Microprocessors: Will ARM Rule the World?

By SemiWiki

November 3, 2014

Last week was the Linley Microprocessor Conference. Not the mobile one, which I find the most interesting since smartphones are such a bit part of what drives process technology these days, this is the one focused on networking and servers. But increasingly both markets are being driven by the same thing, namely mobile data. In fact smartphones are growing so fast that they are already the primary way that the internet is accessed and that trend is only going to accelerate. Desktop and notebook computers are a comparative niche. Jag Bolaria (of Linley) gave the opening keynote giving an overview of this part of the industry. Reading their data is a little difficult since they have a, to me, slightly weird definition of embedded, namely processors that last for a long time. I think they really mean anything other than a standard PC, which also has the slightly weird effect of showing Intel losing market share since the more that is done with standard server chips then the more it doesn't count in the embedded market, as opposed to selling chips that go into routers, for example. Another complication is that Avago purchase LSI and then sold the Axxia part of that business to Intel. For this year, Linley continued to track LSI as a separate company.

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