Platform Ecosystem : ARM's answer to Intel's dominance

Abstract

The personal computing industry has witnessed significant changes with more users moving from desktop PCs to battery-operated mobile devices. These dynamics have prompted chip-design companies to evaluate ways to lower the power consumption of devices, thereby elongating battery life. With its lower power microprocessor-core architecture, a newer and smaller company, ARM Holdings, has been able to challenge the much bigger incumbent Intel and capture significant market share by creating a powerful ecosystem based on strategic partnerships. This thesis will evaluate how ARM's 'design and license' business model based on a platform ecosystem-partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), semiconductor companies, and software developers, has been able to counter Intel's vertically-integrated business model. This thesis will discuss the details of underlying technologies - Intel's high speed vs. ARM's low power architectures, and further evaluate how ARM gives its partners more customizing power and the ability to differentiate its products with respect to competitors that also use the ARM architecture.