(Source: man)In April 1985, a small team at Acorn Computers in Cambridge, UK, began rethinking the concept of processors. Engineers Sophie Wilson and Steve Furber developed the ARM1 (which originally stood for Advanced RISC Machine), a modest chip that contained only 25,000 transistors. The ARM1 powered the BBC Micro, creating a 32-bit processor that emphasized a reduced instruction set for faster and more efficient computing.The low power consumption of the design stemmed from practical constraints, specifically the need to operate within cheaper plastic packaging. The ARM2 followed and was integrated into the first RISC-based home computer, the Acorn Archimedes. The ARM3 introduced a 4KB cache, further enhancing performance.After splitting from Acorn in 1990, ARM Limited was jointly established by Acorn, Apple, and VLSI. An early commercial success was the Apple Newton, followed by widespread use in mobile phones such as the Nokia 6110, which utilized the ARM7TDMI.ARM6 was launched in 1991, featuring full 32-bit processing capabilities and an MMU, which was crucial for GSM mobile phones. In 2005, the Armv7 architecture debuted with the Cortex-A8 processor, which supported SIMD (NEON) and powered many early smartphones.In 2011, Armv8 introduced 64-bit support, becoming the foundation for cloud computing, data centers, mobile computing, and automotive computing. Features like SVE and Helium further enhanced performance and AI capabilities.The Armv9 launched in 2021 marked a shift towards AI-centric workloads. It introduced Scalable Vector Extension 2 (SVE2), Scalable Matrix Extension (SME), and Confidential Compute Architecture (CCA).These features make it suitable for a variety of applications, from smartphones with advanced image processing capabilities to AI servers handling generative workloads. SME accelerates generative AI and MoE models, while SVE2 brings enhanced AI capabilities to general computing.Arm’s Armv9-based Compute Subsystem (CSS) now serves the client, infrastructure, and automotive markets. By integrating CPUs, interconnects, and memory interfaces, these CSS platforms support rapid development of dedicated chips.From the initial ARM1 with just 25,000 transistors to the Armv9 CPU with 1 billion gates today, the architecture has consistently driven advancements in computing technology over the past forty years. Today, Arm-based chips support over 300 billion devices worldwide, ranging from tiny embedded sensors to large data centers.99% of smartphones run on Arm architecture, and its applications in IoT, cloud, and AI workloads are expanding rapidly, thanks to its energy-efficient design and flexible licensing model.Looking ahead, there are increasing rumors that Arm may not only be limited to licensing but could also enter the chip manufacturing sector, which would put it in competition with its largest customers. Recently, speculation intensified as Arm’s Japanese parent company SoftBank acquired Arm’s independent server chip supplier, Ampere Computing.