ARM
Processors · 5 specs
Direct Answer
ARM is a family of RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processor architectures, originally developed by Acorn Computers in the UK starting in 1983 as the Acorn RISC Machine. Unlike Intel or AMD, ARM Holdings doesn't manufacture chips -- it licenses its architecture designs to companies like Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung, who build their own chips around it.
Source: Acorn Computers (original); Arm Holdings (current) · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Type | RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture family |
| Original Developer | Acorn Computers (UK) |
| Project Started | October 1983 |
| Renamed | 1990 (Acorn RISC Machine -> Advanced RISC Machines, on spinoff) |
| Business Model | Licenses architecture designs; does not manufacture chips |
A UK Spinout That Licenses, Doesn't Manufacture
The ARM project began at Acorn Computers in October 1983, originally standing for Acorn RISC Machine. In 1990, Acorn spun the design team off into a separate company, Advanced RISC Machines Ltd -- the point at which the acronym's meaning changed, though the ARM name itself stuck. That business, now Arm Holdings, has a fundamentally different model from Intel or AMD: rather than manufacturing its own chips, it designs and licenses the ARM instruction set architecture (and often complete processor core designs) to other companies, who then build and sell their own physical chips around it -- Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung are among its many licensees.
ARM is widely characterized as more power-efficient than comparable x86 designs, which is a large part of why it became the dominant architecture in smartphones, tablets, and other battery-powered devices, and has more recently expanded into laptops and servers. That efficiency reputation is generally accurate in practice, though architecture specialists note it owes as much to implementation choices, manufacturing process, and mobile-first design targets as to anything inherent in the RISC instruction set itself.