The Apple M1 Macs usher in a new era of Arm-based PCs. Arm CEO is optimistic

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For years, computer makers have tried to sell PCs equipped with Arm processors, an energy-efficient family that powers smartphones. Compared to models running on x86 chips from Intel and AMD, however, Arm-based PCs suffered from performance and software compatibility issues.

Now, Apple’s M1 processors, the Apple-designed member of the Arm family that powers new MacBooks, are changing the way Arm PCs look. M1 chips not only offer good battery life, like Qualcomm’s Arm chips in some Windows laptops, but also good performance. At the same time, x86 PCs only got better gradually.

So it’s no surprise to hear new optimism from Arm’s CEO Simon Segars.

“What we’re starting to see now is real innovation in a market where there hasn’t been a lot of innovation,” Segars said in an interview at CES 2021 tech conference. “Whenever ‘there’s a discontinuity that makes people wonder how we do this, that injects energy into innovation.

Part of that innovation comes from Arm himself, which is injecting new engineering resources into the design of PC chips, he said. Another part could come from Nvidia, the leading graphics chip maker trying to acquire Arm for $ 40 billion.

Arm does indeed have a better chance thanks to Apple, said Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies. “Arm has always been talking about entering this market. I think they’re on the verge of being able to really do it. Apple is the solution,” he said. Success for Arm would mean PCs powerful enough for mainstream buyers but efficient enough that you could leave your charger in a desk drawer for a day or two at a time without worry.

Although Arm is not a household name, the technology of the Cambridge, England-based company powers much of the IT market. Most notably, Arm chips power just about every smartphone. They are also used in network equipment, Internet of Things gadgets, Raspberry Pi computers for hackers, and the world’s fastest supercomputer. About 20 billion Arm chips are shipped each year.

Intel, AMD and Apple’s M1 “ beast ”

To be successful, Arm fans will have to reckon with new chips from Intel and AMD that have emerged at CES. AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series of laptop chips will deliver up to 17.5 hours of general battery use, CEO Lis Su said on Tuesday. Intel introduced its next-generation Alder Lake processor later this year. It takes an approach long used in Arm chips, a combination of fast processing cores and slower, more energy-efficient cores.

It has been difficult to break into the PC ecosystem of component makers, software and PC makers, Segars acknowledged. He believes that Arm’s combination of performance and energy efficiency will ultimately enable him to claim significant market share.

Apple has proven that it is possible. “The M1 is a beast with a more aggressive core design,” said Kevin Krewell, analyst at Tirias Research. “Apple’s M1 has validated that the Arm architecture can perform very well and go hand in hand with x86.”

Apple has an ecosystem advantage that other PC Arm manufacturers lack: control over the macOS operating system, including the ability to optimize performance and make sure everything is working. For Windows PC software, Arm chip support is usually a second priority at best, even with Microsoft’s enthusiasm. Software makers can treat Arm-Windows versions of their products as optional, but in about two years all Macs will be Arm-based.

Arm invests in new chip designs

Under his current ownership of investment firm Softbank, Arm has invested heavily in new engineering. Chipmakers can license Arm’s full chip designs or just the instruction set the software uses to communicate with Arm chips, an approach that allows chipmakers to design their own processors as they see fit. wish.

Arm’s design capabilities mean that chipmakers have less incentive to create their own designs. “There are more people licensing our CPU implementation technology than a few years ago,” Segars said. “You have to spend a lot of money to do better than Arm.”

Indeed, Samsung has switched to Arm’s Cortex-X1 design for its new eight-core Exynos 2100 mobile processor announced at CES on Tuesday. However, not everyone is going in this direction. Fujitsu has designed its own supercomputing chips, and on Wednesday Qualcomm announced it had acquired startup Nuvia to breathe new life into its Arm chip designs. If the Nuvia technology delivers on its promise, it could also significantly boost the Arm PC market, since Qualcomm is the leading chipmaker behind Arm-powered Windows laptops.

What’s not clear is how big of a problem Nvidia’s attempt to acquire Arm will be for those chip licensees, which also include companies like Qualcomm, MediaTek, Huawei, Marvell and Amazon. Nvidia and Arm say their chip technology is complementary and well suited to next-generation computing demands. Arm has tried to assure chip licensees that they will be able to license Arm products as always, but the reality is that Arm will be a major competitor as well.

“It’s a star-studded buyout. The industry is so opposed to it,” Kay said. This will likely spark more interest in alternatives like RISC-V, a new chip instruction set available without Arm’s licensing hurdles, he predicted.

Nvidia and Arm have given themselves 18 months to persuade regulators that the acquisition is a good idea, which means it could be closed in early 2022. Companies are making “great strides” in convincing regulators, Segars said, but added: “All this regulatory analysis is not quick.”

Update, 9:13 am PT: Specifies that Segars was commenting on the general outlook for Arm PCs.

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