There still aren’t too many Windows 10 PCs or laptops on the market with ARM-based processors, but folks who do have those machines will soon be able to run 64-bit x64 apps on them. Microsoft says it will at last roll out 64x emulation to Windows Insider testers in November.

Windows 10 has been able to emulate 32-bit x86 apps on ARM for a while, along with native 32-bit and 64-bit apps. Support for x64 emulation will allow those systems to run a far wider selection of software. As such, ARM-based Windows PCs and laptops will have far improved utility.

Just as we expected, NVIDIA just announced that it’s buying the semiconductor design company Arm for $40 billion. The deal will make NVIDIA into an even larger presence in mobile computing, as well as give the company a further boost in AI chip designs.

“AI is the most powerful technology force of our time and has launched a new wave of computing,” Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s CEO, said in a statement. “In the years ahead, trillions of computers running AI will create a new internet-of-things that is thousands of times larger than today’s internet-of-people. Our combination will create a company fabulously positioned for the age of AI.

NVIDIA declined to comment to Engadget. We’ve also asked SoftBank and ARM for comment.

If a deal goes through, it could represents one of the largest semiconductor buyouts in history. It potentially gives NVIDIA an edge across a wide range of computing devices, ranging from mobile chips to the most powerful supercomputers. For SoftBank, it would prop up sagging stocks and help the Japanese tech giant refocus.

However, this is also assuming any deal clears regulatory hurdles. NVIDIA clearly wouldn’t be a neutral owner. It might face stiff opposition from officials concerned that it might withhold technology from rival chipmakers or otherwise give itself an unfair advantage. It could effectively dictate the futures of companies that design ARM-based chips, like Apple and Samsung, and both the government and competitors would likely want reassurances that ARM’s owner will play fair.

Microsoft

Because the software depends on Microsoft’s custom silicon, it’s unclear if the company will make the feature available on x86-based PCs. That said, Microsoft is not the only company working on this type of functionality. With the iOS 13 betas, Apple started testing a similar FaceTime Attention Correction feature. The company ultimately shelved the feature before releasing the operating system to the public. However, as The Verge notes, Attention Correction is one of the enhancements Apple says iOS 14 will include when it comes out later this year. 

If you don’t own a Surface Pro X, there’s still a good reason to check out the latest Windows 10 preview build. The update includes a nifty tweak to how the Alt + Tab shortcut works. By default, pressing the two keys will let you see all of your browser tabs alongside open app windows. If having the option to switch between all your tabs at once is jarring, you can tweak the feature to show only your most recent three or five tabs instead, or none at all. 

After Cherlynn’s review of the Snapdragon-powered Lenovo Flex 5G laptop was published this week, our hosts decided to take a deeper look at Windows on ARM. Between buggy performance and confusion over app compatibility, there’s a lot to unpack. Then, Devindra and Cherlynn look at Apple Silicon and the challenges that might be in the company’s way as it makes its two-year transition to ARM. Will an ARM-based Macbook be powerful enough for the most demanding users? Then, as usual, we share what we’ve been working on and relaxing with, and offer entertainment recommendations you should check out.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to let us know on our form or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

Apple’s first Mac with its own ARM processor will be the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via iMore). He believes that production of that model will start in Q4 of 2020, with an A-series powered MacBook Air arriving shortly afterwards either in Q4 2020 or early 2021. Apple will also release 14- and 16-inch versions of the MacBook Pro with its own silicon that will enter production in Q2 or Q3 of 2021.

Apple already said that it would ship its first ARM-powered Macs by the end of 2020, but the big mystery was which model would arrive first. It was logical to expect a more lightly powered, lower-stakes productivity PC like a 12-inch MacBook or MacBook Air. With a MacBook Pro, however, folks will reasonably expect to do heavier chores like photo and video editing.

ARM plans to transfer two of its internet of things (IoT) businesses to Softbank (via TechCrunch). If the company’s board of directors approves the move, Softbank would then directly oversee those divisions. The Japanese company bought the chip designer in 2016 as part of a blockbuster deal worth £24.3 billion at the time. ARM says the goal of the move is to narrow its focus on its core semiconductor intellectual property business, which should in turn improve growth and profitability.

“Softbank’s experience in managing fast-growing, early-stage businesses would enable [the IoT Services Group] to maximize its value in capturing the data opportunity,” said ARM CEO Simon Segars. “ARM would be in a stronger position to innovate in our core IP roadmap and provide our partners with greater support to capture the expanding opportunities for compute solutions across a range of markets.”

The biggest news event of the week was Apple’s virtual WWDC keynote, during which the company showed off a ton of upcoming features to its various software products. In Devindra’s absence, Cherlynn is joined by Dan Cooper as guest co-host, as well as senior mobile editor Chris Velazco to rip into Apple’s latest updates. From iOS 14 vs Android, to watchOS 7, to macOS and Apple’s transition to ARM chips, there’s plenty to discuss.

Then, our hosts are joined by CNBC’s health and health-tech reporter Chrissy Farr to talk about the latest developments in healthcare and telemedicine. Do wearable companies have the right idea when it comes to developing products for COVID-19? What is Apple’s approach to this burgeoning industry?

RISC stands for “Reduced Instruction Set Computing,” and it was developed in the early ‘80s to fix a lot of the problems in early processors. As chips got more complex, they also became harder to program for, more error prone and less efficient. RISC tried to streamline chip design by simplifying the instructions — the most fundamental operations a chip can perform. A RISC instruction, which could be an operation like loading values from the memory and adding or multiplying, was designed to execute in a single clock cycle.

At the beginning, RISC chips could perform the same work as a traditional chip (later labeled “Complex Instruction Set Computing” or CISC) in less time, were easier to design, and cheaper to manufacture. Throughout the ‘90s, both architectures were widely used, but CISC chips like those from Intel and AMD gradually dominated more and more of the market, with RISC chips like ARM relegated to low-powered, battery dependent devices.

But as smartphone performance has exploded, it’s ignited a debate over whether RISC might actually be a superior design, and Apple’s decision might seem to confirm that. But it’s a little more complicated. Apple’s chips may indeed prove to be excellent performers, but that might not have a lot to do with being based on ARM. Check out the video for the full story, and more info about the history of RISC and CISC.

Fujitsu licensed the designs for the processor from ARM, which is owned by Japanese carrier SoftBank. The system cost more than $1 billion and took about six years to design and build. According to The New York Times, researchers are already using Fugaku to help with coronavirus-related research. 

In recent years, x86-based systems featuring processors made by Intel and AMD have been the most common sight on the Top500; only four ARM-based supercomputers appear on the current list. What’s also notable about Fugaku is that it doesn’t include any dedicated GPUs to help with artificial intelligence applications. 

As these things usually go, Fugaku is unlikely to hold the number one spot for long. With help from AMD, Cray Computing is building a 1.5 exaflop system for the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Cray is also making an Intel-based exascale system for the Argonne National Laboratory. Both supercomputers are slated to debut sometime in 2021. Still, it’s a significant accomplishment for Japan in a space dominated by China and the US. They two countries have 340 supercomputers on the Top500 between them.