Is Microsoft working on a proprietary SoC for Surface?

Microsoft recently posted a job posting for its Surface division, seeking candidates for the position of "director of SoC architecture". This could mean that the company is looking for a new figure who can strengthen its proprietary chip design efforts or that it feels it needs to increase its engagement with chip design partners. Microsoft has currently opened two other related positions: one for an "IP Architecture Director" and another for a "Lead SoC Competitive Analysis Engineer - Silicon Architecture".

The Silicon Architecture division as a whole is responsible for defining the characteristics and capabilities of the SoCs that are used in Surface devices: “(…) The Surface team will leverage Microsoft's experiences with the next generation of devices. A key part of our strategy is bringing together productivity and mobility through devices that enable new experiences, helping people and organizations unlock their creativity, passion and potential. " The company expects its SoC architecture director "(...) to lead the architecture in collaboration with partner organizations across multiple technologies including, but not limited to, performance and energy efficiency, thermal management, battery life, security, manageability, memory and storage, process integration and packaging to deliver exceptional experiences across our portfolio. "

Microsoft is no stranger to chip design collaboration, as the company has launched multiple consoles based on AMD APUs. It even teamed up with Qualcomm (with its SQ1 and SQ2 processors) for its Windows on ARM Surfaces. With Apple successfully transitioning to a de facto chip design company, the stakes - and the attractiveness of a proven and well-executed transition strategy - are certainly at the top of Microsoft's list of strategic considerations. >
Considering Microsoft's efforts on Windows on ARM development, the company is more likely to be trying to adapt ARM designs rather than completely building an architecture from scratch using RISC-V ISA - which Intel has already announced to be exploring after the acquisition of SiFive. Of course, NVIDIA's ongoing attempt to acquire ARM, which is still pending, may have strained those calculations. It remains to be seen which approach Microsoft is trying to favor, but one thing is certain: the Surface range will continue to evolve in the near future.