ARM's 2014 processors will blow today's smartphone chips away, with 3x the performance or 1/4 the battery drain
We're just barely seeing the first powerful ARM Cortex-A15 processors in bleeding edge devices like the new Samsung Chromebook and Google's upcoming Nexus 10 tablet …
Context & Ripple Effects
ARM's 2014 projection lands roughly seven months after it unveiled what it billed as the world's most efficient 32-bit processor in March 2012, and this time it names shipping proof points: the Samsung Chromebook is already out with Cortex-A15 inside, and Google's upcoming Nexus 10 is confirmed to carry the same core.
The claim traveled unusually far for a roadmap slide — Reuters, AnandTech, Ars Technica, Computerworld and PC Magazine all ran it the same day — because ARM licenses designs rather than making chips, so every licensee's 2014 product plan now has a very public bar to clear: 3x the performance or one-quarter the battery drain of existing smartphone silicon.
First-order effects
- Samsung and Google get first-mover credibility: the Chromebook and Nexus 10 are the first devices where buyers can test Cortex-A15's real-world gains against ARM's projections.
- ARM's licensees designing 2014 silicon now have a published performance-per-watt target their own roadmaps will be measured against, raising the cost of missing the generation.
Second-order effects
- If A15 delivers, ARM extends credibly beyond phones into Chromebooks and full-size tablets, putting non-ARM silicon in those categories on the defensive over power efficiency rather than raw speed.
- Device makers gain a design fork — spend the efficiency dividend on larger batteries or thinner chassis — which reshapes flagship spec sheets for the 2014 cycle.
Third-order effects
- A pattern of generational performance-per-watt leaps would deepen ARM's licensing grip across phones, tablets and emerging laptop categories, making power budgets — not clock speed — the industry's scoreboard.
The trend: Mobile silicon competition is shifting from raw clock speed to performance-per-watt, with ARM's licensing roadmap setting the pace for the entire device industry.