Nvidia: All your ARM are belong to us

Kinja'd!!! "Nom De Plume" (unlistedusername)
09/14/2020 at 12:53 • Filed to: None

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Trillions of dollars at stake and international intrigue aplenty as US based company has reached agreement to buy UK based ARM. Who make the chips in basically every cell phone and a wide number of other devices.

For the cheap seats this would make them extremely potent internationally by controlling so many devices and distribution of the widely used ARM chips. Amid a roiling trade war with China that shows no signs of cooling.

[So many paywalls, so little time. Sucks but I resorted to an internal share]

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DISCUSSION (25)


Kinja'd!!! For Sweden > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 12:58

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Wait a few weeks

Then it’s Big Navi Time

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Kinja'd!!! ClassicDatsunDebate > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 12:58

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Cellular enabled PC video/audio cards


Kinja'd!!! Nibby > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 12:59

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wow it cost them an ARM and a leg


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > For Sweden
09/14/2020 at 13:03

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AMD RDNA 2 (Rona 2)

“ Get ready for the second coming of RDNA this Fall.”

Oh my, that is unfortunate branding and timing.


Kinja'd!!! outrageousking > For Sweden
09/14/2020 at 13:04

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This has nothing to doing with GPUs. Although it could mean Nvidia could crush AMD for future consoles...


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > ClassicDatsunDebate
09/14/2020 at 13:07

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I’m not optimistic the transition and extensive period for regulatory approvals will produce immediate leaps in consumer devices.


Kinja'd!!! Just Jeepin' > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 13:13

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Technically they don’t make the chips, just design the architecture the chips follow.

China is suing to prevent this because our dear leader has set the precedent that he’ll choke off technology from them, and they depend heavily on it.


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Nibby
09/14/2020 at 13:15

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My alternate title was “Nvidia uses AI to grow ARM”

Large as the consumer segment is the real complex and interesting products are all industrial and scientific. Tolerances and manufacturing quality required for consumer devices is sloppy in comparison.

Apparently they plan to build a monumental center for AI in area surrounding UK HQ.  I doubt it will be a theme park for gaming and household lifestyle devices.  


Kinja'd!!! WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 13:16

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Should have gone with “second wave”


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Just Jeepin'
09/14/2020 at 13:22

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There was a lot of implied knowledge. Almost nothing is made by the company who’s name it is sold under. Parts and factories change all the time with no consumer awareness.

You are correct the issue of country designs originated in is being touted as a critical factor. These days a product designed in Germany and made somewhere in the East says less about Germany, the brand name, or perceptions of quality associated with either. The catch with ARM is their  products are so widely distributed across such enterprises the ARM name isn’t harmed by a poorly made product.


Kinja'd!!! Mid Engine > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 13:22

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These guys are shitting their pants

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15995/hot-chips-2020-marvell-details-thunderx3

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15578/cloud-clash-amazon-graviton2-arm-against-intel-and-amd

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15871/amperes-product-list-80-cores-up-to-33-ghz-at-250-w-128-core-in-q4

https://www.nxp.com/products/processors-and-microcontrollers/arm-processors/layerscape-multicore-processors/layerscape-lx2160a-multicore-communications-processor:LX2160A

Heavy lifting data center SOC’s, my wheelhouse.  Also, NVIDIA recently bought Mellanox     https://www.mellanox.com/


Kinja'd!!! Just Jeepin' > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 13:26

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Almost nothing is made by the company who’s name it is sold under.

True, but nothing is actually sold by ARM other than documentation and licenses. There are no ARM-branded chips.


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
09/14/2020 at 13:27

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I really didn’t want to turn it into a joke to point  out the cringe level.


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Mid Engine
09/14/2020 at 13:29

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Was this sale news to you or had it been circulating as gossip?

Something this big isn’t easy to organize without bringing attention to the likely parties.


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Just Jeepin'
09/14/2020 at 13:32

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Yet their logo is twice the size of anyone else on chips.

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Kinja'd!!! WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 13:38

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That’s what I’m here for!


Kinja'd!!! Mid Engine > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 13:39

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I’ve known about it for some time, my company is all in on ARM.  Whether the various compliance bodies let this go through is the real question. See Qualcomm buying NXP, global friction at it’s best. 


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Mid Engine
09/14/2020 at 14:39

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Looks like some rather big backers are confident of it becoming reality.


Kinja'd!!! Mid Engine > Nom De Plume
09/14/2020 at 15:32

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There ’s no certainty as the due diligence will likely take 18 months, and must pass government muster. It was much easier in the past, now that America has alienated every country on earth (except Russian and Nor th Korea) there’s little reason to believe this will go through. 


Kinja'd!!! facw > Just Jeepin'
09/14/2020 at 15:45

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And core designs! Some companies (like Apple, for their modern chips) just license the ISA, but others use ARM’s reference cores, either directly or in modified fashion.


Kinja'd!!! facw > outrageousking
09/14/2020 at 15:47

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Has potentially big implications in the mobile GPU space. Also of course is further indication the Nvidia feels the GPU is a dangerous niche to be in. 


Kinja'd!!! Just Jeepin' > facw
09/14/2020 at 15:49

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I was lumping those under “documentation” but yeah. I may have been stretching the semantics a bit too far.


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Mid Engine
09/14/2020 at 16:15

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At which point I tap out where elements of politics are unavoidable. Even my title danced around direct mention of the great game.

Will note that EU has adopted English as the international language and are very much part of the Western world. At the very least this is some pretty loud saber rattling in the tech world. Where Chinese corporations have alienated nearly everyone worldwide over IP theft etc.


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > Just Jeepin'
09/14/2020 at 16:23

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I was going a bit off the reservation to direct attention towards the story as it is being presented on the big day. To avoid the “P” word creeping in.

Needless to say the full scale of a company that large is hard to define in exact terms or absolutes in a brief sentence or two.  


Kinja'd!!! Nom De Plume > facw
09/14/2020 at 16:27

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Massive implications as certain brands are banned from sale or being hooked up by a carrier. Maintaining a physical presence in their separate countries appears to be a key piece of this deal that would’ve been spoiled otherwise.

Keep in mind the exodus of corporate HQ’s to Ireland which is part of the UK.  There are a lot of working parts outside the splashy news cycle of current events.