NVIDIA calls off Arm acquisition as Arm appoints new CEO
The acquisition of Arm, a CPU architecture company, by NVIDIA has been called off, with the two companies citing regulatory challenges as a significant factor in the decision. The acquisition was originally announced in 2020, however the two companies have seen a lot of push back since then, with some even calling it a national security risk. In the wake of the announcement, Arm has also appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rene Haas, who will succeed the previous CEO, Simon Segars, immediately.
"Arm has a bright future, and we'll continue to support them as a proud license for decades to come," NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang shared in a statement. "Arm is at the center of the important dynamics in computing. Though we won't be one company, we will partner closely with Arm."
Huang also shared that he expects Arm to be the "most important CPU architecture of the next decade". Arm is important, too. The company has made great strides in its push for mobile computing, and other companies have even followed Arm's design forms to create their own style of processors, too. Both Apple and Samsung have utilized Arm architecture in their devices, and Qualcomm, one of the most prolific processor manufacturers for mobile devices has as well.
Seeing the Arm and NVIDIA acquisition called off is good sign for consumers, as it helps ensure we don't see any cut offs with Arm's other partners, like Apple and Samsung.
Arm is going public
Following the news of the acquisition being called off, Arm also shared plans to go public sometime in the future. Part of these plans include the ride of Rene Haas to CEO, as well as the board of directors. Hass is taking the place of Simon Segars, who has been with Arm for over 30 years. Segars says that he'll continue to support the leadership change.
This move is interesting because it puts the company in a new position. With a new CEO, Arm is preparing to take the company public, which will allow for it to bring in new investors and investment opportunities. That in turn means more money to push towards innovating the company's technology and architecture further. Part of this process will also include a push towards artificial intelligence and other forms of technology.
Seeing Arm continue to push its processor architecture forward is good news for mobile technology. Arm helped pave the way for the current state of mobile tech, and it will probably continue to do so in the future. It's also nice knowing that we won't have to worry about any mergers locking other companies out of utilizing the company's architecture and processor designs, too.