Arm Outside of Mobile Computers
Firstly, I want to clarify that Apple does not have primary ownership over Arm (if at all), but they have a deal with SoftBank’s Arm company to produce their own Arm chips which are called Apple Silicon. SoftBank’s ownership lies in Japan but Arm was established in England in 1990 (previously named Widelogic Limited and then Advanced RISC Machines Limited).
I’ve been using an Apple Silicon CPU for some time now and found this sufficiently stable for general computing tasks. But what is driving the recent popularity of Arm architecture on the desktop? In my view, Arm has the potential to become the primary CPU architecture in the current consumer market, and I’d like to explore the reasons behind this trend using first hand experience.
How Do I Use Arm on Desktop? #
For the past 15 years, I relied on Intel’s Core processors for my daily computing needs; from audio and video processing to testing Unix-based software. While my hardware received better support on Windows than Linux distributions, I noticed that my overall processing power on that platform diminished each year. This left me with a persistent urge to upgrade my hardware to something that offers greater longevity and stability.
I recently switched to Apple’s newer line of Arm processors as I made this switch based on Intel growing complacent, especially with their quality practices. Intel have a weakened presence due to other brands in the market offering more competitive products. Apple’s Silicon chips have take the podium in both power usage and speed, as well as being packaged in more affordable systems.
Arm has excelled as an enabler of supporting limited systems (e.g., a phone), where anything else was better at complex and sustained computing tasks, and so it was impractical for desktop computing for a long time. Arm’s primary selling point for manufacturers is supporting mobile applications because 99% of mobile application processors are Arm based.
As Arm CPUs have evolved to become more suitable for everyday computing, traditional desktop operating systems have tried to attract mobile users using familiar interface design, as seen with Windows 8 and Ubuntu Unity. However, while these Intel-based systems attempt to adopt a more mobile-like experience, true innovation in mobile computing was through CPU power and efficiency, particularly with Apple M1’s unexpected release.
The Differences of Arm and Non-Arm Operating Systems #
I think now is the worst time to buy Intel CPUs because of their history of complacency. One alternative, AMD, might be a better option given their history of supporting a series of socket-compatible upgrades, but the core problem may be with the X86-X64 platform being less open to change than Arm for modern computing tasks. These predictable patterns can lead to more of the same products being produced over time, with no significant changes. Furthermore, we have seen graphical processing units (GPUs) lead to better software performance and innovation than we have seen from the integrated CPU market.
Apple has incentivised developers to support or transition to the Arm architecture from their old Intel lines of computers and has gained further control to innovate through this transition. There remains overlapping vulnerabilities that are similar between both these architectures, such as Meltdown, but having a paid bounty programme is proving beneficial to ongoing security concerns.
My main concerns over the past decade were around the significant changes made to desktop operating systems over large iterations to accommodate a widening range of users, including touchscreen laptop users, businesses, and home users. However, thanks to Apple’s mobile operating systems (iOS and iPadOS), MacOS is unlikely to become as homogenised with their touchscreen customers as Windows has. Instead, these will continue to function as two distinct workspaces. In contrast, Windows desktop has catered to both traditional and touchscreen users from a very early period.
Why Is Arm Good For The Desktop Market? #
Arm uses a modern 64-bit instruction space, is portable, and fits inside tiny computers with less thermal energy. Some advantages of this are less space, less power, needing less thermal cooling because of how integrated and efficient many aspects are in this architecture. It has both the efficiency and convenience for most consumers and is equally capable as Intel’s best line of processors.
Arm processors are now properly supported by Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and have become adopted in many small products such as the Raspberry Pi. The inherent freedom of Arm is the capacity to produce for a wider range of computer system shapes and sizes using system on a chip (SoC) rather than requiring traditional CPU sockets.
To support software made for x86-64 architecture, Apple uses a translation layer called Rosetta 2, while Microsoft have been developing their own solution. Neither are as performant as native programs, but it can allow end-of-life software to run as if it was natively compiled. Additionally, mobile applications are easier to use and develop on desktop if the processor is of the same type as there are fewer translation layers involved.
Arm In Workstation Computers #
Arm is not exclusive to small computers because now full sized desktop computers are available for power-hungry development tasks, like specialised for autonomous vehicle development. System76’s Thelio Astra is the second smallest computer in a line-up of their desktops, and also runs Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 22.04 LTS by default.
It is labelled as “the fastest Arm desktop computer” which is specialised for automotive development using software such as Robot Operating System, OpenCV - Open Computer Vision Library, simulation software: gazebosim, or deep learning with pytorch or tensorflow. Unlike many Arm CPUs, this particular desktop computer includes an Nvidia GPU to render 3D graphics for demanding applications like simulations, animations, and virtualisation.
Impact of Automative Digitalisation #
Arm does not have a primary share in automotive hardware computing - currently reported to sit at 40.8% - but it is likely with ArmV9 specifications that we will see further adoption in smart vehicles for autonomous driving. The real focus I have is on cars that feature large screens to control the vehicle and access entertainment, or known as infotainment centres, these give access to Google and Apple software, as well as similar applications found on smartphones.
The development of the automotive infotainment systems sits quite near any low-level critical applications, often labelled a “real-time operating systems” to emphasise its critical application as a car control system. This central operating system is being integrated at pace in more and more commuter and family cars because electric cars have big enough batteries to support this, while also reducing the need for physical buttons and complex wiring on the dashboard.
From the manufacturer’s perspective, having a central operating system that is always connected to a network can be easier to manage when launching a product over having to recall millions of cars because of a colossal manufacturer error. Consequently with digitalisation, withholding software features that the car is already capable of and selling these as upgrades has only been the tip of the iceberg in the modern car space. The primary focus of any vehicle incorporating a real-time operating system should be on security and safety, but this is difficult to rely upon without strict transparency and governance procedures.
It is crucial to have well tested automotive software before making it available for general use so that people can be reasonably safe around highways. If new cars do not work as they are supposed to then it puts other pedestrians at risk too, especially if manufacturers want to use artificial intelligence to control the car’s steering and braking. To my surprise, automotive “white hackers” exist and use their abilities to reveal critical flaws in these systems, one in particular called “Pwn2Own” surprised me as this takes place in Japan and offers substantial rewards for a few days’ work (if you have the aptitude for this).
Will vehicles’ modernisations create more opportunities to develop around Arm’s capabilities in future or is this too much of a risk for car manufacturers and consumers to take?
Conclusion #
Arm computing has brought about a leap of change for consumers that Intel and consumers could not have dreamt of. I think the impact of Arm becoming more powerful will affect transport in the same way mobile devices have in our daily lives. If the software for autonomous cars is secure and reliable then I will see that as a cause to celebrate, despite subscription-only heated steering wheels existing.
Apple’s Arm CPUs are an excellent demonstration of innovation (cliche!) but I am still a primarily desktop user who appreciates when things go well for us, and scolds mobile design proliferation in the wrong places.