News highlights:
- More than 60 partners have signed up for Arm Flexible Access in its first year
- New Arm customers make up more than half of these first-year partners
- Silicon design opportunities expanded and accelerated in areas such as IoT, ML and automotive, with 15% of program partners already moving towards tape out
The convergence of 5G, IoT and AI is driving the transformation of multiple industries at the same time, including retail, automotive, factories, homes, and cities. No matter the size of the business or sector, to continue to deliver innovative new technologies, Arm’s partners need the fastest, lowest-cost and minimum-risk journey to SoC design. This was the thinking when the company launched Arm Flexible Access last summer; to provide both new and existing partners with access to more than 75% of Arm’s IP portfolio, support, tools and training, but with no up-front licensing commitment.
One year later, Flexible Access is now Arm’s fastest-growing program ever with more than 60 partners signing up for the freedom to experiment, evaluate, design and customize their own unique SoCs. The program is empowering existing partners and more than 30 first-time Arm IP customers to address growth opportunities in IoT, machine learning, autonomous systems and automotive. Flexible Access provides these first-time customers with a portal to the largest ecosystem of tools, services and software.
Feedback from Flexible Access users has been overwhelmingly positive and there have already been some great early success stories. These include ASIC houses such as Faraday and Socionext, established semiconductor companies such as Nordic Semiconductor, startups including Atmosic and Hailo, and even government bodies such as the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups, which has invested in the program to support startups in the region. OEMs which previously used third-party design houses to create the full design of their chips, are now able to develop their SoCs in a far more collaborative way with direct access to all of the IP they need.
Simple and easy
The aim with Flexible Access was to make accessing Arm’s IP simple and easy, enabling partners to focus on delivering fantastic new innovations. One recent example is from new partner ZhorTech, which has developed new advanced footwear technology. Flexible Access allowed them to develop a chip that uses AI algorithms embedded into shoes, with multiple applications including detecting musculoskeletal malformations, monitoring diseases like Parkinson or diabetes, detecting fatigue and injury risk, or transforming the shoes into a gaming accessory.
Since launching Flexible Access, Arm has been evolving the program based on the partners’ requirements and feedback. This includes special adaptations for both silicon startups and research institutions, to cater to their specific needs. Startups such as Femtosense and MemryX have been able to immediately access Arm IP, empowering them to begin silicon design much earlier, even before they have secured VC funding. Researchers and academics also have the freedom to experiment and increase their opportunities using commercially relevant IP for their projects.
More please
Another consistent point of feedback received from Flexible Access customers is “give us more please.” Arm is regularly expanding the range of IP within the program. Most recently it has added a new Arm Corstone subsystem reference design, providing SoC designers with pre-integrated IP blocks for faster design while reducing verification requirements. The company has also expanded the range of physical IP, meaning designers can optimize and predict the power-performance area of their chips.
SoC designs are becoming increasingly complex, but the design process itself doesn’t have to be. The results of this program speak for themselves as 15 percent of the companies who have joined Flexible Access in its first year are already moving toward tape-out.
Find out more about Arm Flexible Access:
- Atmosic’s Ali Bukhari explains why freedom to innovate in low-power SoC design has been crucial for the three-year-old silicon startup.
- Hailo CTO Avi Baum writes about how programs such as Arm DesignStart and Flexible Access enable startups to innovate more cheaply and flexibly than ever before.
