Raspberry Pi and Its Compatibility with Windows Operating Systems
UEFI Infrastructure and ARM Support for Raspberry Pi 4
The Raspberry Pi, a single-board computer, currently supports Windows 10 IoT Core for embedded systems. With initial preparations, it can also run Windows 10 for ARM and older Windows 11 versions. While Windows 11 on Raspberry Pi 5 is clunky at present, efforts are being made to optimize its support. The UEFI infrastructure specifically developed for the ARM-based Raspberry Pi 4 enables this compatibility, which has attracted the attention of Microsoft and ARM (now holding a stake in Raspberry Pi Limited). ### ARM SystemReady ES and UEFI for Smooth Operating System Installation
ARM SystemReady aims to allow operating systems like Linux, BSD, OpenWRT, VMware ESXi, and Windows to install smoothly on ARM-based System-on-Chip (SoC) processors without customizations. For this, ARM relies on UEFI, which standardizes and opens up the installation process, along with ACPI for power management. ### UEFI Firmware for Raspberry Pi 4
With UEFI-compatible firmware, many operating systems can boot from systems with varying hardware without specific modifications. This led to the ARM Server Base System Architecture (SBSA) and the ARM SystemReady certification, which the Raspberry Pi 4 received when using the Pi Firmware Task Force’s firmware. ### Notable Contributors in UEFI Firmware Development
The Pi Firmware Task Force includes notable figures like Samer El-Haj-Mahmoud from ARM, Jeremy Linton (also from ARM), and Intel’s Andre Warkentin. The project also involves Pete Batard, the Irish developer of Rufus. ### Microsoft’s Focus on Windows 10 IoT for Raspberry Pi
Microsoft has not shown interest in bringing Windows 11 to the Raspberry Pi as a desktop operating system. Instead, they focus on Windows 10 IoT for embedded systems. A project led by Romanian programmer Mario Bălănică, WoR (Windows on R), uses the UEFI infrastructure to enable Windows 10 on Raspberry Pi 4. This previously worked with the ARM64 version of Windows 11 but only up to build 25163 due to later versions utilizing features exclusive to ARMv8.1-A compatible processors. ### Raspberry Pi 5 and Future Possibilities
The Cortex-A76 cores in the Raspberry Pi 5’s Broadcom BCM2712 could potentially support ARMv8.2-A, similar to the Cortex-A76 cores in the older Windows on ARM laptops’ Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx. In spring 2023, Mario Bălănică successfully introduced Windows 11 to the single-board computer Radxa Rock 5B, which features Cortex-A76 cores. While custom drivers are required for Windows 11 on Raspberry Pi 4 and 5, progress is being made, and it is unclear if the Pi Firmware Task Force is also working on a UEFI image for Raspberry Pi 5. Microsoft, ARM, VMware, and other firms like Ampere Computing have strong interest in affordable UEFI-powered ARM64 development systems for programmers.