In the world of PC CPUs, the x86 architecture reigns supreme. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) are the only two companies outside of China able to design x86 processors destined for PCs.

There have been efforts to break the x86 stranglehold, but until recently, they've fallen short. A version of the Windows 8 operating system ran on Arm-based chips, and Microsoft even released variants of its Surface tablet about a decade ago powered by them.

The big problem was compatibility. Applications compiled for standard x86 Windows wouldn't work. This created confusion among consumers expecting to be able to download whatever applications they wanted. The product and Arm-based Windows were mostly dead on arrival.

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Source Fool.com