United Kingdom-based chip tech firm Arm is debuting tools to help curb the development time of Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices by about 40%, Reuters reported Monday (Oct. 18).
Arm’s technology involves supplying the underlying blueprints to chipmakers to allow them the power to develop physical chips, according to the report.
The development of computer devices has long involved chips and hardware completed first, and then prototypes passed on to have software developers write code, the report stated. Arm’s released technology hopes to allow makers of IoT devices, including connected traffic control lights and smart home devices, develop their chips and code simultaneously, which is expected to cut two years off the usual time to make a device.
Arm plans to make use of the new system to send blueprints to chipmakers alongside a “virtual” version to cloud computing companies like Amazon Web Services, according to the report. The cloud data centers will then supply a simulation of the chip’s circuitry to let software developers make code. Chipmakers will also make the physical chip at the same time.
The current system is less efficient, with tests of devices that “software developers use to hone their code,” the report stated.
With the new system, Amazon, for example, plans to test the wake word for “Alexa” on connected devices that third-party developers make.
In other chip-related news, Apple has been seeing trouble as of late as supply chain issues persist. Chip shortages and other logistical issues are expected to cause more problems. CEO Tim Cook said the company is “paying more for freight” than he’d like.
Read more: Security, Supply Chain Issues Overshadow Apple’s Annual Product Debuts
In August, Apple’s leading chip supplier, TSMC, announced it would be upping costs by around 20% starting in January. That increase could be passed on to the consumer.
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