Is ARM really 40?

Over the years, landing on a specific date for technology launches has proven to be a challenge for many companies, including the UK processor core designer ARM. The journey of ARM began with the tape out of the first ARM processor, the ARM1, on 26th April at Acorn in Cambridge, UK. Developed by Sophie Wilson and Steve Furber, the ARM1 was Acorn’s in-house processor following the success of the BBC Micro home computer. Despite the challenges faced during its development, the ARM1 was designed to be inexpensive to manufacture, resulting in a microprocessor with very low power requirements, which became fundamental to the success of smaller devices.

According to Cait Scott, Assistant Curator at the Science Museum in London, the impact of the ARM processor has been significant. The ARM architecture was utilized by Apple in their first personal digital assistant, the 1993 Apple Newton MessagePad, and is now a staple in the majority of smartphones. With over 30 billion processors using ARM architecture produced, the portable computing power we have today owes much to the innovative work of Sophie Wilson. The ARM1, with its 32-bit data and 26-bit address space, laid the groundwork for what would become a revolutionary advancement in processor technology.

The introduction of the ARM2 processor marked a significant milestone for ARM. Released in 1986 as part of the ARM Development System, the ARM2 processor was integrated into the BBC Master computer as a second processor. This system provided developers with a platform to explore and harness the capabilities of the ARM architecture, setting the stage for further advancements in the field of computing. The subsequent launch of the Archimedes series in 1987 by Acorn Computers, featuring the ARM2 processor, brought about substantial performance improvements in the personal computing market.

As ARM continued to evolve, a spinout company called Advanced RISC Machines was established in 1990, paving the way for a new era of collaboration and innovation. With a focus on licensing the technology to chip makers, rather than manufacturing the chips themselves, ARM expanded its reach and influence in the industry. The introduction of the ARM6 processor in 1991, which fully supported 32-bit processing for the first time, set the stage for the ARM7 processor to become a flagship design for GSM mobile phones in the late 90s.

Fast forward to the present day, ARM has made significant strides in processor architecture with the introduction of ARMv9 in 2021. Featuring Scalable Vector Extension (SVE2) and Scalable Matrix Extension (SME) extensions for AI, ARMv9 represents a major leap forward in processing capabilities. These advancements enable more efficient processing of multimedia, signal processing applications, and AI workloads, catering to the evolving needs of modern technology. With a focus on providing developers with enhanced performance and seamless migration across ecosystems, ARM continues to drive innovation in the world of computing.