Microsoft SQ1 is a custom chipset made for the Surface Pro X

SQ1
SQ1 (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft's new Surface Pro X has a custom chipset.
  • The Microsoft SQ1 chipset combines Snapdragon mobile hardware with AI.
  • The chip has 7 watts of power.

Microsoft announced the Surface Pro X at the October Surface event. The device marks the next step in the Surface line and runs on an ARM processor rather than the Intel chips that we've seen so far on the Surface Pro line. The Surface Pro X runs on a custom chipset called the Microsoft SQ1 that combines Snapdragon hardware with AI. The end result is a chipset that has 7 watts of power that is three times more powerful than the Surface Pro 6's chipset.

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For everyday users, the important thing about this chipset is that the Surface Pro X is thin, light, and powerful while also getting excellent battery life. The Surface Pro X is the first device made by Microsoft to run Windows 10 on ARM, and the Surface team has combined custom hardware to try to deliver the best experience possible.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.