Arm Flexible Access is a new engagement model that will enable SoC design teams to initiate projects before they license IP and pay only for what they use at production. Flexible Access will give businesses and their design teams more freedom to experiment, evaluate and innovate, according to Arm.
“Arm Flexible Access was created to address the opportunities presented by a world of one trillion securely connected devices,” said Rene Haas, president, Intellectual Property Group, Arm. “By converging unlimited design access with no up-front licensing commitment, we are empowering existing partners and new market players to address new growth opportunities in IoT, machine learning, self-driving cars and 5G.”
Several partners, including AlphaICs, Invecas and Nordic Semiconductor, have signed up to this new Arm engagement model and already have access to a wide range of IP products, support tools and training. Arm Flexible Access complements standard Arm licensing which will continue to be the best option for partners who are seeking access to Arm’s full product portfolio and most advanced IP.
Typically, partners license individual components from Arm and pay a license fee upfront before they can access the technology. With Arm Flexible Access they pay a modest fee for immediate access to a broad portfolio of technology, then paying a license fee only when they commit to manufacturing, followed by royalties for each unit shipped. This portfolio includes all the essential Intellectual Property (IP) and tools needed for an SoC design, making it easier to evaluate or prototype with multiple IP blocks before committing to licenses.
IP available through Arm Flexible Access includes the majority of Arm-based processors within the Arm Cortex-A, -R and -M families. These CPUs accounted for 75 percent of all Cortex CPU licenses signed over the last two years. It also includes Arm TrustZone and CryptoCell security IP, select Mali GPUs, system IP alongside tools and models for SoC design and early software development. Access to Arm’s global support and training services are also included.