Microsoft and ARM Announce New License Agreement

Today, ARM and Microsoft Corp. announced the signing of a new licensing agreement for the ARM architecture. The two companies have been working together on the delivery of various software solutions or devices across the embedded, consumer and mobile spaces. According to the pair, the new agreement is meant to further expand their collaborative efforts, which already offered a wide range of companies the possibility to come up with great user experiences on various ARM-based products.

“Microsoft is an important member of the ARM ecosystem, and has been for many years,” Mike Muller, CTO ARM, commented on the new agreement. “With this architecture license, Microsoft will be at the forefront of applying and working with ARM technology in concert with a broad range of businesses addressing multiple application areas.” Specific details on the deal were not unveiled.

There are not too many details available on the results of this agreement, but speculation already emerged. ARM is licensing processor IP under a flexible licensing model. The company's chips are available in a wide range of products, and chances are that the agreement would bring to the market devices running under Microsoft's Windows 7 platform. Moreover, chances are that Microsoft would plan ramping up for the launch of tablet PCs running one of its latest platforms.

“ARM is an important partner for Microsoft and we deliver multiple operating systems on the company's architecture, most notably Windows Embedded and Windows Phone,” KD Hallman, general manager, Microsoft, stated. “With closer access to the ARM technology we will be able to enhance our research and development activities for ARM-based products.”

ARM's solutions can be found mainly inside converged mobile devices, as they offer low power consumption, especially when compared to rival solutions. Since smartphones running under Microsoft's Windows Phone OS are available on the market, the next probable move would be the delivery of a Windows Phone slate, or of a new product powered by Windows Embedded. However, Microsoft said earlier this year that its new Windows Phone 7 OS would be reserved for smartphones.

Follow me on Twitter @ionut_arghire.