Arm Ltd., a British semiconductor and software design company, unveiled the biggest overhaul of its technology in almost a decade, with new designs targeting markets currently dominated by the American company, Intel Corp.
Arm is introducing capabilities to help chips handle machine learning, an artificial intelligence (AI) software of a powerful kind. Extra security features will lock down data and computer code more.
Arm, which is being acquired by American tech company Nvidia Corp, said that the new blueprints should also deliver 30% performance increases over the next two generations of processors for data center servers and mobile devices.
The upgrades are a requirement to support the rollout of computing beyond phones, PCs, and servers, Arm said. Through the addition of more chips and AI-powered software and services, thousands of devices and appliances are being connected to the internet and gaining new capabilities. The company wants its technology to be just as omnipresent here as it is in the smartphone industry.
“As we look toward a future that will be defined by AI, we must lay a foundation of leading-edge compute that will be ready to address the unique challenges to come,” said Simon Segars, chief executive officer of Arm, according to Bloomberg.
Arm sells processor designs and licenses an instruction set, which is a code that controls semiconductors, to tech giants of the industry including the iPhone maker Apple Inc., South Korean Samsung Electronics Co., and chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. Arm’s technology has done wonders in the smartphone industry and made itself omnipresent. It is now gaining a foothold in other markets such as servers and personal computers.
The markets for PC and server processors are dominated by Intel but that grip is slipping as customers design their own chips using Arm technology including Amazon.com Inc. With the launch of its new Armv9 architecture, the Cambridge-based company is trying to cement its current position while giving customers tools to compete better with Intel.
Nvidia is going to acquire Arm for $40 billion from Softbank Group Corp. and the deal is currently awaiting regulatory approval. Some Arm customers are protesting the transaction, Bloomberg has reported.
