Microsoft: Future Versions Of Windows 10 Will Require Specific CPUs

Microsoft Says New Processors Will Only Work with Windows 10

Windows 7 and 8.1 won't be updated for future processors, starting with Intel's Skylake platform

Dante D'Orazio | January 16, 2016

Soon, when you buy a new PC, it won't support Windows 7 or 8. Microsoft has announced a change to its support policy that lays out its plans for future updates to its older operating systems, and the new rules mean that future PC owners with next-generation Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors will need to use Windows 10.
It's not usual for old PCs to fall short of the minimum requirements of a brand new operating system, but in this case, the opposite is happening. Microsoft and its partners will not be putting in the significant work necessary to make new hardware work with older versions of Windows. The old operating systems, at best, will merely lack the latest updates. At worst, they might not function properly.

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/18/microsoft-reveals-windows-10-hardware-requirements-and-upgrade-paths/

<more at http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/16/10780876/microsoft-windows-support-policy-new-processors-skylake; related links: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/01/15/windows-10-embracing-silicon-innovation/ (Windows 10 Embracing Silicon Innovation. January 15, 2016) and http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-updates-support-policy-new-cpus-will-require-windows-10/ (Microsoft updates support policy: New CPUs will require Windows 10. In a change to its longstanding support policy, Microsoft says PCs based on new CPU architectures, including Intel's Skylake chips, will require Windows 10. A list of preferred systems will support older Windows versions on new hardware, but only for 18 months. January 15, 2016)>