Arm’s processor architecture

Licensees use the design to create microcontrollers (MCUs), central processing units (CPUs), and system on a chip (SoC) or application processors (APs). An SoC is an integrated circuit that combines all the functions of a computer on one IC microchip. These chips typically incorporate the CPU, graphics processing unit (GPU), and memory (RAM), and are commonly found in smartphones, tablets, wearables, and other IoT devices. Arm is recognized as a market leader in this field, with the firm accounting for more than 95 percent of the main chips in mobile devices.

Arm’s licensees

Examples of products using Arm-based processors include the Qualcomm Snapdragon and the Apple A13 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. In 2020, Apple announced it will also begin using Arm-based CPUs across its line of Mac PCs, a move away from their current partnership with Intel. The decision was made to standardize on one CPU architecture for all iPhone, iPad, and Mac products, with the transition to Apple's custom Arm-based chips expected to take place over two years.

Arm’s target markets

In addition to mobile APs, Arm is looking to strengthen its position in a number of key target markets. In light of this, in September 2020, Nvidia announced that the company had reached an agreement with SoftBank Group Corp to purchase Arm in a transaction worth 40 billion U.S. dollars. While the deal still requires formal approval, it stands to be the largest semiconductor industry acquisition in history. The partnership is expected to bolster both companies' opportunities in the devices, data center, cloud, edge, and Internet of Things (IoT) markets.

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