The first 65nm ARM core has been embedded in a mobile phone SoC, as the firm moves towards 100 per cent market share for microprocessors in 3G handsets.
“We’ve had a 65nm design done by one of our semiconductor company partners and they have working silicon. It’s for a mobile, and there are a few others in the works,” Warren East, CEO of ARM, told Electronics Weekly.
Concerning ARM’s market share in 3G phones, East said: “If it’s not 100 per cent, it’s very close to 100 per cent.”
Despite the telecoms success, ARM’s non-wireless business has grown faster than its wireless business.
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Non-wireless shipments are half a billion a year and non-wireless is growing at 44 per cent, whereas overall we’re growing 30 per cent,” said East.
Achievements for the physical IP side of the business, acquired with the Artisan takeover, are that UMC has taken the 130nm physical IP technology, IBM/Chartered have signed up for the low-power 90nm and 65nm technology, and IBM has licensed the 65nm Asic physical IP.
“We are in all the major foundries,” said East, “Artisan had very good standing with all the foundries.” Like ARM cores, physical IP is licensed anew at each technology node allowing a constant stream of fees.
One hoped-for benefit of ARM’s takeover of Artisan - that ARM licensees would take out Artisan physical IP licences - has produced only three instances of this happening.
“In January we said we expected to see a handful, and we’re half way through the year and have had three,” said East, “and three is half way to a handful.”
ARM is highly cash-generative, with 30 per cent operating margin in both old and new ARM and generated $18m in Q2. Because this is surplus to acquisition requirements, some is being used to buy back shares.
www.arm.com