Articles about ARM

While ARM has been slowly making inroads in the server market, it still has a long way to go before it can truly challenge the x86 architecture. Today, it makes a big step in the right direction thanks to Red Hat.

The enterprise open-source company has officially added ARM support to its Red Hat Enterprise Linux (also known as RHEL) server distribution, after two years of testing with partners like Qualcomm.

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As the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices increases and is projected to reach over 50 billion by 2020, Arm has unveiled a new systems architecture aimed at securing and protecting these devices from being exploited by cyber attackers.

The British semiconductor firm unveiled its new Platform Security Architecture (PSA) which is designed to serve as a common industry framework for developers and hardware manufacturers to increase the security of devices built on its system-on-a-chip (SoC) Cortex processors.

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ARM has revealed its latest series of mobile processors, promising its most advanced performance yet.

The company has unveiled its new Cortex-A55 and Cortex-A75 chips, which will make smartphones and other mobile devices smarter, more powerful, and longer lasting when they begin appearing in devices from next year.

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Microsoft and Qualcomm announced late last year that Windows 10 will be available on ARM-based Snapdragon devices. And, unlike with Windows RT, this time around x86 programs are welcome, giving users the ability to run full-blown software like Office 2016 and Adobe Photoshop CC.

And now Microsoft and Qualcomm have provided an update on the project, announcing the hardware partners that will release ARM devices with Windows 10 and the sort of benefits that users can expect to receive from the "Always Connected PCs" that will arrive.

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ARM, the Cambridge-based microprocessor company has just announced a new processor architecture that it promises will give a significant boost to artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.

The new technology, announced this Tuesday, is called DynamIQ and ARM describes it as "probably the biggest micro-architectural shift since ARM announced 64-bit ARMv8-A in 2011." This "monumental shift in multicore microarchitecture" is not the processor itself -- new Cortex-A processors will be built by ARM’s partners, both of which will be announced later this year.

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The Raspberry Pi line of mini computers -- including the all-new Pi Zero W -- are wonderful devices for what they are. Quite frankly, they have inspired many young people to learn about programming, while helping makers to create some really cool projects. With that said, the Pi computers are not the only System on a Chip solutions on the market. Actually, there are more powerful ARM-based offerings available. The problem? They are often radically more expensive than Raspberry Pi.

However, there is a new Raspberry Pi competitor that is quite affordable. In fact, some folks may view it as a Pi-killer. The $30 FriendlyElec NanoPi M1 Plus has an arguably superior design and layout, plus important integrated features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It even has an IR receiver, onboard microphone, 8GB storage, and both power and reset buttons. Best of all? It is ready to run Debian, Ubuntu Core, and Ubuntu Mate from the start.

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Chrome OS is a very polarizing Linux distribution. While some people very wrongly call the operating system nothing other than a glorified web browser, in reality, it is actually very secure and capable. Many home users do all of their computing in a web browser nowadays, making Google's desktop OS an excellent choice.

Laptops running the Linux-based OS are called "Chromebooks". For many consumers, these computers are attractive for no other reason than cost -- they incorrectly think the platform is all about being inexpensive and low quality. Unfortunately, many manufacturers perpetuate that stereotype. As Google's wildly expensive Chromebook Pixel showed, however, Chrome OS devices can be elegant. Today, Samsung is taking aim at elegance with the all-new Chromebook Pro and Plus.

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Microsoft can be surprising at times. After ditching Windows RT, the software giant has announced that it is working with Qualcomm to bring ARM support to Windows 10. In practice, that means that we will see Snapdragon-powered machines running Microsoft's latest operating system which, and this is key, can run proper x86 software.

Windows RT did not have that, as it was limited to apps available from Windows Store. And we all know how that worked out. However, x86 software on Snapdragon-powered Windows 10 devices can be seen as a game-changer as, in theory, it could pave the way to running resource-intensive programs, like Adobe Photoshop, on smartphones. And I am talking about the true Photoshop, not some dumbed-down mobile version. That could be huge, no doubt.

