The rumors are true: Microsoft is rebuilding the Edge browser to run on Google's Chromium code.

Microsoft says the upcoming change for the desktop version of Edge will improve the browser's internet surfing experience. But it's also a tacit acknowledgement that Google's Chrome and Chromium rendering technology have become today's dominant web standard.

"Ultimately, we want to make the web experience better for many different audiences," Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore wrote in a blog post.

The change means web developers will no longer have to test their websites for both Chromium and EdgeHTML, the current rendering engine for Microsoft's browser. Consumers, on the other hand, will experience "improved compatibility" with all websites when using Edge, Belfiore said.

A preview build of the new Chromium-powered Edge browser will arrive early next year. In the meantime, the company said it plans to become a bigger contributor to Google's Chromium project, which is open source.

The goal is to bring the rebuilt Edge browser to all Windows devices, in addition to other platforms such as Apple's macOS, Belfiore said. "Over the next year or so, we'll be making a technology change that happens 'under the hood' for Microsoft Edge, gradually over time, and developed in the open so those of you who are interested can follow along," Belfiore added.

Whether consumers will adopt the rebuilt Edge browser is another matter. For years, Microsoft has been marketing the product as a competitive alternative to Google's Chrome. But as of today, Edge only has a 4 percent share of the US browser market, according to StatCounter. Chrome, in contrast, has close to 49 percent, while Apple's Safari has 32 percent of the market.

On the mobile front, Microsoft's Edge browser was built without the EdgeHTML engine. On iOS, the browser runs using Webkit, or what Apple's Safari uses. On Android, the Edge browser uses Blink, a rendering engine from the Chromium project.