM, and laptop makers like Dell are eager to launch devices with the new chips. MediaTek now also wants a piece of the pie.

Unclear chip

It’s unclear what exactly the MediaTek processor will look like. The chip itself will have an AI component, because that’s the reality we live in today. The timing is notable, as 2025 is quite soon for a theoretically advanced chip.

By then it will be clearer whether there is a big demand for Windows on ARM. The hardware seems to be starting to take off, but optimizing Windows and other software remains an open question at the moment.