To: Dr.

Chang
From: Jamie Zhou
Subject: ARM vs x86
Date: 5/6/15
This memo details the competition between x86 and ARM and the differences
between the two, as described in ARM vs x86, A Clash of Architectures, by Murray
Slovick. This article was published in Element14, winter 2014.
This article details the ARM and x86 processor architectures and their
fundamental differences, as well as strengths. While traditionally, ARM processors
have focused on power efficiency and a simpler instruction set at the tradeoff of raw
computing ability and flexibility and x86 processors have focused on far superior
computational power and more platform support, both are beginning to converge on
a balance between lower power consumption and high performance.
ARM processors have typically been used in low power low demand
applications, and its interesting how their conclusion for more market share was
moving closer to their soon to be direct competitor, x86. Phones and
supercomputers are where you see the most of this platform homogenization, as
high end ARM processors are starting to look more and more like highly parallelized
versions of their x86 brethren. Power consumption for higher end models is also
rising closer to the newest low end x86 chips.
X86 processors, on the other hand, have always had the lions share of the
high end market, when power consumption is less of an issue. Now, however, Intel
has put most of its focus towards lowering power consumption and finding a home
in lower power embedded systems. The power consumption difference between x86
and ARM is rapidly diminishing as the latest processors have made ridiculous gains
in perfomance/watt compared to older models before Sandy Bridge. Obviously,
computational power takes a hit in exchange for far superior performance/watt, but
x86 still holds an advantage compared to ARM.
ARM and x86 have historically been very different architectures, taking very
different approaches to embedded system design to find the optimum architecture
for gaining control of the market. Now, however, both of them are beginning to look
more and more alike as performance per watt is the biggest objective for both while
still working in marginal performance gains. Very quick radical paradigm shifts in
design principles have occurred before, so this focus on performance per watt may
be short lasting, but both platforms shifting their attention to power consumption
highlights the importance of getting as much work done as possible while
conserving the most amount of energy in todays society.