Arm Flexible Access is a new engagement model that will enable SoC design teams to initiate projects before they license IP and only have to pay for what they use at production.
“Arm Flexible Access means that design teams will have more freedom to experiment, evaluate and innovate,” said Dipti Vachani, SVP and GM, Automotive and IoT Business Arm.
“The advantage of Flexible Access is that it creates unlimited design access, but with no up-front licensing commitment,” she explained to New Electronics.
“This new model will allow design teams to access whole IP flows, as well as the tools and support they need and all for a nominal asset fee. It gives them the opportunity to innovate, to create and to experiment and to get to production without having to commit to a specific IP.”
Typically, partners license individual components from Arm and pay a license fee upfront before they can access the technology. With this new model they only have to pay a ‘modest’ fee for immediate access to a broad portfolio of technology, and only have to pay a license fee when they commit to manufacturing - royalties will then have to be paid for each unit shipped.
According to Vachani, with the semiconductor industry experiencing profound changes, Arm is looking to empower not only its existing partners, but new players as well, as they look to address new growth opportunities whether in IoT, machine learning, self-driving cars or 5G.
“The way the market is evolving design engineers need much greater flexibility.
“With artificial intelligence and machine learning driving the market, working through these dynamics is a challenge, especially as the eco-system is changing.
“If you take the example of a start-up,” Vachani explains,” they tend to live in the world of software. The question for them is how do I take an idea in software and translate it, in such a way, that I can create a solution in silicon? That is a new and challenging journey for an SME.
“Flexible Access gives them the opportunity to explore ideas and to do so more easily.”
Equally it is suitable for existing clients such as OEMs and larger companies, who may want to create a specific silicon solution or for new entrants, who want the ability to explore and experiment.
According to Arm, several partners, including AlphaICs, Invecas and Nordic Semiconductor have already signed up to this new Arm engagement model and have access to a wide range of IP products, support tools and training.
“Flexible Access complements our standard Arm licensing which, in many respects, will continue to be the best option for partners who are seeking access to Arm’s full product portfolio and our most advanced IP,” explained Vachani.
What this approach does is enable clients to focus on where they need to innovate, to differentiate, according to Vachani, at a time when time-to-market is critical and when there is such rapid innovation taking place.
The IP available through Arm Flexible Access includes the majority of its processors within the Arm Cortex-A, -R and -M families. These CPUs currently account for almost 75 percent of all Cortex CPU licenses signed over the last two years. It also includes Arm TrustZone and CryptoCell security IP, select Mali GPUs, system IP along with tools and models for SoC design and early software development.
“Access to Arm’s global support and training services are also included,” said Vachani.