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There’s a fair amount of news coming out of the Windows Hardware Engineering Community event (WinHEC) in Shenzhen, China at the moment, but potentially the most exciting announcement is that Windows 10 is coming to ARM.

A partnership with Qualcomm means that we’ll soon see a range of Snapdragon-powered Windows 10 PCs with integrated cellular connectivity that run x86 Win32 and universal Windows apps.

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In July, SoftBank revealed its plan to acquire the British chip designer ARM Holdings for $31.4 billion and now, less than two months later, the company has announced that the acquisition is officially complete.

The Japanese telecom company has been expanding its company lately through a series of acquisitions and investments, including purchasing Sprint for $20 billion and investing $15 billion into the Japanese division of Vodafone.

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SoftBank is buying ARM Holdings for $32 billion. Why would a company not presently in the semiconductor business spend 32 times sales to enter a new industry? By traditional measures it makes little sense. But for SoftBank it makes perfect sense, because here’s a company that has spent more than 30 years making high-risk bets on entering new businesses by apparently over-paying for assets. It’s the way they’ve always done it and it has nearly always worked. In this case SoftBank is paying a 43 percent premium over the recent ARM share price because that’s how much money it took to overcome the resistance of ARM management. And it’s just a guess on my part, but I’d say those very ARM managers are, for the most part, doomed. SoftBank isn’t buying ARM because Masayoshi Son is so impressed with ARM’s success: SoftBank is buying ARM because of what it can become.

The only way SoftBank can justify paying such a high price for ARM is if Mr. Son is about to change ARM’s business model.

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The technology industry in the UK was rocked by the historic Brexit vote in the referendum about membership of the EU just a few weeks ago. Concerns were voiced that tech companies would scramble to leave the UK, and with Japan's Softbank Group due to buy UK chip-maker ARM Holdings for $32 billion (£24 billion), this could just be the start of things.

ARM chips are found in mobile devices produced by Apple and Samsung, and more recently it has branched out into the Internet of Things. But while some will be unhappy with the change of ownership, Softbank says that it will not only remain headquartered in Cambridge, UK, but will look to at least double its UK workforce.

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British chip maker ARM has announced that it has acquired Apical, an imaging and embedded computer vision company. The deal, worth $350 million in cash, was closed on Tuesday, May 17, the company said.

Apical’s products are used in smartphones everywhere (1.5 billion, according to ARM), and in 300 million other devices, all over the world, including IP cameras, digital cameras and tablets.

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While I love iOS when it comes to mobile devices, Linux is my true love on the desktop. Android used to be my choice for mobile, but I jumped ship due to scary exploits and untimely (or nonexistent) OS updates. Linux should be synonymous with security, but Google's mobile OS has tainted that, sending me into Apple's loving arms.

Luckily, Google is not the only Linux player with mobile -- Canonical is still moving ahead with Ubuntu. True, it is a long shot to ever meet or exceed iOS or Android in market share, but fans of Linux and other open source software should pay attention. Today, Canonical announces the Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition -- a premium and luxurious smartphone.

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Convergence is all the rage in the technology industry nowadays and for good reason -- our handheld devices are insanely powerful. It makes sense to leverage a smartphone or tablet's processor for desktop computing. By connecting a monitor, mouse, and keyboard to the mobile device, it can serve as a full-fledged computer. Those with more hardcore computing needs, such as editing video, for example, may have to wait a while for more powerful handheld devices.

Microsoft has shown off its Continuum functionality, which turns a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone into a desktop, but because of shocking limitations, it really isn't ready for prime-time. Canonical has long been working on its own convergence plans with Ubuntu -- it is not copying Microsoft's. Quite frankly, it can be argued that the open source Linux kernel is a more adaptable base for such Swiss Army-like devices as Windows could be too bloated. Today, Canonical unveils the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet which fulfills its Linux convergence vision. Not only can a user be productive with the tablet itself, but it can be connected to peripherals to create a full desktop experience.

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