Qualcomm quad-core chip will be used for Windows 8 tablet next year

Qualcomm said on Wednesday that its quad-core Snapdragon processor will appear in tablets in the second half of next year. The quad-core processor is designed to run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

This quad-core processor chip will be part of the Snapdragon S4 product line and will be based on the ARM architecture. The S4 chip also includes single- and dual-core options with clock speeds ranging from 1.5Ghz to 2.5GHz.

Microsoft has stated that Windows 8 will be compatible with ARM processors and chose Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Nvidia as its initial chip partners. Catherine Rice, a Qualcomm spokeswoman, said that the tablet equipped with the Qualcomm S4 chip will run the Windows 8 operating system. The Adreno graphics core of the S4 chip will support DirectX 9.3 technology in Windows 8 to bring realistic graphics effects to the device.

Rice is not willing to comment on the release date of the S4 tablet running Windows 8. Microsoft has already demonstrated running Windows 8 on a Snapdragon tablet.

Microsoft has not announced the release date of Windows 8. However, Intel said that the operating system will be released later next year, and the first S4 tablet will be launched around that time.

Qualcomm spokesman Rice said that the Snapdragon chip has been used for HTC's Jetstream and Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 tablet. Qualcomm is working with equipment manufacturers to develop 30 tablet PC designs.