Chip maker ARM is reportedly developing its own chip, aiming to showcase the capabilities of its designs and attract new customers.
According to the Financial Times, citing sources, the chip maker will team up with manufacturing partners to develop the new chip as it’s the most advanced chipmaking effort the company has ever embarked upon.
ARM has traditionally sold its blueprint designs to chip manufacturers instead of getting directly involved in the development and production of semiconductors.
To develop the chips, the company has formed a new “solutions engineering” team which will lead the development of these prototype chips for mobile devices, laptops, and other electronics, the report said.
The solutions engineering team will be led by former Qualcomm executive and Snapdragon designer Kevork Ketchchiyan.
Moreover, the report said that the team will also expand on ARM’s existing efforts to improve design performance and security, as well as broaden developer access to its products.
The possibility of ARM developing its own chip has caused concerns within the semiconductor industry, with some fearing that if the chip is successful, ARM may choose to sell it and consequently become a competitor to some of its largest customers, including MediaTek and Qualcomm.
According to individuals familiar with the matter, ARM is presently concentrating on creating a prototype and has said that there are no current plans to sell or license the product, said the report.
The company has previously built some test chips with partners such as Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, largely as a means of getting familiar with new products for software developers.
