ARM Community: Computex 2012: Debut of Windows RT, ARM Based Servers & Mobile Computing - ARM Community

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2012 wrapped up over a week ago in Taipei, with the highlight of the show being Microsoft’s Windows 8 as expected by many industry watchers. Among the Windows devices, Asus and Toshiba unveiled Windows RT (Windows on ARM) devices at the show, while Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and Texas Instruments also disclosed their latest updates about support on Windows RT.

Windows RT brings ARM’s technology from primarily mobile devices into the traditional PC category, triggering a more competitive market of innovative smart connected devices. When Noel Hurley, the VP of Business Development - Processor Division at ARM, spoke at COMPUTEX, he said “Power is in our DNA”…It is very evident that ARM’s core competency is energy efficiency. At COMPUTEX we saw the advantages of the ARM DNA used to enable innovation in many aspects from new form-factors in end devices, digital home to servers.

One size doesn’t fit all was ARM’s motto during COMPUTEX. With the rapid evolution of mobile computing technology, more and more new devices will be released to address various needs. At the show, we saw hardware companies developing gadgets in varying sizes and form factors. For example, Asus’ PadFone is the brilliant combination of phone, tablet, and laptop. The Asus tablet 600, a hybrid of low power tablet and a PC with Windows OS, is also the first ever Windows RT device exhibited in public.




Moving to the enterprise segment, the launch of the ARM-based server was a stunning proof point of the collaborative efforts made within the ARM partnership in the past few years. ARM is leveraging its expertise in power-efficiency to help customers build low power servers. As of today, HP, Dell, and MiTAC have announced partnerships with ARM to develop ARM-based servers which could save up to 80-90% energy consumed compared to traditional servers.

ARM-based chips have been widely used and well-known in smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. Content sharing between these different screens is getting easier and easier thanks to the increasing processing power of ARM-based chips.

2012 is surely an exciting year for ARM. For COMPUTEX 2013, we expect to see more Windows on ARM products, more multiple core ARM devices, and more implementation of ARM’s DNA in different aspects of cloud computing. I know a year seems like long time…but it will be worth the wait!

Yen-shyang Hwang, freelancer. Yen had more than 4 years of expertise in IT news reporting, covering Apple, HP, Google and tons of IT topics for DIGITIMES Taiwan. By combining information from global brand names and their supply chain in Taiwan, Yen was able to provide readers with first-hand insights on global IT market trends. Yen has been covering ARM's development since 2009. At the moment, Yen is an MBA candidate at Georgetown University, USA.