Microsoft Surface PCs with AMD Arm-based chip just tipped to arrive in 2026

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A new rumor claims that Microsoft is working on shipping new Surface PCs powered by an AMD Arm-based chip in 2026.

The leak comes from regular tipster Kepler2 in a NeoGaf post (via our colleagues at Windows Central) saying that the upcoming AMD chip, codenamed Sound Wave, is "made for the 2026 [Microsoft] Surface lineup."

The main thread is about PlayStation 6 getting an AMD 3D stacked chip, and Kepler2 doesn't provide more information about Sound Wave or next year's Surface PCs.

Get ready for AMD Sound Wave

Thanks to previous rumors there is some information about AMD's Sound Wave chip, which should hint at what 2026 Surface could look like.

According to Windows Central, the AMD chip is rumored to be an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), which joins a CPU and an integrated GPU on the same die.

It should have 6 CPU cores (2 performance and 4 efficiency) with the integrated GPU with four compute units built on RDNA 3.5. Reportedly, this new chip is designed for low-powered devices that have a 5-10W thermal envelope.

AMD vs Qualcomm vs Nvidia

All of this hints at a chip that is less powerful than the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, which could mean that Microsoft is looking at refresh of the Surface Go, which was last released in 2023.

Next year is going to be ARM heavy as Qualcomm will likely reveal a next generation X chip later this year and Nvidia is reportedly teaming up with MediaTek for its own Arm-based laptop chip.

Microsoft just released a cheaper Surface Pro and Surface laptop as alternatives to the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7. Both of the Surface PCs run on Snapdragon X Plus, which is also allegedly more powerful than the rumored AMD Sound Wave.

Assuming Kepler2 is correct, the low-powered Surface PCs featuring AMD's new chip will likely launch around this time next year as Microsoft tends to release its new PCs in the spring after its annual Build conference.

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Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.

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