ARM Limited Totally Explained

Everything about Advanced Risc Machines Ltd totally explained

ARM Limited () is a technology company headquartered in Cambridge, England, UK. Founded in 1990, the company is best known for its processors, although it also designs, licenses and sells software development tools under the RealView and KEIL brands, systems and platforms, system-on-a-chip infrastructure and software. ARM is listed under its associated holding company (ARM Holdings PLC) on the London Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. It is probably the best-known of the Silicon Fen companies.
The company was founded as a joint venture between Acorn Computers, Apple Computer and VLSI Technology (as Advanced RISC Machines), intended to further the development of the Acorn RISC Machine's RISC chip, which was originally used in the Acorn Archimedes and is now the processing core for many custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It has since expanded and now has offices and design centres across the world, including Sunnyvale, California; Austin, Texas; Olympia, Washington; Trondheim, Norway; Sophia Antipolis, France; Munich, Germany; Leuven, Belgium; Taiwan; Shin Yokohama, Japan; China; and India.
The company is considered to be market dominant in the field of mobile phone chips.

Processors

A characteristic feature of ARM processors is their low electric power consumption, which makes them particularly suitable for use in portable devices. In fact, almost all modern mobile phones and personal digital assistants contain ARM CPUs, making them the most widely-used 32-bit microprocessor family in the world, more so than the better-known 32-bit Pentium 4 processors found in many PCs. Today ARMs account for over 75% of all 32-bit embedded CPUs.
ARM processors are used as the main CPU for most mobile phones, including those manufactured by Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung; many personal digital assistants and handhelds, like the Apple iPod & iPhone, Nintendo Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, Gamepark GP32, and Gamepark Holdings GP2X; as well as many other applications, including GPS, digital cameras, digital televisions, network devices and storage.
Unlike other microprocessor corporations such as AMD, Intel, Freescale (formerly Motorola) and Renesas (formerly Hitachi and Mitsubishi), ARM only licenses its technology as intellectual property (IP), rather than manufacturing its own CPUs. Thus, there are a few dozen companies making processors based on ARM's designs. Intel, Freescale and Renesas have all licensed ARM technology. In 2007, 2.9 billion chips based on an ARM design were manufactured.

History

Along the way, ARM has grown both through internal financing and acquisitions.

in 1990 ARM was founded as Advanced RISC Machines Ltd as a joint venture between Acorn Computers, Apple Computer and VLSI Technology.

In 1993 First profitable year

In 1994 Silicon Valley and Tokyo offices open

In 1998 Advanced RISC Machines Ltd name is changed to ARM Ltd, 50 million cores a year shipped.

In 1998 ARM IPO on both LSE & NASDAQ

In 1999 ARM acquired Micrologic Solutions, a software consulting company based in Cambridge, UK

In 2000 ARM acquired Allant Software, a developer of debugging software; Infinite Designs, a design company based in Sheffield, UK and EuroMIPS a smart card design house in Sophia Antipolis. France

In 2001, ARM acquired the engineering team of Noral Micrologics, a debug hardware and software company based in Blackburn, UK.

In 2002, Artisan Components acquired NurLogic Design a PHY and analogue mixed signal company based in San Diego, CA. China office is opened.

In 2003, ARM acquired Adelante Technologies of Belgium, creating its OptimoDE data engines business, a form of lightweight DSP engine.

In 2004, ARM acquired Axys Design Automation, a developer of ESL design tools; and Artisan Components, a designer of Physical IP (standard cell libraries, Memory Compilers, PHYs etc.), the building blocks of integrated circuits.

In 2005, ARM acquired KEIL Software, a leading developer of software development tools for the microcontroller market, including 8051 and C16x platforms (External Link

). ARM also acquired the engineering team of PowerEscape.

In 2006, ARM acquired Falanx, a developer of 3D graphics accelerators, and SOISIC, who specialise in developing silicon-on-insulator physical IP.

Company name

The acronym ARM originally stood for Acorn RISC Machine. The company name ARM stands for Advanced RISC Machines. This name was changed, around the time of the IPO, to "ARM Holdings", since it was felt the term RISC, which indicates a type of CPU design, being phonetically identical to risk, would deter people unfamiliar with computers.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Advanced Risc Machines Ltd'.

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