ARM Achieves 10 Billion Processor Milestone

More Than One Processor for Every Person in the World

CAMBRIDGE, England, January 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ARM ((LSE:ARM);
(Nasdaq: ARMHY)) today announced that the total number of processors shipped
by its Partners has exceeded ten billion. The company developed its first
embeddable RISC core, the ARM6(TM) processor, in 1991, and its semiconductor
Partners currently ship almost three billion ARM Powered(R) processors each
year.
"ARM Partners have now shipped more than one processor for every single
person on the planet" said Warren East, CEO, ARM. "Ten billion ARM processors
in use mark an enormous milestone for ARM, but also demonstrate the growth in
adoption of the ARM(R) processor architecture by the vast majority of major
electronics companies and across the broadest range of applications."
ARM has grown to become the largest microprocessor IP company in the
world, and the ARM processor portfolio covers every area of microprocessor
applications, from very low-cost embedded microcontrollers, up to very
high-performance multicore processors for demanding networking, mobile and
consumer entertainment applications. As a result, ARM processors can be found
in products ranging from the LG Viewty, Nokia N95 and Sony Ericsson P1i smart
phones; the iPhone and the iPod; Garmin, Navman and Tom Tom portable
navigation systems; Kodak still cameras; Sony video cameras; and the Nintendo
DS handheld gaming device, up to Toshiba HD digital televisions; hard disk
drives from Samsung and Seagate; automotive braking systems from Bosch; HP
printers and wireless routers from Linksys and Netgear. (For more examples of
ARM Powered products, visit http://www.arm.com/markets.)
"ARM deserves congratulations for successfully executing the business
model of licensing microprocessor technology as intellectual property," said
Tom R. Halfhill, senior analyst for In-Stat's Microprocessor Report
newsletter. "Although ARM does not actually make or sell microprocessor
chips, there are now ten billion ARM microprocessors in the world - all
implemented in silicon by ARM Partners. ARM was an early pioneer of this
revolutionary business model, and it has given ARM a long reach in the
digital world."
"ARM's success is a result of its processor architecture being licensed
to nearly every semiconductor company in the world," said Tom Starnes of
analyst firm Objective Analysis. "With each vendor using ARM processors to
address its own focus markets, the number of ARM technology-based chips going
out the door multiplies beyond what a single vendor could drive. Added to the
volume of mobile phones with ARM technology inside and untapped markets like
microcontrollers just getting started, these numbers will continue to expand.
At this rate, within a year we will find that every man, woman, and child on
this planet will have the use of an average of two ARM processors - and a lot
of cool electronic devices too."
"I have watched with great interest the growth of the ARM architecture
since its early days as a proprietary CPU for a small aspiring PC company.
From its beginning the ARM CPU was small and efficient. It was clearly a CPU
ahead of its time," said Tony Massimini, chief of technology, Semico Research
Corp. "It took a lot of hard work and dedication to find the right home for
ARM technology. The CPU's success is due as much to the tools and ecosystem
that have been developed as it owes to the evolution of its architecture.
Even more significant to me than the sheer volume of parts that have shipped
is the fact that ARM has established a fundamental business model within the
semiconductor industry - licensing intellectual property. The IP model has
been so successful for ARM that it has inspired others to emulate the
company."
"Over the past decade, the use of embedded microprocessor cores has moved
from cutting edge technology to a mainstream capability found in an
ever-increasing percentage of new designs," said Jordan Selburn, principal
analyst for Semiconductor Design Services, iSuppli. "Billions of ASSPs and
ASICs built around RISC processor cores are shipping each year and we
forecast that this number will continue to grow, approaching 5 billion per
year by 2011."
About ARM
ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital
products, from mobile, home and enterprise solutions to embedded and emerging
applications. ARM's comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC
microprocessors, data engines, graphics processors, digital libraries,
embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as
analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the
company's broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that
offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies.
More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.
ARM and ARM Powered are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. All other
brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM"
is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and
the regional subsidiaries: ARM, Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan
Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium
N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded
Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Norway, AS.
SOURCE ARM Ltd

Contact Details: ARM Press Office: +44-208-846-0797, Stuart Gill, Alan
Tringham, Michelle Spencer; Text 100, ARM, ARM, +44-20-8846-0758,
+44-1223-400947, +44-1628-427780, londonarm@text100.com,
alan.tringham@arm.com, michelle.spencer@arm.com