Arm Holdings
Arm Holdings is a British semiconductor and software design company that develops and licenses CPU architectures, processor cores, graphics technologies, and related intellectual property.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Arm Holdings plc is a Cambridge-based British technology company whose principal business is designing and licensing semiconductor intellectual property. Rather than manufacturing finished processors, Arm develops instruction-set architectures, CPU cores, graphics processors, interconnects, security technologies, development tools, and other system-on-chip building blocks that customers incorporate into their own products. Its licensing model has made Arm technology a foundational component of modern computing, particularly in smartphones, tablets, embedded systems, connected devices, automotive electronics, and increasingly servers and high-performance computers. The company originated in the work of Acorn Computers, whose engineers developed a reduced-instruction-set computing processor for the Acorn Archimedes computer. The name ARM originally referred to Acorn RISC Machine and was later expanded to Advanced RISC Machines. Arm was incorporated in 1990 as a joint venture involving Acorn, Apple, and VLSI Technology. Apple contributed investment and became an important early customer through the Newton handheld computer project. The company’s early success came from creating efficient processor designs that could be licensed by multiple semiconductor manufacturers and equipment makers rather than being tied to a single computer brand. Arm’s low-power architecture became especially influential as mobile computing expanded. Licensees used Arm designs in cellular handsets, personal digital assistants, portable media players, digital cameras, navigation equipment, televisions, and embedded controllers. Over time, the architecture spread across a broad range of applications. Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, Broadcom, Nvidia, NXP, and many other companies have used Arm technology in products or chip platforms, although the exact licensing relationships and degree of customization vary. Arm’s customers may license complete core designs, modify licensed cores, or obtain an architectural license that permits them to design compatible processors of their own. The company expanded beyond general-purpose CPU cores into a wider portfolio of semiconductor IP. Its major CPU families include Cortex-A application processors, Cortex-R real-time processors, Cortex-M microcontrollers, and Neoverse infrastructure processors. Its graphics portfolio includes Mali GPUs and Immortalis GPUs, the latter supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing in selected implementations. Arm also offers Ethos neural-processing technology, CoreLink interconnect and system IP, CoreSight development and debugging technology, TrustZone and CryptoCell security capabilities, and software and development tools associated with brands such as Keil, DS-5, and RealView. Arm became a public company through listings in London and on Nasdaq in 1998. SoftBank agreed to acquire it in 2016, completing the transaction in September of that year. A minority interest was later transferred to the SoftBank Vision Fund. Nvidia announced an intended acquisition of Arm in 2020, but the transaction faced opposition and regulatory concerns in the United Kingdom, United States, and European Union. The proposed deal was abandoned in February 2022. SoftBank instead pursued a public offering, and Arm began trading on Nasdaq in September 2023. SoftBank retained a large majority stake after the offering. Today, Arm’s business is based on licensing fees, royalties, software, tools, and related technical services. Its technology is present across consumer and industrial electronics, and Arm-based processors have also become significant in cloud infrastructure and supercomputing. The company’s strategic importance derives from the breadth of its ecosystem: a common architecture allows many independent chip designers and manufacturers to build differentiated products while retaining software compatibility across generations.
History
Arm’s history began at Acorn Computers, a British personal-computer company whose engineers developed a reduced-instruction-set processor for the Acorn Archimedes. The processor was designed to deliver strong performance with comparatively low power consumption and a relatively simple implementation. Its architecture later became known as the Acorn RISC Machine, giving rise to the ARM abbreviation. In 1990, Advanced RISC Machines was established as a joint venture between Acorn, Apple, and VLSI Technology. The venture was initially created to continue development of the processor and to support Apple’s Newton handheld-computer program. Acorn supplied engineering staff, VLSI contributed manufacturing and design expertise, and Apple provided financial support. Robin Saxby became the venture’s first chief executive. The business quickly adopted an intellectual-property licensing model, allowing external semiconductor companies to use Arm designs in their own chips. The company recorded its first profitable year in 1993 and opened offices in Silicon Valley and Tokyo in 1994. These locations helped Arm build relationships with global electronics companies and semiconductor manufacturers. It also broadened its ambitions beyond a single processor family. An investment in Palmchip in 1997 supported the development of system-on-chip platforms and expanded Arm’s participation in markets such as storage and embedded electronics. Arm changed its corporate name to ARM Holdings in connection with its public-market development and listed on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq