ARM Enjoys Provoking Intel: We Lead the SoC Race
Is this like teasing a sleeping giant?
Over the long haul, it is innovation and better products that appeal to customers. For some strange reason, ARM has been engaging in making remarks that are either grossly underestimating Intel, or saying that Intel's strategy on how to gain traction in the smartphone and tablet world is doomed.
In a conversation with EETimes, ARM CEO Warren East said that Intel does not have the manufacturing advantage in SoCs at this time. "For SoC Intel is manufacturing using 32-nm high-k metal gate planar CMOS," East said. "TSMC is manufacturing using 28-nm high-k metal gate. That doesn't sound like a massive lead to me. If anything, you could argue that TSMC is ahead." He added that Intel would have a tough time to create 22-nm FinFET technology for SoC.
What makes these statements so interesting are the impressions we see and the information we have from the real world. Intel's 22 nm FinFET for SOCs is scheduled to arrive in 2013, with the next shrink anticipated for 2014. Intel has a talent of bending the time frames of new manufacturing timelines in its marketing and PR, but nevertheless, the company has delivered on its tight manufacturing schedules and capabilities for well over a decade. We also know that Intel tends to be developing its best technology when it is under severe competitive pressure. On the other hand, there is no FinFET for ARM either and recent notes suggest that prototype systems may be arriving in late 2013 or early 2014. In a response to EETimes, East said "it's hard to say exactly when it [FinFET for ARM] is going to arrive."
Of course, East has an enviable ecosystem of partners, all of which currently enjoy that they are ahead of Intel and have market superiority. However, scenarios like these can change.
Has East reason to be so optimistic and tease Intel? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

agreed, I say let the fight begin. I'll sit back and watch while eating popcorn.
I think ARM will eventually be hit where they aren't expecting it, since Intel tends to not leak information. I would expect them to develop a 22nm SoC that can oust the next generation ARM SoC, but more importantly it will cost less because Intel doesn't have to contract out its fabrication like ARM has to do with TSMC. In the end, Intel will most likely win the price battle, and as we know that is what buys you a seat at the poker table.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-arm-cpu-processor-chips,15923.html
It's almost like the relationship between Apple and Microsoft.
They have corrected course though and the big guns are lining up for 14nm domination.
-CB
And it's not Intel vs. ARM... Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm, TI, etc. are all making their own SoCs. Some are straight-up ARM designs, but not all.
I think you've mis-interpret that situation.
The ARM licensing is mainly to use the security architecture, as AMD doesn't have their own in-house solution. ie: ARM has TrustZone technology and AMD has licensed the lowest power model: Cortex A5; in order to use it. AMD will incorporate the chip as a security solution for their 2013 processor lines.
According to ARM's own website, TrustZone is used for...
• Secured PIN entry for enhanced user authentication in mobile payments & banking
• Anti-malware that is protected from software attack
• Digital Right Management
• Software license management
• Loyalty-based applications
• Access control of cloud-based documents
• e-Ticketing Mobile TV
As for the comments made by ARM CEO (Warren East), my personal approach is to not say anything and focus on my own business's weaknesses. I find taunting/provoking the competition is a waste of time, and it motivates them to do better. You want to motivate your own people, not theirs!
You're taling about GPU's Intel, intel has enough money and resoruces to compete with AMD and Nvidia if they wanted to on the GPU side but they choose to focus a lot of their time and effort on their cpu's and there is no doubt the intel could crush ARM head to head in the CPU side.
lol, I just thought the very same thing. After decades on the VGA segment, and after spending $1b on buying technology from NVidia, they *STILL* can't produce a single decent GPU. It's sad and funny at the same time!
where did you see an arm quad core running widows 8 and had equal power to a phenomII x6? surfing the web? watching youtube? was that same system applying filters in photoshop or rendering frames in bender? While it may have appeared as fast there is no way a quad core ARM processor will keep up with a phenom II in tasks that actually stress the processor.