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The biggest setback to Intel, and the x86 architecture as a whole, was when Apple announced that it would be transitioning over to the Arm side. There’s no doubt Intel has been facing stiff competition from Arm-based chips, with the latter keeping up their upward growth trajectory in the market. But what exactly is the deal with Arm and why is it rising in popularity? Let’s explore.
Arm processors have actually been around for ages, going all the way back to the 80s when they were used in some of the first personal computers. But you probably won’t see a laptop or desktop advertised as having an “Arm” chip inside like you would with Intel or AMD processors. That’s because Arm is different than Intel or AMD – Arm doesn’t actually manufacture any chips themselves. Instead, they design the architecture and cores of a processor, and then partner companies like Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm who license those designs to build their own chips.
Because of this business model, you will usually just see something like “Snapdragon 8cx” instead of “Arm processor” in tech specs, even if those Apple, Qualcomm, and Samsung chips are very much based on Arm’s technology. In fact, Arm-based chips totally dominate the mobile world – if you have a smartphone or tablet, it’s highly likely it’s powered by a processor designed with Arm architecture. And this makes sense when you consider that Arm chips are known for being super energy efficient – something that’s crucial for smartphones.
With mobile devices prioritising efficiency over raw performance, the Arm architecture offers some nice advantages over x86 chips from Intel and AMD. Arm also uses a RISC design that relies on simpler instructions versus the CISC approach in x86 that uses more complex instructions. The RISC approach allows Arm to get away with fewer transistors, which translates to better power efficiency and battery life.
However, Arm has traditionally been weaker than x86 when it comes to pure processing muscle for intensive workloads. That’s why mobile devices have turned to Arm, while more performance-demanding laptops and desktops have stuck with Intel and AMD. But this dynamic has started to change recently as Arm chips have substantially improved in performance (think Apple).
While Arm originated the designs and core architecture of the chips, they don’t actually fabricate the physical processors themselves. That’s handled by Arm’s partner companies who license their technology, like Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Nvidia. These companies are then able to customise and optimise the Arm chip designs for use in their own products.
For example, Apple now uses customised Arm-based processors called Apple Silicon to power its latest MacBooks and Macs. And smartphone makers like Samsung and smartphone chip producers like Qualcomm design their own Arm chips specifically tailored for mobile devices. So companies like Apple and Qualcomm handle turning the Arm blueprints into actual physical chips you can find inside your devices.
For many years, Intel dominated the processor industry, especially in the data center/server market where they controlled as much as 98% at one point. AMD was their only real competition with x86 server chips. But more recently, AMD has been steadily chipping away at Intel’s stranglehold, claiming a bigger slice of the data center market.
However, while AMD may be making gains against Intel in servers, the bigger threat is believed to be Arm. Arm-based chips from companies like Amazon and Apple are now finding their way into data centers to power servers for major internet giants. For example, Amazon’s own Arm-based Graviton chip for AWS can supposedly deliver 40% better performance per dollar versus comparable x86 chips.
Beyond data centers, Intel also supplies silicon for 5G networks and other telecom infrastructure. But here too, Arm is making inroads. Apple has also transitioned its newest MacBooks and Macs from Intel x86 to custom Arm-based Apple Silicon, claiming even better performance.
Apple switching Macs over to homegrown Arm-based Apple Silicon chips stemmed from their obsession with controlling both hardware and software. By designing its own Arm processors, Apple can customise them exactly for Macs and iPhones to deliver the exact performance and features it wants. For example, Apple is touting big gains in performance along with better power efficiency leading to longer battery life.
Bringing Macs into the Arm ecosystem also makes it easier for developers to write apps that work seamlessly across iPhones, iPads, and Macs. And using its own chips gives Apple more ability to add unique capabilities to Macs like cellular connectivity while also enhancing security.
Additionally, having Macs on Arm allows iOS apps for iPhones and iPads run natively on Macs without modifications. Apple has built new tools to help developers optimise their apps across platforms and has Rosetta 2 translation software to help traditional x86 Mac apps run on the new Arm Macs during the transition.
There’s no definitive “yes” or “no” answer here – both Arm and Intel x86 have their own strengths and weaknesses. The power efficiency and cool operation of Arm chips make them perfect for phones and tablets needing to sip power and produce minimal heat.
Meanwhile, Intel x86 chips excel at raw performance by packing more complex instructions per cycle, ideal for intensive laptop and desktop workloads that need pure processing muscle. This difference was pretty stark in the past – Arm struggled in high-performance PCs while x86 was overkill for lightweight mobile devices.
But the gap has narrowed substantially as Arm chips have gotten much more powerful. To the point where Arm-based offerings from Apple and Qualcomm can deliver solid performance for laptops while retaining battery life advantages.
However, for the most demanding computing tasks like high-end gaming, x86 still rules for now. Serious gamers and content creators needing uncompromising performance are still better off with an Intel or AMD x86 processor. And Windows laptops in general remain a bit of a sticking point for Arm, with inferior app compatibility versus Mac’s seamless transition to Arm-based Apple Silicon.
