ARM: Intel a 'serious competitor', we're still better

[senseamp]

Intel is on Tick-Tock cadence, while the ARM ecosystem is on T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T cadence with all the new chips constantly coming out from different competitors.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Intel is the one that has been underestimating ARM. And it is coming back to haunt them, now.

We won't truly know the answer to this one, but one thing is for sure. When they were touting Moorestown, the predecessor to Medfield, they didn't have enough experience. Things change when you go from paper to real designs. With Moorestown the actual power usage might have been much higher than on paper.

Important thing is they seemed to have learned from that. Just like they learned ever increasing pipeline stages with Netburst and derivatives didn't work.

We can't ignore software either. Until recently(probably little before Google collaboration announcement), x86 Android versions they worked on lagged behind cutting edge ARM Android versions. And software optimizations are just as important as hardware advantages. They seem to have that too now.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Tom's Hardware seems to agree with me.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/medfield-krait-smartphone-mobile-soc,3117.html

Intel is unstoppable right now. They're very focused.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Intel is on Tick-Tock cadence, while the ARM ecosystem is on T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T cadence with all the new chips constantly coming out from different competitors.

Except nearly all of those ARM chips use identical cpu cores. At the moment the only two cores being used in high end devices are A9 and Scorpion. Additionally all of them are either built on a 45nm (Samsung?) or 40nm (TSMC) process so there really isn't that much variety.

 

[podspi]

Tom's Hardware seems to agree with me.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/medfield-krait-smartphone-mobile-soc,3117.html

Intel is unstoppable right now. They're very focused.

That article is a little dramatic, but I agree that Intel has the potential to become #1 in mobile SoCs.


One thing that I could see stopping them is OEMs outright refusing to switch over. For the OEMs, it is better to have a bunch of ARM vendors competing over them than to have just Intel. As a result, I expect that at the least, OEMs will keep low-end/mainstream ARM around, just so they have a Plan B against Intel.

Intel's main advantage is their fabs. That alone make them a formidable opponent. Their vast financial resources don't hurt, either.