Microsoft and its partners recently started shipping the first wave of Windows 10 devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processors. These devices, powered by Windows 10 S, are capable of running ARM and x86 UWP applications as well as x86, ARM, and ARM64 classic desktop applications, thanks to Microsoft’s Windows on Windows compatibility layer.
Redmond is now working on officially supporting 64-bit (ARM64) apps on its Windows on ARM platform. Windows General Manager Erin Chapple reportedly told Engadget that the company is going to be releasing a new “SDK for ARM64 apps” that will allow developers to build 64-bit applications for Windows 10 devices powered by ARM processors, or recompile their existing apps for 64-bit. (This is not to be confused with 64-bit AMD64 support, which is not happening any time soon, if ever.)
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The company plans to release the new SDK this May at its Build 2018 developer conference.
UPDATE: Here’s a Microsoft statement addressing the confusion around this topic.
“To clarify, Microsoft is planning to release a preview of the Windows 10 ARM64 SDK for Store and desktop apps, allowing developers to recompile their Win32 desktop apps to ARM64 so they can run natively without emulation,” the Microsoft representative told me. “With the SDK, x64 apps and x86 apps will also be able to recompile to ARM64 and run natively. We will be sharing more details on the ARM64 SDK Preview at Build.”
Also, Paul has written a follow-up for developers that better explains what’s happening.
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#260073"><em>In reply to MikeCerm:</em></a></blockquote><p>I'm not a gamer but here's a list of 64-bit only games (not all for Windows 10): http://www.trueachievements.com/64-bit/Games</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#260159"><em>In reply to MikeCerm:</em></a></blockquote><p>The point is the inadequacy of Windows on ARM to run non-UWP legacy applications, if games require more resources than WoA emulation can provide, that's just further evidence of the inadequacy.</p><p><br></p><p>"Yeah, maybe, but you can run the 32-bit version while you wait."</p><p><br></p><p>It's not as if 64-bit is just a marketing term. If you need the additional capabiliites that a 64-bit version requires, 32-bit won't cut it.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#260246"><em>In reply to MikeCerm:</em></a></blockquote><p>Actually, there's not enough real-world experience with WoA to determine whether the "vast majority" of non-UWP legacy applications can run under emulation.</p><p><br></p><p>MS hasn't made any statements I'm aware of that suggest that WoA is exclusively intended for "thin-and-light laptop"s. It seems you just want to exclude any examples people provide that disproves your position.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#260108"><em>In reply to dkb1898:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yes. MS says: "Installation of SQL Server is supported on x64 processors only. It is no longer supported on x86 processors."</p><p><br></p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#260076"><em>In reply to MikeCerm:</em></a></blockquote><p>"You'll have to wait for Adobe to release a native ARM64 build."</p><p><br></p><p>You might end up waiting forever.</p>