Qualcomm may have tested Windows 12 operating system on its new generation of Arm chips

A growing number of rumors and subtle hints about Windows 12 have begun to prove that the operating system is a work in progress. In fact, the next generation of Windows may be coming within the next few months. Qualcomm appears to be taking advantage of this possibility to market its Snapdragon XElite-based systems.

At an event in October, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon In December, Qualcomm said its Arm chips were faster than Apple's M3 and offered AI acceleration capabilities to boost productivity, creativity and AI-based workflows.

Qualcomm's presentation contained the clearest hint yet of an upcoming update to the Windows ecosystem. The fabless chip maker mentioned that an unspecified "Windows operating system" was installed on Qualcomm's laptop reference design used to test the performance of the Snapdragon XElite SoC CPU.

The company benchmarked the new Arm chips and Universal Windows operating system against two Samsung x86 laptops running Windows 11 based on the 12-core i7-1360P and 10-core i7-1355U Intel CPUs. The specific differences between "Windows OS" and "Windows 11" suggest that Qualcomm may be using a pre-release version of Windows 12.

There are rumors that Windows 12, which features artificial intelligence, may be launched in mid-2024, including improved Copilot. If the rumors are true, Qualcomm is not far away from launching a testable working version in October.

Its interface design will be similar to Windows 11, but there will be some unique changes, such as a "floating" taskbar. Desktop widgets may also return, which is reminiscent of how beautiful the visual experience of Windows Vista was in the 2000s.

Operating systems with a strong focus on artificial intelligence will benefit greatly from dedicated AI acceleration logic units. Intel has optimized its latest x86 chips for AI-related applications and workloads, while Arm chips can provide a better user experience thanks to their traditional power efficiency. If Microsoft is making a big bet on AI in Windows 12, pairing it with an AI-first SoC like Snapdragon XElite can show how AI acceleration can scale to improve the overall PC experience.