ARM is the uncrowned king of global mobile chips. The CPUs of mobile phones and tablets are almost inseparable from ARM CPUs, and Qualcomm is one of ARM’s major customers. However, the two sides have recently turned their faces. ARM sued Qualcomm last month. Qualcomm countersued ARM recently, and it was exposed. An astonishing surprise.
According to Qualcomm, ARM will change its IP licensing model after 2024. Now ARM licenses IP to chip design companies such as Qualcomm and Apple, who design and commission OEM production and then give it to OEM equipment manufacturers. In the future, ARM will no longer license IP to chip companies such as Qualcomm and Apple. Instead, it will directly license OEM equipment manufacturers.
This is not the most important thing. More importantly, ARM will prohibit manufacturers from using third-party GPU, NPU, ISP and other chips in ARM CPU-based SoC chips in the future.
What does it mean? The first change will allow ARM to have more sources of licensing fees, but the second change is to directly bind chip manufacturers to death. As long as ARM’s CPU is used, ARM’s GPU, NPU or ISP must also be used. , and can no longer use other chips from third parties.
At present, the GPU used in Apple chips is either self-developed or authorized by IMG. Qualcomm’s Adreno GPU is also self-developed, and NPU and ISP are also self-developed. Samsung uses ADM’s RDNA GPU license in Exynos 2200. Once ARM changes this way Licensed model, then these manufacturers can no longer use self-developed or third-party GPU, NPU, ISP chips.
If ARM’s two major changes this time are realized, it will be a complete subversion of the industry, which will also make almost all chip design companies unacceptable to this change. ARM’s bet is too big. , the result is that everyone collectively gave up the ARM CPU license.
The change of ARM is really incredible, but now it is only Qualcomm’s word. ARM also responded to the matter, saying that there are many inaccuracies in what Qualcomm said, but they did not make it clear what was wrong.
ARM will formally respond to the matter in the coming weeks.
