AMD is reportedly developing an ARM-based CPU, the "Sound Wave" platform, which will be included in the Microsoft Surface lineup by 2026.
AMD's Sound Wave ARM APUs to Feature TSMC's 3nm Process, Will Be Included in Next Year's Microsoft Surface Laptops
Well, it seems like CPU manufacturers are actually inclined towards the ARM-based platform, after its success seen with Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoCs. While AMD is a "pure-x86" driven company, the firm could have an ARM platform that would act as an alternative, and Team Red could provide the best of both worlds to its clients. In an X tweet by @Jukanlosreve, it is revealed that AMD's ARM-based chips could drop under the "Sound Wave" lineup, and he quotes the famous hardware leaker Kepler_L2, so there is definitely credibility to the news.
AMD’s ARM-based APU, codenamed "Sound Wave," is reportedly designed for Microsoft’s 2026 Surface lineup.https://t.co/zSiviqp56v
— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) May 14, 2025
The reason why AMD's ARM-based project makes sense here is that the firm will rival it against NVIDIA's upcoming AI PC chip, which is also said to feature the ARM platform. Team Red has already stacked x86 APUs for the mobile segment, such as the Strix Halo lineup, hence competing in the ARM segment definitely makes sense here. As to what we can expect from the project "Sound Wave", it is reported that it will feature an RDNA 3.5 iGPU, along with a 3nm process from TSMC, similar to what NVIDIA is doing with its supposedly "N1X" SoCs.
Microsoft has refined its "Windows on ARM" platform since it received massive adoption driven by Qualcomm chips, so with AMD entering the segment, we can see it growing even further. Interestingly, Sound Wave won't be AMD's first venture with the ARM platform, as back in 2014, the firm introduced Project Skybridge, which was said to combine x86 and ARM in a common platform, but was later cancelled out due to economic and market adoption concerns. While x86 is known for its performance, ARM is said to be better at power efficiency and perf/watt figures, which is why the platform has seen dominant adoption in notebooks.
We are not certain when AMD will showcase its ARM-based APUs for now. However, the SoCs will be featured in Microsoft's Surface laptops by 2026, so the official unveiling could likely occur either at the end of this year or maybe at CES 2026.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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