x86 dominance expected to decline as ARM predicted to power 40% of notebooks in 2029
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ARM processors gained traction when Apple started using them in its devices. Popular devices, such as the Mac Pro and Macbook Air, use ARM processors and are part of the Apple Silicon system. Apple's M2 chip and the Macbook Air M3 are also ARM-based.
ARM-based devices offer excellent performance while delivering great efficiency, which is why they are slowly taking over the market. According to TechInsights, one-fifth of all notebook PC shipments could consist of ARM-based devices by 2025, and by 2029, ARM’s revenue share could increase to 52%.
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x86 dominance in decline
This means that after a long at the top, the dominance of x86 architecture could be over. It will still be the majority, but ARM is projected to be in 40% of all Notebooks in 2029. On top of that, more companies are stepping into the CPU industry, such as Nvidia and MediaTek collaborating and Qualcomm becoming direct competition for Intel and AMD, which means they are going to face difficulties staying at the top without innovating and quickly resolving any issues.
In addition, the Apple M4 chip is rumored to be released in early 2025. If we consider the performance of the M3 Pro, which is only outdone by the Ryzen 5 9950X, it should make huge waves and further turn the odds in ARM architecture's favor.
However, Intel and AMD still have a good chance of holding onto the majority of the market share as Windows Prism is doing excellent in the market. We already know Intel and AMD are in strict competition to outshine each other, and we'll see how Intel's Arrow Lake processors perform against AMD. With M4 right around the corner and the MediaTek-Nvidia venture expected to debut in 2025, the competition would be on a whole other level.
That said, with so many other variables entering the market, who knows how the situation will turn out? However, competition between so many companies is certainly exciting and will result in more innovation.
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