Intel has today pushed an update to its NPU driver for Linux, impacting Core Ultra "Meteor Lake", "Arrow Lake," and "Lunar Lake" processors. However, among the list of changes spotted by X user @SquashBionic is an interesting support for the Android platform, likely hinting at the Android for PC project. At Qualcomm's 10th annual Snapdragon Summit, Google teased its Android for PC project, and Qualcomm's CEO described it as very impressive. Google plans to merge its ChromeOS and Android for PC projects into a single branch, which will be Android for PC. That will include all of Google's best AI technologies from Gemini, now running on a more powerful mobile design. Some of these designs could be very well powered by Intel.

While preliminary details about Android for PC are unknown, the project will be aiming to compete with Windows in everyday tasks. Google could end up sourcing SoCs from Snapdragon for Arm-based designs, and Intel/AMD for x86-based laptops. With now added support for Intel NPU support for Linux driver—Android, a Linux-based OS—could become an optimization target for various non-mobile SoCs from Intel and AMD. Google plans to re-enter the PC ecosystem with the plan to converge mobile and desktop experiences, and Android for PC could allow designs that feature good battery life, portability, and satisfactory performance targets.
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