Advanced RISC Machines Ltd, the joint company set up by Acorn Computers Plc, Apple Computer Inc and VLSI Technology Inc, says that its first new processor, the ARM600, will be launched during 1991, and by 1996, the ARM700, 800 and 900 will be on the market: the company plans to market its products by several channels including licences to manufacture, design services, catalogue product users – which ARM says includes ICL and Radius, although no product details have been released – and through licensed design services; ARM is also targeting the embedded control market and says that Philips Communications in Germany is looking to use the processor for embedded control purposes in video compression; Acorn is 80% owned by Ing C Olivetti & Co, and the two companies are discussing the possibility of a distribution agreement; Acorn says that the ARM initiative is separate from development work funded with UKP1.2m that Olivetti invested in return for exclusive distribution rights on the continent related to product development, speculated to be Unix opportunities in the education market using Acorn’s RISC (CI No 1,272).
