Article From Disco Fever to ARM Technology: An Evolution of AI PCs

Let’s take a trip back to 1978. Disco was at its peak thanks to Saturday Night Fever, bell bottoms and leisure suits dominated fashion, and the x86 processor made its debut.

You heard that right. We’ve been using x86 architecture for 47 years now and, as the first viable modern architected CPU, it has dominated the enterprise landscape. Most IT infrastructure is based on x86, software is optimized for it, and as a result, many IT leaders haven’t had a compelling reason to question its use or viability. 

ARM CPU, on the other hand, is relatively new to the enterprise space but has similarly been around for an impressive 40 years. By the time ARM came around, organizations were fully invested in x86 for enterprise technology — limiting ARM’s adoption. But a quiet revolution has been brewing over the last 40 years, powered by ARM architecture, and spearheaded by innovative silicon from the likes of Qualcomm. It’s time for IT leadership to take a second, serious look at Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon X series processors.

ARM is more efficient.

First, it’s important to understand the experience that ARM devices provide over x86. Are you an Android user? Chances are it uses ARM technology. Think about the Android experience (iOS users will have to take our word for it). Compare your smartphone start-up times, opening apps, having many apps open at once, etc., to the experience on your x86 PC. The experience is superior thanks to the efficiency of ARM architecture.

Snapdragon's PC processors build on the mobile experience, bringing that same focus on responsiveness and efficiency to the desktop. Just as your Android phone feels instantly ready and handles multiple tasks with ease, Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs offer a similar quick and user-friendly experience. The OS feels lighter, applications launch faster, and the overall computing experience better.

Benefits of ARM in your enterprise

The same technology that gives your Android device 15 hours of battery life makes ARM architecture on the PC more efficient. The conversation around ARM in PCs often starts with power efficiency, and for good reason. ARM processors, born from the mobile world where battery life is king, inherently offer a significant advantage in power consumption compared to their x86 counterparts. This translates directly into:

• Extended battery life: Laptops power your workforce through an entire workday and beyond without needing a charge, thus boosting productivity — especially for mobile users.
• Cooler operation: Lower power consumption means less heat generation. Because fans aren’t needed, designs are sleek and quiet, and the life of the device is extended by minimizing the risk of overheating.
• Cost savings: Reduced power delivers benefits for individual users — and can also lead to significant savings on energy bills for large enterprises.

Add in integrated AI capabilities built into Snapdragon's latest platforms, enhanced security at the hardware level, and optimization for modern operating systems — the experience and benefits to your organization are real and measurable. Our experience with Copilot+ PCs has been that those using the Snapdragon processor are by far the most mature and efficient in a competitive landscape that has other OEMs playing catch-up.

Busting the compatibility myth

Once we get into the “better experience” conversation with clients, we hear, “But we can’t have ARM/Snapdragon/Copilot+ PCs in our environment because of compatibility issues.” Our response to them is to ask, “When was the last time you looked at app compatibility on ARM?”

This has traditionally been the ARM showstopper for enterprises; however, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Significant progress has been made in several key areas:

• Native applications: Major software vendors are quickly releasing native ARM64 versions of their applications, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, and many essential business tools.
• Improved emulation: Windows on ARM features robust emulation capabilities that enable many x86 (both 32-bit and 64-bit) applications to run seamlessly. In some cases, there’s an impact to performance, but most everyday productivity tasks are unaffected, and emulation is improved with every Windows 11 update.
• Virtualization solutions: For specialized applications that still lack native ARM support, virtualization is the solution. If you’re already offering Mac as a choice in your environment, you’ve probably already solved this problem.

The notion that incorporating ARM CPUs into your device environment is a compatibility minefield is rapidly becoming outdated. Thorough testing and strategic deployment for specific user groups should now be undertaken with less friction than before.

Ready to re-evaluate?

The enterprise IT landscape is constantly evolving. Copilot+ PCs powered by ARM architecture are no longer a niche curiosity; they represent a viable and increasingly compelling alternative to traditional x86-based devices.

Couple that with some of the major financing incentives for Snapdragon devices and you know it’s time to take another look. Talk to an Insight specialist today to learn more about Snapdragon X Series processors and discover exclusive offers.