The realm of ARM technology could be set for a bit of a shakeup. On the heels of former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée’s statements regarding ARM’s future dominance of the PC marketplace, another potential possibility has surfaced. Semiconductor company Arm Holdings might be going up for sale. Presently, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group owns it. TechPowerUp has acquired information (via a report from the Wall Street Journal) indicating that SoftBank could be examining various ownership strategies for the future. Selling it off is one option, while taking it public with an IPO is also a possibility. However, Arm Holdings actually shares more in common with Apple than just Mr. Gassée’s beliefs.
Arm Holdings got its start as Advanced RISC Machines LTD. in 1990 in Cambridge, England. Created via a partnership among some interesting partners, ARM then became Arm Holdings. Acorn Computers, Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.), and VLSI Technology all shared in the creation of the new company. As Apple’s shareholding dropped, ARM went on to collaborate with TI, IBM, Samsung, and others to form a not-for-profit company in 2010. With Apple’s recent switch to using ARM-based chips for some products, it is easy to see how the Cupertino Company might have an interest in acquiring the semiconductor company, should it become available. TechPowerUp also mentions that if Apple chose that path, there could be extra steps relating to anti-trust legal hurdles.