FTC Antitrust Probe into Arm Licensing Threatens Apple Chip Designs
The FTC has launched an antitrust probe into Arm’s semiconductor licensing practices, scrutinizing its March push into in-house chip design and potential refusal or downgrade of CPU blueprint licenses. The probe directly targets licenses that Apple uses to design central processing units, raising concerns over disruptions to Apple’s chip development and royalty costs.
1. FTC Opens Antitrust Probe Into Arm Licensing
The Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into Arm’s licensing model for CPU blueprints, focusing on whether Arm can legally refuse or degrade licenses for customers while expanding its own chip design operations launched in March.
2. Potential Disruptions to Apple Chip Supply
Apple relies on Arm’s architectures for its A-series and M-series chips, and any limitation on CPU blueprint licenses or increased royalty terms could delay Apple’s upcoming chip releases and raise manufacturing costs.