Microsoft confirms there will be no U-turn on Windows 11 hardware requirements

Microsoft is not backing down on the hardware requirements for Windows 11, stating that the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is essential for the operating system, even if it is not part of the minimum requirements for Windows Server 2025.

Microsoft Senior Product Manager Steven Hosking called TPM 2.0 "a necessity for a secure and future-proof Windows 11."

TPM provides hardware-level security for a device. It can be a discrete chip, or included in the processor or its chipset, and with the help of firmware is tasked with keeping confidential data safe, encrypting and decrypting data, etc. It does have its uses.

It also features prominently in the Windows 11 hardware requirements, which have played a significant role in the operating system's market share stalling.

Considering Windows 10 is well into the final year of free support for most editions and remains dominant in the marketplace, a reasonable person might expect Microsoft to relax those requirements. After all, shouldn't it be up to the user if they want or need the protection Hosking attributes to a TPM chip?

It appears not, and Hosking has stated that TPM 2.0 is a "non-negotiable standard" for Windows.

Unless, of course, a customer is using the Server 2025 version of Windows. In that instance, TPM 2.0 is not a "non-negotiable standard." Yes, it'll be needed for services such as BitLocker Drive Encryption, according to Microsoft. But it does not form part of the minimum requirements.

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To be fair to Microsoft, buying a PC without TPM 2.0 hardware has become increasingly difficult over the last few years. However, there remain a large number of Windows 10 devices that would be perfectly capable of running Windows 11 if it were not for Microsoft's hardware demands. For example, this writer has an i7 machine with an SSD that would be an ideal candidate for an upgrade if it weren't for the hardware requirements.

There are multiple ways of dodging the requirements for Windows 11, but the loopholes run the risk of sudden and unannounced closure. Hosking said: "It's true that its [TPM 2.0] implementation might require a change for your organization," which will be of scant comfort to enterprises considering the cost of a wholesale hardware update driven by Microsoft's intransigence.

Hosking's attempt to justify the TPM hardware requirements goes some way to explaining why the security hardware is demanded. However, it does not explain why consumers lacking the hardware could not simply opt out. Particularly since the setup of Windows Server 2025 will not come to a halt if the hardware is not present. ®