As companies transition to the ARM architecture, one very important vendor is already racing ahead for better performance.
ARM processors have long been the preserve of mobile devices, but for several years now these chips have been increasingly present in computers and computer servers.
An ARM processor that is firmly established in the IT market
ARM processors generally offer better performance for less power consumption compared to x86 processors.
The most striking example of a transition to the ARM architecture is of course that of Apple, which in the space of three years abandoned Intel to integrate instead its own Apple Silicon processors, the Apple M1 or M2. and their variations, across the entire line of Mac computers. With success, since according to the Bernstein Research Institute, 12% of PCs sold in the fourth quarter of 2022 (Chromebook excluded) are equipped with ARM CPUs, and the majority are Macs.
Qualcomm wants to join this trend and will offer a new processor in a few months for Windows PCs, taking advantage of the acquisition of chip designer Nuvia.
Servers are also affected by this transition, with 10% of the total server market in the world, and in this area it is Amazon that is doing well with a significant lead over its competitors.
Amazon takes the lion’s share, with more than 50% of ARM servers in operation
Also according to Bernstein, Amazon Web Services servers would represent more than 50% of all servers equipped with ARM processors on the planet. The online sales giant uses its own Graviton processors, unveiled in 2018, and the latest version of which is the Graviton3E, a chip launched in 2022 and engraved in 5 nm. The now manufacturer would work hard on the design of a 3 nm chip, even more energy efficient.
These different ARM processors, custom designed for AWS needs, have a real impact on energy consumption. Amazon indicates that at performance equivalent to that of x86 processors, its Graviton chips use 20 to 70% less energy. They also require less space and cooling.
Amazon isn’t the only one getting stronger in the ARM processor market. The manufacturer Ampere would already have 10% of the market for server chips with its own models. NVIDIA is also at work with similar processors, as are the Chinese brands Huawei and Phytium, but the future of the latter is more unclear, the fault of the restrictions imposed by the United States on the two companies, against a backdrop of economic war with China.
Source : The Register
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