Arm created the processor architecture used by many smartphones under the ARM licensing model.
Arm designs instruction-set architectures and processor cores, then licenses them to semiconductor companies rather than usually manufacturing chips itself. This business model helped its technology spread through mobile phones, tablets, embedded systems, and increasingly data-center products.
The company began as a joint venture involving Acorn Computers, Apple, and VLSI Technology in 1990. Its name originally stood for Advanced RISC Machines, following the earlier Acorn RISC Machine terminology.
Arm became publicly listed on Nasdaq in 2023. A frequent mix-up is confusing Arm with a chip manufacturer such as TSMC or Intel. Arm supplies intellectual property and designs; licensees incorporate that technology into chips made through semiconductor manufacturing processes.