Prism emulator will make x86 applications run faster on Arm-based Copilot+ PCs

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Alfonso Maruccia

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In a nutshell: The Windows 11 24H2 upgrade will include a substantial overhaul designed to ease the transition between x86 and Arm architectures. According to Microsoft, a new, powerful x86 emulator will significantly improve the performance of "legacy" applications.

The newly announced Copilot+ PCs aren't Microsoft's first foray into the Arm CPU architecture, but they are certainly the company's most serious attempt at finally unshackling Windows from its historical reliance on the x86-64 ISA. Even for users who do not want (or cannot) abandon the "Wintel" paradigm, Microsoft is offering a new technology designed to improve compatibility between Arm chips and x86 programs.

The Windows 11 24H2 upgrade will be optimized for systems based on the Snapdragon X Elite SoC. The operating system will now include a technology called Prism, which Microsoft describes as a "powerful" new emulator created to run emulated applications as fast as possible. The company stated that Prism isn't just a rebranding of the old translation layer included in previous Windows versions; it will provide a significant performance boost on both old and new Arm systems.

Prism will make emulated (x86) software run 10 to 20 percent faster on the same Arm-based hardware, providing significant benefits similar to the way Apple's Rosetta 2 translation technology helped users after the switch to Apple Silicon machines. Prism will also improve overall x86 compatibility with Arm SoCs, although Microsoft provided no specific details on this aspect.

Redmond wants PC users to fully embrace the new AI world enabled by Snapdragon X Elite systems and their powerful embedded NPUs, and believes a properly designed x86 emulator will be an essential component for the new Arm edition of Windows. However, PC gamers should probably temper their expectations and stick with the traditional x86 architecture for the time being.

Microsoft also explained that Prism emulation will only benefit a minority of PC users, as 87 percent of "total app minutes" are spent using software with a properly native version for Arm chips. The company now offers more Arm64 native experiences "than ever before," with fast implementations of popular applications including Teams, PowerPoint, Outlook, Office productivity tools, and more.

Third-party companies are also bringing their major x86 products to Arm, starting with Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom), Blender, video editor DaVinci Resolve, and many more. Popular browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Chrome also have their own Arm counterparts now, giving the "Windows on Arm" dream a concrete chance at succeeding this time around.

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Prism emulator will make x86 applications run faster on Arm-based Copilot+ PCs

 
Nice article thank you.
I'm considering getting the Surface Laptop for my next work laptop, but I'm wondering how it is going to do with Docker Desktop and Hyper-V among others.
 
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So how about ARM based non "copilot + give us your data plz" PCs, or do they not benefit somehow?
ScottSoapbox said:
I sure hope we get some independent reviews soon. All we have now are vague or "up to" promises on the X Elite and Prism emulation.
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I hope it works, and that other manufacturers get in the game, so I can get an ARM CPU without AI trash shoved down my throat.
 
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Crunch said:
Nice article thank you.
I'm considering getting the Surface Laptop for my next work laptop, but is wondering how it is going to do with Docker Desktop and Hyper-V among others.
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You might be much happier with the Minisform V3, it's also Linux friendly. While you might not be a Linux guy, the fact that it is Linux friendly means that there will be less issues when running hypervisors. You also don't have to deal with ARM crap. AMDs latest APUs are faster than many ARM chips, don't have compatability issues with x86/x64 programs and are getting pretty close to ARM chips as far as power consumption goes.

Definitely worth a look and at the very least, it's a very interesting product.
 
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ScottSoapbox said:
I sure hope we get some independent reviews soon. All we have now are vague or "up to" promises on the X Elite and Prism emulation.
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Same here. Part of me is thinking that if these new Snapdragon chips really do offer sizable advantages over AMD or Intel then it would have been in Qualcomm's best interest to "leak" a unit or three to someone for some basic tests; would have been an easy way to stoke excitement for the product and maybe make some people delay purchasing current laptops. No leaks makes me think Qualcomm has a good reason to keep the actual performance quiet.
 
yRaz said:
AMDs latest APUs are faster than many ARM chips, don't have compatability issues with x86/x64 programs and are getting pretty close to ARM chips as far as power consumption goes.
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Power comsumption is key. If I can get around 95% of the battery life in a amd powered laptop, that brings strong competition to arm and its SoC. That's where those m(x) are kiling everyone at. x86 level performance but on a ArmVApple power budget. And its a ****ing great trade off for now.
 
