Google Chrome Is Finally Getting Native ARM64 Support On Linux
Official Chrome support first made it to ARM-based MacOS devices in 2020, and to Windows on Arm in 2024. While Chromium may essentially be Chrome with the Google-bits stripped out, it's fundamentally so similar it's surprising that Chrome took this long to arrive on ARM64 Linux PCs and devices.
One reason for this happening now could be due to NVIDIA's DGX Spark AI small form factor computer. Per the official Google blog post, "Google is partnering with NVDIA to make it easier for DGX Spark users to install Chrome." With ARM64 hardware becoming more pervasive, there's sufficient incentive to extend support for Chrome across more systems and devices. Features Google highlights include Enhanced Protection in Safe Browsing, Google Password Manager, and access to "the best extensions the Chrome Web Store has to offer, without needing to use specialized tools or alter developer settings. And you can effortlessly translate webpages with a single click."
Since it's a mainstream branch of Chrome, other new features like Split View and PDF Annotations are also available on ARM64 Linux. As long as the branch is properly maintained, all upcoming features should make their way cross-platform. Time will tell whether or not that holds true for all features, but Google does have a good track record maintaining Chrome across existing platforms already. While it may be a notorious memory hog, Chrome is also known for its ubiquity. This move from Google effectively checks another platform off the list.
