Intel’s new 7th generation Kaby Lake processors and AMD’s new Zen processors will require Windows 10 in order to run, reports PC World.
“As new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support,” a Microsoft spokeswoman replied, when asked to confirm that position was still in place.
“This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon, while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon.”
PCWorld subsequently reached out to both AMD and Intel, who confirmed that their new chips would only support Windows 10 and up.
Intel
“We are committed to working with Microsoft and our ecosystem partners to help ensure a smooth transition given these changes to Microsoft’s Windows support policy.”
“No, Intel will not be updating Win 7/8 drivers for 7th Gen Intel Core per Microsoft’s support policy change,” he added in an email on Tuesday.
AMD
“AMD’s processor roadmap is fully aligned with Microsoft’s software strategy.”
This does not appear to be a technical limitation in any way, but rather purely a strong Windows 10 push by Microsoft.
There is no confirmation as to how this will affect Linux users.
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So what does this mean for Linux users?