Fuzzy Dunalap said:
Power comsumption is key. If I can get around 95% of the battery life in a amd powered laptop, that brings strong competition to arm and its SoC. That's where those m(x) are kiling everyone at. x86 level performance but on a ArmVApple power budget. And its a ****ing great trade off for now.
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Battery life is important for sure, but it's not everything: If it was, we wouldn't even be talking about PCs here and the entire world would just be running Apple Silicon laptops and rigs: both at launch and still are at the top or near the top in terms of battery life today.

Except unless you specifically want to use Apple Software or a ridiculously tiny list of native M1-4 applications, you'd be out of luck. It's why mostly just photo and video editors (Or people that will do nothing important outside of a browser window a.k.a. Most consumers) are big on those devices.

Now I get that not having to even think about battery life is real nice but is not like you'd be out of luck on most intel or AMD devices: 5-8 hours of regular use might not be anywhere near the 18-20 hours of regular use ARM based solution laptops get, but it's still enough to get you through a regular workday or whatever task it really can't wait for you to get to an outlet.

And yes I realize this is probably unacceptable for you (And like I said, if you just use premiere for a living why wouldn't you just use a macbook instead?) but the sales numbers do not lie: It's going to take more than battery life for arm to seriously challenge x86 and some gimmickly AI bs is not gonna do it anytime soon: Windows on ARM might as well be as crippled as macos in terms of compatibility until we see some out-of-this-world performance among the lines of 99% of the x86 performance on 90% of the x86 apps working flawlessly.
 
Crunch said:
Nice article thank you.
I'm considering getting the Surface Laptop for my next work laptop, but I'm wondering how it is going to do with Docker Desktop and Hyper-V among others.
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I to wonder how well Hyper-V works in an ARM native environment, can I run a x86 VM? Or do all VM’s have to be ARM native? Will Hyper-V even be available in the ARM version of Windows?
 
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There were a few things holding Microsoft from fully committing to the ARM architecture. One of the biggest ones was the Wintel "partnership". This kept Intel and Microsoft flush in cash for around three decades.

Now we have:
* Intel lagging in semiconductor development and fabrication
* Fabless semiconductor companies developing ARM-based IP almost on par with x86/x64
* Microsoft shifting its revenues from "one-time licenses" to cloud-based subscriptions (the OS is no longer the key source of revenue).

Microsoft needs to make their platform as hardware-agnostic as possible.

Case in point:

The other day I forgot my Macbook charger when coming into the office (and couldn't find a spare). My toolchain is mostly web-based. So I hooked my Samsung S24 phone to the thunderbolt on my desk's LCD, whipped out the Magic Keyboard and Mouse, paired them to my phone, and tried out DeX.

It's far from perfect, but I could easily use it as a daily driver if I needed to. Samsung could do a lot with DeX, but it's not a key selling point for their phones right now, so it's stagnated a bit. The catch is that it looks like a Windows environment but the more it does, the more you expect it to behave like it... which it doesn't.
 
Burty117 said:
I to wonder how well Hyper-V works in an ARM native environment, can I run a x86 VM? Or do all VM’s have to be ARM native? Will Hyper-V even be available in the ARM version of Windows?
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I know I'm responding to myself but there is this little piece of information on Microsoft's website:

[HEADING=2]Can I host a Windows 11 virtual machine using Hyper-V on a Windows 11 Arm64 device?[/HEADING]
While Hyper-V is a supported component on Windows 11 Arm64 devices, Hyper-V is not a supported Windows 11 virtual machine host since there is no TPM support. Setup will block if you try installing Windows 11 from an ISO. Windows Hyper-V Manager will display an "Operation failed" error message if you try to enable TPM on a virtual machine. There is work in-progress to add virtual TPM support in a future Windows on Arm VM.
 
I would look at ARM laptop as a secondary device to my x86 desktop if it provides excellent battery life.
 
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