And the Winner Is…

In the short to medium term, x86 remains the obvious pick for performance computing, while ARM is the easy mobility option. The further out you look, however, the less certain those assumptions seem. On the one hand, thanks to AMD’s recent revitalization with the new Ryzen processor, the x86 landscape suddenly looks lively once more. Indeed, as we go to press, Intel has revealed a whole new range of Core i9 chips with up to 18 CPU cores. That’s a little bit crazy and a whole lot exciting. On the other, you could argue that it’s a blip that goes against the general trend for more innovation and growth in the ARM market. What’s more, thanks to ARM’s more open approach to licensing, there are far more companies creating ARMbased CPUs and SoCs than the mere pairing of Intel and AMD on the x86 side of the equation. In the very long run, then, the inevitable encroachment of ARM on traditional x86 territory seems irresistible. But for fans of highperformance personal computing, x86 will be the architecture of choice for a very long time to come.