Microsoft wants to stuff Linux, not Windows 10, into Internet of Things devices

Story by Kevin Parrish

Microsoft introduced Azure Sphere during the RSA security conference in San Francisco. It’s essentially a platform connecting microcontroller units (MCU) within Internet of Thing devices to the cloud. What’s notable about this announcement is that the operating system installed on the MCUs aren’t based on Windows 10 as you would expect, but rather a custom build of the open-source Linux operating system. That’s a first for Microsoft.

At the foundation of Microsoft’s new Azure Sphere platform is a new microcontroller unit from Microsoft that promises five times the performance of standard MCUs. The chip includes the company’s Pluton security subsystem, built-in network connectivity, a real-time processor, an application processor, memory, flash, and more. It’s a “crossover” chip that combines the benefits of ARM-based Cortex-A and Cortex-M processor cores.

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