Renowned insider KeplerL2 reports that Microsoft plans to launch Surface devices featuring AMD's next-generation ARM processor in 2026.

Codenamed Sound Wave, this chip is a 6-core APU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Graphics will be handled by an integrated RDNA 3.5 GPU with four compute units. The processor targets devices with low TDP (5-10W).

These specifications suggest AMD's ARM processor will significantly trail Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite in performance. The AMD Sound Wave might power next-generation Surface Go or Surface Hub devices.

If accurate, these would be the first AMD-powered Surface devices since the Surface Laptop 4.

Notably, NVIDIA is reportedly developing its own ARM processor for Windows 11 ARM devices, also slated for 2026 release. This could create serious competition for Qualcomm in the desktop ARM market.

Qualcomm isn't standing still either. The company is expected to unveil Snapdragon X2 processors in September 2025, likely powering flagship Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 models.

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