in 1998. The company’s public status helped it finance expansion while its royalty model benefited from the rapidly growing use of Arm-based designs. By the late 1990s and 2000s, Arm processors were common in mobile phones, handheld computers, consumer electronics, automotive systems, and a wide range of microcontrollers. The company’s importance increased sharply with the expansion of smartphones. Arm’s energy-efficient designs became the foundation for chips made by numerous licensees. Some customers used standard Cortex cores, while others obtained architectural licenses and developed customized compatible cores. This ecosystem allowed Arm-based products to span inexpensive embedded controllers, premium smartphones, tablets, networking equipment, and later cloud servers. Arm continued adding technology categories. The Cortex family was organized around application, real-time, and microcontroller workloads. The company developed Mali graphics technology, CoreLink interconnects, CoreSight debugging infrastructure, TrustZone security technology, and software tools. In 2010, Arm joined IBM, Texas Instruments, Samsung, ST-Ericsson, and Freescale in helping establish Linaro, a nonprofit engineering organization intended to improve open-source software and development support for Arm-based systems. In 2016, SoftBank agreed to buy Arm. The transaction was completed in September and removed Arm from public trading. In 2017, a 25 percent interest in Arm was transferred to the SoftBank Vision Fund. SoftBank later agreed to sell Arm to Nvidia in 2020. The proposed transaction attracted scrutiny because Arm supplied foundational technology to many companies that competed with Nvidia, and governments examined competition, supply-chain, and national-security implications. Regulators in the United Kingdom, United States, and European Union raised concerns, and the deal was abandoned in February 2022. SoftBank subsequently pursued a new public offering. Arm filed for a Nasdaq listing in 2023 and completed the offering in September of that year. The listing restored Arm to the public markets while SoftBank retained control. Under chief executive Rene Haas, Arm has emphasized growth in cloud infrastructure, automotive computing, artificial intelligence, edge devices, and other markets in addition to its established mobile and embedded businesses. Arm’s present business remains centered on licensing and royalties. It designs intellectual property rather than fabricating chips for sale under its own name. Its customers combine Arm technology with memory, modems, accelerators, graphics, connectivity, and other components to create complete system-on-chip products. This model gives Arm influence across a large portion of the electronics industry while leaving manufacturing and product branding to its licensees.
- 2023
Arm returns to public markets
[6]Arm completed an initial public offering on Nasdaq and began trading under the symbol ARM.
- 2022
Nvidia transaction is terminated
[5]The proposed acquisition was terminated after regulatory and competition concerns prevented the parties from completing it.
- 2020
Nvidia announces proposed acquisition
[4]Nvidia announced plans to acquire Arm from SoftBank in a transaction valued at approximately $40 billion.
- 2016
SoftBank acquisition completed
[8]SoftBank completed its acquisition of Arm, ending Arm’s period as an independently listed company.
- 2010
Linaro is established
[7]Arm joined major technology companies in forming Linaro to support open-source software and engineering for Arm-based platforms.
- 1998
Public listings and corporate renaming
[1]The company became ARM Holdings and listed on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.
- 1993
First profitable year
[1]The young processor-design company reached profitability as its licensing approach began gaining traction.
- 1990
Advanced RISC Machines is founded
[1]Advanced RISC Machines was established as a joint venture of Acorn Computers, Apple, and VLSI Technology to develop and commercialize Acorn’s RISC processor technology.
Products and positioning
A platform and intellectual-property supplier for the semiconductor industry, differentiated by energy-efficient processor architectures, a large software ecosystem, broad licensee adoption, and a fabless licensing-and-royalty business model.
Application processor IP
Cortex-A
Cortex-A processors are designed for operating-system-based applications such as smartphones, tablets, consumer devices, automotive computers, and selected infrastructure products. Licensees can use standard cores or combine them with other Arm and third-party IP in system-on-chip designs.
Real-time processor IP
Cortex-R
Cortex-R cores target applications requiring deterministic response, reliability, and real-time processing. Typical uses include storage controllers, automotive systems, industrial equipment, and other embedded products where predictable behavior is important.
Microcontroller IP
Cortex-M
Cortex-M cores are compact, energy-efficient processor designs for microcontrollers and deeply embedded systems. They are used in sensors, appliances, industrial controls, connected devices, and other products that require low cost and low power consumption.
Infrastructure processor IP · 2018
Neoverse
Neoverse is Arm’s infrastructure-focused platform for networking, cloud computing, edge systems, and data-center workloads. It extends the company’s licensing model into markets traditionally dominated by other server and infrastructure architectures.
Graphics processor IP
Mali
Mali is Arm’s established graphics-processing portfolio. Mali GPU designs are licensed for integration into mobile, embedded, automotive, and consumer system-on-chip products, often alongside Arm CPU cores.
