Arm Fuels Data Center Expansion with Enhanced App Migration Solutions
Arm is stepping up its presence in the data center market with a fresh suite of developer tools aimed at simplifying the transition from x86 to Arm-based systems.
The company forecasts that by the close of this year, Arm processors could power 50% of the CPUs in data centers worldwide. To support this bold projection, Arm has launched new resources to help developers port their applications more easily and efficiently to its architecture.
Mohamed Awad, who oversees Arm’s Infrastructure Business, shared these ambitions in a blog update. He emphasized the energy efficiency of Arm chips compared to traditional x86 processors—a key factor attracting large-scale cloud service providers. With rising concerns over power consumption in massive server farms, hyperscalers are increasingly turning to Arm solutions.
The industry has already seen a shift. Major cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft, and Google have been building custom Arm-based chips. Nvidia recently introduced its own Arm CPU, dubbed Grace, while Qualcomm is once again eyeing the server market after previous setbacks.
SoftBank, which owns Arm, previously attempted to sell it to Nvidia in a high-profile deal that ultimately fell through. More recently, SoftBank acquired Ampere, a company focused on Arm-powered server processors widely adopted by Oracle.
Beyond CPUs, Arm’s technology is now embedded in a growing number of smartNICs—specialized networking chips designed to optimize data flow within cloud infrastructure.
To accelerate the transition from x86 platforms, Arm unveiled a comprehensive toolkit tailored for cloud-native developers. Bhumik Patel, who leads Arm’s server ecosystem initiatives, highlighted the importance of supporting developers throughout the migration process, stating that Arm’s mission is to make the transition as smooth as possible while helping users leverage Arm’s performance and energy-saving advantages.
Among the newly introduced resources are guided Learning Paths that offer step-by-step migration tutorials, as well as hands-on technical guidance for specific workloads. Developers can also consult directly with Arm’s cloud experts to get personalized support.
The company has also rolled out the Cloud Migration Resource Hub, which features over 100 detailed migration guides for widely used workloads across multiple cloud platforms. To keep development aligned with evolving software standards, the Arm Software Ecosystem Dashboard provides real-time updates on the availability of Arm-compatible versions of major commercial and open-source software.
For developers working on AI applications, Arm has integrated its Kleidi technology with leading ML frameworks like PyTorch, enabling significant performance improvements on Arm systems without additional configuration, according to industry experts.
