Microsoft Possibly Working on Its Own Chip to Compete Against Apple Silicon

Microsoft is already working with Qualcomm on a custom chip for its ARM-powered Surface models, but the company doesn’t want to stop here.

And the route it’s chosen looks a lot similar to the one embraced by its Cupertino-based rival Apple, who ended up launching its very own custom processor last year (and is now getting ready to announce a refresh at an event this week).

While the company has obviously remained completely tight-lipped on everything, a job listing published on LinkedIn by Microsoft itself and spotted by HotHardware reveals the software giant is looking for a director of SoC architecture in the Surface division.

The wording is chosen carefully not to spill the beans on the project and share too many details, but the job title along with the description seem to indicate that Microsoft silicon could be part of the company’s long-term hardware push.

“Are you passionate about building cool devices and technologies? The Surface team is lighting up Microsoft experiences with the next generation of devices. A fundamental part of our strategy is bringing productivity and mobility together through devices that enable new experiences – helping people and organizations unlock their creativity, passion, and potential,” the job ad reads.

Job listing already gone

The listing has already been removed from LinkedIn, and this could be just another indication that Microsoft is indeed working on something important for the future of Surface.

Without a doubt, a custom chip for certain Surface models would only provide Microsoft with more control over its devices, especially as the company just keeps expanding the portfolio of computers it sells.

And given ARM-based chips are seemingly getting more and more attention these days, Microsoft just can’t stay away from this trend, especially as its operating systems already come with versions specifically developed to run on such architecture in the first place.