[Closi]

They absolutely could have built an ARM chip.

The fact that Microsoft has released several ARM laptops but selected Qualcomm to provide the processors suggests that Intel at least had an opportunity to play the game, they just never came to the table. It’s hardly Microsoft slowing them down when Microsoft is ahead of Intel on this, but their reluctance to push forwards means that they are now behind.

It’s not Microsoft’s job to push intel anyway, it’s intels job to create a product so compelling that their partners adopt it. If they want the support of major Linux distros, they just have to write it themselves rather than wait for volunteers to do their work for them.