Kristina Roberts
Change is the only constant in technology, and Arm Holdings has just taken a big step to move forward in the fast-changing world of artificial intelligence. The company has hired Rami Sinno, who used to work at Amazon and played a major role in creating Amazon’s special AI chips. This move is seen as a strong signal that Arm is now preparing to build its own complete chips, something it had never done before.
For years, Arm has been known for designing the “blueprints” of chips. It did not actually build chips itself. Instead, Arm created the core designs and instructions that allowed companies like Apple and Nvidia to make their own chips. This strategy worked well, and Arm became one of the most important names in the technology world. Almost every smartphone in the world today is powered by chips built using Arm’s designs. Even large data centers, which were once dominated by companies like Intel and AMD, are now increasingly using Arm-based chips.
But now the company seems ready for a big shift. In July, Arm shared its plans to spend part of its profits on building its own chips and components. This marked a major change in its business direction. The company’s CEO, Rene Haas, even talked about exploring new things like “chiplets,” which are smaller pieces of chips designed for specific jobs. These chiplets can then be combined to form a complete system. This approach could help Arm compete more directly with some of the biggest names in the semiconductor industry.
The hiring of Rami Sinno fits perfectly with this new goal. Sinno, during his time at Amazon, helped develop two very important AI chips: Trainium and Inferentia. These chips were designed specifically to train and run artificial intelligence applications on a massive scale. They gave Amazon an edge by reducing the cost and improving the performance of AI systems compared to Nvidia’s popular graphics processors. By bringing Sinno on board, Arm is gaining not only technical expertise but also valuable industry experience in building large-scale, AI-focused chips.
The timing of this decision is also interesting. Artificial intelligence has become one of the most powerful forces driving technology forward today. From chatbots and self-driving cars to healthcare and entertainment, AI is everywhere. To support this growth, companies need better and faster chips. Nvidia has been leading this space for a long time, but many others are now stepping up to compete. Amazon’s work on AI chips was one such effort, and now Arm is entering the race with strong determination.
Arm’s business model until now has been to collect royalty payments from the chips that its customers sell. This model has worked extremely well because its designs are widely used across industries. But depending only on royalties may not be enough in the future. Building its own chips could give Arm more control, more revenue, and also more influence in the fast-growing AI market. This seems to be one of the main reasons behind the company’s new push.
In fact, this is not the first time Arm has shown interest in expanding its chip-making team. Over the last few years, the company has been quietly hiring experts from different technology firms. For example, it hired Nicolas Dube, who earlier worked at HPE and brought valuable experience in designing large-scale systems. It also brought in Steve Halter, a skilled chip engineer who had previously worked at Intel and Qualcomm. These hires show that Arm has been carefully building the right team to make its vision a reality.
Now, with Sinno joining, the company has added another strong name to this list. His background at Amazon’s Annapurna Labs and his success with AI chips make him an important part of Arm’s new journey. People familiar with the matter said that Sinno’s efforts at Amazon were aimed at creating chips that could beat Nvidia’s products both in terms of performance and cost. If he can bring that same energy and innovation to Arm, the company may soon become a strong competitor in AI chip development.
This development also highlights the larger trend happening in the world of technology. Many companies that once relied on others for chip designs are now trying to build their own. Apple has already shown how successful this approach can be with its M1 and M2 chips. Amazon has its Trainium and Inferentia. Google has its Tensor chips. By making its own chips, a company can optimize them for its own services and reduce dependency on external suppliers. Arm, by stepping into this arena, is trying to position itself among these leaders rather than staying only as a supplier of designs.
The support of SoftBank, which owns a majority of Arm, could also help push this plan forward. SoftBank has always looked at high-growth industries, and AI chips clearly fit into that vision. By investing in building its own complete systems, Arm is likely to receive the backing it needs to compete in this difficult but rewarding field.
However, the road ahead will not be easy. Designing chips is one thing, but building them successfully at scale is another. Companies like Nvidia and Intel have decades of experience and established manufacturing partners. Arm will need to make careful choices about how it moves forward, who it partners with, and how it plans to position its chips in the market. But with the right talent—people like Sinno, Dube, and Halter—the company has a much stronger chance of success.
At the heart of this change lies a simple but powerful idea: the future belongs to those who can innovate faster and smarter. Arm has already proved its strength by becoming the backbone of the smartphone industry. Now it is looking to prove itself once again, this time in the world of artificial intelligence. The decision to bring in Rami Sinno shows that Arm is serious about this challenge and ready to take bold steps.
In technology, nothing stays the same for long. Companies that adapt, grow, and reinvent themselves are the ones that survive. Arm’s journey from being just a designer of chip blueprints to a maker of its own powerful systems could mark the beginning of a new chapter—not just for the company, but for the industry as a whole. The world will be watching closely to see how this story unfolds in the years to come.
