Apple and UK-based chip design company Arm have agreed to a new deal that will now last “beyond 2040”.
According to AppleInsider, Arm has been looking to file for a public offering, which means that shares in the company can soon be bought. This has revealed more information on a new deal between the company and Apple.
"We have entered into a new long-term agreement with Apple that extends beyond 2040,” said Arm in the IPO document. “This continues our longstanding relationship of collaboration with Apple and Apple's access to the Arm architecture."
For those unaware, Arm's technology has long helped Apple to create and design the chips that power your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, alongside Vision Pro. Their relationship is three decades long, with Arm helping to design the chip that powered the Newton handheld in 1993.
This new deal is only going to help Apple plan for the future. From new iPhones to brand-new devices we’re yet to find out about, it means that an M25 chip wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for a MacBook in 25 years' time.
An Arm-reach for your next 10 upgrades and beyond — iMore’s Take
Arm’s headway in the chip space has spooked other manufacturers in the category in recent years, such as Intel and AMD. Apple made the switch to Intel chips for its Macs in 2006, and while these gave plenty of improvements in speed for its Macs compared to the Power PC chips that came before, the partnership seemingly soured.
So much so, that Intel began to run ads in 2021 that tried to prove its processors were better than Apple’s, after Apple started putting its own silicon in Macs from 2020.
We’re already at the point where an M2 Pro Mac mini blows past any Intel chip on offer. The latest M2 Ultra chip can also render video projects at a much faster pace than an Intel Mac ever could.
So with this new deal, it’s safe to assume that we’re only going to be seeing more improvements in power and speed as the years pass, and for products that we’ve yet to even consider from Apple. From wearing an Apple Ring to a glove that’s powered by an M19 chip, the possibilities are endless but we’ve got an exciting future ahead.
