Microsoft Releases Windows 11 ISOs for Arm64-based PCs

An anonymous reader shares a report: After dragging its feet for years, Microsoft has finally released the first official Windows 11 ISOs for PCs with an Arm64 processor. This means users can now clean install Windows 11 using official offline media on an Arm64-based PC, including the latest Snapdragon X Copilot+ PCs. The ISOs contain version 24H2 can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website, and are around 5GB in size depending on the language you select. According to the company, the ISOs are primarily designed for running Windows 11 in a virtual machine on Arm64 PCs. However, it also mentions that you can use them to clean install Windows 11 directly onto Arm64 hardware too.Unfortunately, depending on the Arm64 PC you have, you may need to do some additional work to get the ISO bootable. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Second Life for Server Components

Scientists have developed a method to reuse components from decommissioned data center servers, potentially reducing the carbon footprint of cloud computing infrastructure. The research team from Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington demonstrated that older RAM modules and solid-state drives can be safely repurposed in new server builds without compromising performance, according to papers presented at recent computer architecture conferences. When combined with energy-efficient processors, the prototype servers achieved an 8% reduction in total carbon emissions during Azure cloud service testing. Researchers estimate the approach could cut global carbon emissions by up to 0.2% if widely adopted. The cloud computing industry currently accounts for 3% of global energy consumption and could represent 20% of emissions by 2030, according to computing experts. Most data centers, including Microsoft's Azure, typically replace servers every 3-5 years. Read more of this story at Slashdot.