Windows 11: Create native, functional Windows applications with ARM64EC

Microsoft has introduced a new utility binary interface (API) called ARM64EC. This should allow ARM processors to build applications for Windows 11, which, according to the publisher, will reach native speeds and be compatible with x64 configurations. From now on it should be possible in this way to mix applications, processes and individual modules for ARM64EC and x64 for free.

“EC” in ARM64EC stands for “Emulation Compatible” and is Microsoft’s name for a new way of creating applications for Windows 11 in ARM. Applications that are compatible with ARM64 may contain the x64 code, but they are not: According to the announcement in the Windows Developer Blog, if there are applications with the new technology that need to reach their own speed in ARM at the transition stage, the dependencies and ARM plug-ins are not yet supported.

Gradually switch applications to ARM64

In normal operation, converting an application to the ARM configuration will reassemble the entire application. With Microsoft’s own application binary interface, boarding also needs to be highly functional, i.e. in small steps. As a result, developers can choose those parts of their code site that they want to provide their own ARM performance without having to change the entire code base of their application first. At the same time, x64 plug-ins can be further loaded and integrated (“Combine and fit” principle).

According to the blog post The Microsoft team has already built Windows 11 binaries locally in ARM with the new technology and any system code loaded by the x64 application must run at its own speed here. Further The upcoming 64-bit office version for ARM should operate on the same policy, Can be found in the blog post.

Now only accessible to Windows insiders

If you are interested, you can get ARM64EC With Windows Insider SDK And the current one Visual Studio Preview Both downloads have an API – Insider content is currently only available to members of the Windows Insider program. Chapters related to it Microsoft Documents in ARM64EC Configuration.

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