Editing Acorn Computers (section)

====ARM Ltd.====
Acorn's silicon partner, [[VLSI Technology, Inc|VLSI]], had been given the task of finding new applications for the ARM CPU and support chips. Hauser's Active Book company had been developing a handheld device and for this the ARM CPU developers had created a static version of their processor, the ARM2aS.

Members of [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[Apple Advanced Technology Group|Advanced Technology Group]] (ATG) had made initial contact with Acorn over use of the ARM in an experimental Apple II (2) style prototype called Möbius. Experiments done in the Möbius project proved that the ARM RISC architecture could be highly attractive for certain types of future products. The Möbius project was briefly considered as the basis for a new line of Apple computers but it was stopped for fear it would compete with the Macintosh and confuse the market. However, the Möbius project evolved awareness of the ARM processor within Apple. The Möbius Team made minor changes to the ARM registers, and used their working prototype to demonstrate a variety of impressive performance benchmarks.<ref>[http://www.advanced-risc.com/art1stor.htm "The RISC for the Rest of Us"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609091738/http://www.advanced-risc.com/art1stor.htm |date=9 June 2013}}, Art Sobel, in ''Advanced RISC Technology'' (ART), 1996. ARM Evangelist.</ref>

<!-- [[File:Mp2000.gif|thumb|left|[[Apple Newton]]s, like this MessagePad 2000/2100, were powered by ARM processors.]] -->
Later [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] was developing an entirely new computing platform for its [[Apple Newton|Newton]]. Various requirements had been set for the processor in terms of power consumption, cost and performance, and there was also a need for [[static logic (digital logic)|fully static operation]] in which the clock could be stopped at any time. Only the Acorn RISC Machine came close to meeting all these demands, but there were still deficiencies. The ARM did not, for example, have an integral memory management unit, as this function was being provided by the MEMC support chip and Acorn did not have the resources to develop one.<ref name="lowpowerhardware">M. Culbert (1994). [https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=573192 "Low power hardware for a high performance PDA"]. ''Low Power Electronics''. Digest of Technical Papers. IEEE Symposium.</ref>

Apple and Acorn began to collaborate on developing the ARM, and it was decided that this would be best achieved by a separate company.<ref name="lowpowerhardware" /> The bulk of the Advanced Research and Development section of Acorn that had developed the ARM CPU formed the basis of [[Arm (company)|ARM Holdings]] when that company was spun off in November 1990. Acorn Group and Apple Computer Inc. each had a 43% shareholding in ARM (in 1996),<ref name="jointeduventure">[http://www.poppyfields.net/acorn/news/acopress/apple.shtml Acorn Group and Apple Computer Dedicate Joint Venture to Transform IT in UK Education] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194347/http://www.poppyfields.net/acorn/news/acopress/apple.shtml |date=3 March 2016}}, press release from Acorn Computers, 1996</ref> while VLSI was an investor and first ARM licensee.<ref>[http://www.arm.com/aboutarm/milestones.html ARM milestones] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201095242/http://www.arm.com/aboutarm/milestones.html |date=1 February 2010}}, ARM website</ref>