Nvidia RTX Spark: New Arm-based laptops set to run all apps
Nvidia will launch RTX Spark laptops on Friday, October 16th, promising full compatibility with all Windows apps and games via Arm chips.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Nvidia is launching its first wave of RTX Spark Arm-powered laptops on Friday, October 16th.
- The company claims these new laptops will seamlessly run all applications and games.
- The RTX Spark superchip was previously utilized in mini desktops for AI developers a year ago.
- The devices run full Windows 11 utilizing Microsoft's Prism emulator for legacy software.
Fourteen years ago this month, Microsoft released an Nvidia-powered Windows PC that became one of the biggest tech flops in modern history. The original Microsoft Surface, running a stripped-down version of Windows on an Nvidia Tegra chip, bombed so severely that Microsoft had to write off $900 million in inventory.
The core issue back then was that Nvidia’s Arm chip could not run existing Windows apps, forcing buyers to leave their legacy programs behind.
This Friday, October 16th, Nvidia will once again anchor Arm-powered Windows PCs with the debut of RTX Spark laptops. This time around, the company asserts that the machines will run everything smoothly, spanning Adobe, Office, Blender, and even games requiring kernel-level anti-cheat.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Nvidia's renewed push into Arm-based Windows PCs builds upon industry-wide transitions, such as Apple's successful shift from Intel x86 to its custom Arm silicon via the Rosetta 2 emulator, and Qualcomm's 2024 Snapdragon X Elite launch. By bringing its developer-focused AI superchip from Linux over to full Windows 11 with Microsoft's Prism emulator, Nvidia is aiming to bridge the historical software compatibility gap for Arm architectures.
"All your apps, all your games, everything’s going to run great on Spark"
Justin Walker, Nvidia Senior Director of Products
Nvidia senior director of products Justin Walker told journalists during an Editor’s Day in San Francisco last week, where the company provided dedicated presentations outlining the chip's benefits for gamers, creators, developers, and AI power users.
Although the RTX Spark superchip is not an entirely new piece of silicon—having powered mini desktops for AI developers for a full year—this new iteration runs full Windows 11, leveraging Microsoft's Prism emulator to enable legacy Windows apps and games to function on the Arm architecture.
Source: The Verge
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