Malaysia taps ARM for $250m chip boost

ARM has recently inked a lucrative deal with the Malaysian government, valued at a substantial $250 million, aimed at enhancing chip design capabilities within the country. As part of this agreement, ARM is set to provide training for a staggering 10,000 engineers on the Compute Subsystem (CSS) technologies and ARM Flexible Access program over the course of the next decade. The primary objective is to establish a robust chip design environment in Malaysia, fostering innovation and technological advancement in the field.

The Compute Subsystem (CSS) plays a pivotal role in this collaboration, offering CPU cores that come pre-integrated with optimized cache memory and other essential components like the Ethos AI accelerator and the Immortalis GPU family. By streamlining the development process for complex chips, the CSS technology significantly reduces the workload required, thereby enhancing efficiency and productivity in chip design.

Notably, the current CSS platforms leverage high-end cores such as the Neoverse N3 and V3 for datacenter chips, chiplets, and 5G basestations. Future CSS platforms, including the Adonis and Dionysys cores, are also in the pipeline. ARM has also introduced a CSS client platform featuring the fifth-generation Cortex-X925, Immortalis G925 GPU core, and Cortex A725 and A520 cores, specifically tailored for smartphones.

Furthermore, the collaboration encompasses the development of five pre-integrated platforms designed for IoT chips, known as Corstone. Ranging from the Cortex-A53, A35, or A32 application cores in the 1000 series to the M85 microcontroller core in the 300 family and the Cortex-M3 microcontroller core in the 101 series, Corstone is poised to drive innovation in IoT chip design. The inclusion of seven chip subsystems in the deal suggests that Corstone will also play a significant role in this initiative.

Simultaneously, the ARM Flexible Access program offers participants upfront, cost-effective access to a wide array of ARM IP, tools, and training resources. Will Abbey, the executive vice president and Chief Commercial Officer at ARM, expressed optimism about the partnership with the Malaysian government, emphasizing the potential for innovation in the semiconductor industry, particularly in the realm of AI-optimized silicon products. This collaboration is expected to nurture new skills and talent in Malaysia, paving the way for a cutting-edge AI chip ecosystem with ARM technology at its core.