Graphics processor IP · 2022
Immortalis
Immortalis is a newer Arm GPU family aimed at premium mobile and other advanced applications. Selected designs support hardware-accelerated ray tracing in addition to conventional graphics workloads.
Neural processing IP · 2018
Ethos
Ethos neural-processing units are designed to accelerate machine-learning workloads at the edge. They complement Arm CPU and GPU technologies in devices that require local inference, efficient AI processing, or tightly integrated system-on-chip acceleration.
Software development tools
Keil
Keil provides development tools for embedded software and microcontroller systems, including compilers, integrated development environments, debuggers, and related workflow products for Arm-based development.
Brand decisions
2023
Return to public markets through Nasdaq IPOOtherBackground
After the Nvidia transaction failed, SoftBank chose an initial public offering as the route to monetize part of its Arm investment while retaining control.
Action taken
Arm filed for and completed an initial public offering on Nasdaq.
Aftermath
Arm became publicly traded again under the ticker ARM, while SoftBank remained the controlling shareholder.
IPO proceeds and valuation. Approximately US$4.87 billion raised at an approximately US$54.5 billion valuation (September 2023)
2020
Proposed Nvidia acquisitionM&ABackground
Nvidia sought to acquire Arm to combine its computing and accelerator businesses with Arm’s widely licensed processor architecture.
Action taken
SoftBank and Nvidia announced a proposed cash-and-stock transaction, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.
Aftermath
The transaction was terminated in February 2022 after competition and national-security concerns created substantial regulatory obstacles.
Proposed transaction value. Approximately US$40 billion (2020)
- Qualcomm — Qualcomm expressed competition concerns about Nvidia controlling a processor architecture used by many competing chip companies.
- Google — Google raised concerns about the effect of the proposed acquisition on access to Arm technology and competition.
- Microsoft — Microsoft was among technology companies reported to have concerns about the transaction’s competitive implications.
2016
Accept SoftBank acquisitionM&ABackground
SoftBank proposed acquiring Arm as the company’s processor IP became increasingly important to global mobile and embedded computing.
Action taken
Arm accepted the offer and the transaction was completed in September 2016.
Aftermath
Arm became a SoftBank subsidiary and was withdrawn from public trading.
Transaction valuation. Approximately £24.3 billion (2016)
Recent events
- 2023
Arm files for Nasdaq initial public offering[3]
Other
Arm submitted registration documents for a US initial public offering following SoftBank’s decision to pursue a public-market listing.
- 2023
Arm begins trading on Nasdaq[6]
Other
Arm completed its initial public offering and began trading on Nasdaq, with SoftBank retaining majority ownership.
- 2022
Nvidia and SoftBank terminate proposed Arm transaction[5]
M&A · Regulation
The proposed Nvidia acquisition ended after regulatory and competition concerns in several jurisdictions made completion impractical.
- 2022
Arm China leadership change reported[9]
Leadership change · Other
Corporate filings reportedly recognized a change in the legal representative and chief executive position of Arm China, although the former executive disputed the change.
- 2020
Nvidia announces proposed acquisition of Arm[4]
M&A · Regulation
Nvidia proposed acquiring Arm from SoftBank in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at about $40 billion.
- 2020
Leadership dispute involving Arm China[10]
Leadership change · Other
Arm and the management of its Chinese subsidiary became involved in a prolonged dispute over control and the position of Arm China chief executive Allen Wu.
- 2016
SoftBank agrees to acquire Arm[11]
M&A
SoftBank announced an agreed offer to acquire Arm, valuing the British chip-design company at approximately £24 billion.
- 2016
SoftBank completes acquisition of Arm[8]
M&A
The acquisition was completed after approval by Arm shareholders, taking Arm into SoftBank ownership.
Sources12 sources
- 1Arm Holdingsen.wikipedia.org
- 2Arm corporate leadershiparm.com
- 3Arm Holdings IPO registration statementsec.gov
- 4Nvidia announces proposed acquisition of Armnvidianews.nvidia.com
- 5Nvidia and SoftBank terminate Arm transactionnvidianews.nvidia.com
- 6Arm announces pricing of initial public offeringarm.com
- 7Linaro is establishedlinaro.org
- 8SoftBank acquisition completedgroup.softbank
- 9据报道安谋中国领导层变动reuters.com
- 10涉及安谋中国的领导层纠纷reuters.com
- 11软银同意收购安谋bbc.com
- 12IBM Introduces New Mainframe Processor Combining Its Own Tech With Arm Architectureinsidermonkey.com
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