ARM says it's not scared by Intel

ARM Holdings chief executive Warren East says his firm will be more than able to defend itself against Intel's new low-power chips like the Atom. East says ARM still has a big power efficiency advantage and says ARM chips may even make it into the personal computer market as more and more manufacturers are embracing a green agenda:

"Who is to say it will be Intel taking market share from ARM and not the other way?" Mr East said.

"Intel will probably always be able to make a microprocessor that runs faster, but ARM can do one that uses less power. We are still a long way ahead in that."

As information technology companies increasingly embrace a green agenda and try to make their devices less power-hungry, Mr East said he was starting to get enquiries from companies making servers and computer chips, about the possibilities of using ARM designs in their products.

Mr East's comments are in response to recent bullish statements by Intel about moving into the mobile phone market with its new low-power Atom chip. It has previously failed to penetrate this market, but now believes it could supply semiconductors for high-end smartphones as the line between phones and computers increasingly blurs.

Mr East insists that ARM, whose chip designs power 98 per cent of the world's mobile phones, has little to fear. However, the company's heavy focus on the "Intel issue" at its recent analysts' day in London is seen as a sign of growing concern.

More details at Financial Times.