Will Apple be providing x32 bit support to macOS running on M1 machines?

We can't guess Apple's policy on this board.

64 bit has been with us since Apple released the G4 processor in 1999. Vector processing in parallel was done on the G4 processor to offer 64 computation. G5s also offered this vector processing. In the migration to Intel in 2006, Apple briefly went back to 32 bit only processors in the CoreSolo and CoreDuo processors, but that was a short-lived experiment and Core2Duo rapidly replaced them, and the Xeons were already 64 bit. It has take 19 years to fully catch up and make all aspects of all programs 64 bit on the operating system with Catalina release.

Apple's System Profiler applications section has had 64 bit and 32 bit notations for several years before Catalina.

Big Sur is just continuing the 64 bit aspect.

64 bit writing has been on the wall for this long. And documentation that 64 bit has been necessary for Catalina has been always been there.

You can downgrade older Macs, that came with older operating systems, but not new Macs.

ginsingab wrote:

Will Apple be providing x32 bit support to macOS running on M1 machines or release a M1 installer for macOS Mojave so we can setup Virtual Machines for critical legacy applications (and other use cases such as dev testing) that are not 64 bit?

No

I mean like today you could get a windows installer or linux installer that you could setup in a VM on a M1 machine, but you cannot get a macOS Mojave (latest one that supports 32 bit apps) installer for a VM.

No you can't.

I don't understand why Apple simply won't allow 32 bit apps to carry on working even if in a virtualised environment.

FWIW, Microsoft is also dropping 32bit support.

ginsingab wrote:

I don't understand why Apple simply won't allow 32 bit apps to carry on working even if in a virtualised environment.

As far as I can see this is an own goal scored by Apple.

For some of the same reasons Sony no longer provides the ability to use vacuum tubes in their smart TVs: technology advances; things modernize; this is the 21st century; hardware producers have been providing 64 bit systems for over a decade; users expect faster system performance and data transfer; ...

If the developers of your 32 bit apps have not transitioned their apps to 64 bit then they: have abandoned their apps; don't care about their customer's needs; or have developed and are selling new apps that are 64 bit.

I was just being extreme to point out that computer manufacturers like Apple have been producing only 64 bit hardware for over a decade. If app developers have chosen to not transition their apps to 64 bit with over a decade to do so I think the issue may be with the developers.

How long should computer manufacturers support old apps? If a decade is not long enough what is? You may think it is a waste but advances in technology such as 4 bit to 8 bit, or 16 bit to 32 bit, and now 32 bit to 64 bit are good things.

Another decade and you'll likely be complaining that your 64 bit apps no longer work on the newer 128 bit hardware and operating systems.

Old technology gets relegated to museums.

See this article: https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-takes-a-step-toward-phasing-out-32-bit-pc-support-for-windows-10/