The tech world was hit by a massive shock when Nvidia announced that it would purchase ARM for $40 billion, a sum which makes it one of the biggest technology acquisitions in history.
In a press release that was shared by the company, the main focus of the deal is AI capabilities, as Nvidia already offers one of the most popular AI computing platforms and with help of the vast ecosystem powered by ARM, a new era of artificial intelligence could be sparked, and GPU accelerated AI will be a big step forward.
License management
Along with the current repository of patents, architectures, and research& development projects, Nvidia will also gain access to an impressive licensing business, as many devices from all over the world run on chips derived from ARM architectures.
Some concerns were anticipated, and Nvidia has mentioned that the open-licensing model offered by ARM until now will be kept while also maintaining the neutrality standard that has contributed to ARM’s success in recent years. ARM customers will also benefit from Nvidia technologies and innovations as the company plans to license some of its own designs.
Regional concerns
Despite the fact that it offers some of the most competitive graphics solutions on the market, Nvidia’s reputation is darkened by the fact that it is known as being hard to work it. Some big changes will be needed to keep the ARM licensing deal popular after the transaction is completed.
It is well known that Linux is one of the most popular OS choices for ARM-based chips, but there have been famous clashes between Nvidia and the Linux community. The main issue is represented by the fact that the company doesn’t want to make its drivers open-source, a decision that complicates Linux support.
Nvidia has also clashed with Apple, and the transition to ARM-based chips that was announced a few months ago places the Cupertino giant in a sensitive position.