Arm Pushes Forward in Data Center Market with New Migration Tools

Arm has unveiled a range of tools and services aimed at streamlining the transition of applications from x86 systems to Arm-based architectures, reinforcing its ambitions to dominate the data center space.

The company forecasts that its CPU designs could command 50% of the data center market share by the close of this year. To help meet this target, Arm has introduced new migration resources tailored for developers seeking to port applications quickly and efficiently.

In a recent blog post, Mohamed Awad, Arm’s Senior VP and head of Infrastructure Business, highlighted the company’s competitive edge — significantly lower energy consumption compared to traditional x86 processors. This advantage has caught the attention of major cloud providers, which are increasingly mindful of the massive power demands of their global data centers, Awad noted.

Arm’s momentum has been building steadily. Tech giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google have invested in creating proprietary silicon based on Arm designs for their cloud infrastructures. Nvidia also entered the CPU arena with its Arm-based “Grace” processor, while Qualcomm is reportedly considering another attempt to break into the server market after previous setbacks.

Meanwhile, Softbank — which owns Arm — tried to sell the firm to Nvidia in 2021, though the deal ultimately collapsed due to regulatory challenges. More recently, Softbank acquired Ampere, a prominent maker of Arm server chips largely used by Oracle.

Beyond CPUs, Arm’s technology is also prevalent in smartNICs, which enhance network processing capabilities at the hardware level.

Recognizing the growing demand, Arm has launched a collection of developer-focused tools to ease application migration. Bhumik Patel, director of server ecosystem development at Arm, emphasized in his blog that the company’s mission is to provide developers with a rich ecosystem of guidance and technical support to unlock the full potential of Arm in the cloud.

Among the new resources, Arm’s Learning Paths offer comprehensive tutorials and workload-specific guides, helping developers through every phase of the migration journey. Additionally, developers can consult directly with Arm’s cloud migration specialists.

The newly launched Cloud Migration Resource Hub aggregates material on adapting commonly used workloads to Arm, offering more than 100 detailed Learning Paths across various cloud providers. Complementing this, the Arm Software Ecosystem Dashboard provides real-time updates on the availability of Arm-compatible versions of leading open-source and commercial software packages.

For developers working with AI workloads, Arm’s Kleidi integration into top machine learning platforms like PyTorch enables substantial performance boosts without the need for complex modifications, according to industry experts.