Even Intel and Motorola, two behemoths of the microprocessor business, have bought licences from ARM.
AT&T Microelectronics ultimately bailed out of the microprocessor business altogether.
Its first-quarter earnings matched Wall Street's estimates, helped by slightly better-than-expected strength in its vital microprocessor business.
It would lead later to the 8088 family of microprocessors, which was adopted in 1981 by I.B.M. and which helped Intel dominate the microprocessor business.
"I think we're dropping a snowball down the hill," said Rich Heye, vice president and general manager of Advanced Micro's microprocessor business unit.
I.B.M. announced yesterday that it planned to adopt a more open strategy in its microprocessor business, borrowing a page from successful collaborative software projects like Linux.
Intel backed out of the cellphone market two years ago when it sold its Xscale microprocessor business to the Marvell Technology Group.
Marty Seyer, a vice president who is in charge of Advanced Micro's microprocessor business unit, said Monday that he thought his company would reach the market before Intel with the dual-core Opteron.
On one side, Advanced Micro Devices, Intel's traditional rival in the microprocessor business, has quarried market share at the top end of the desktop PC business with the introduction of its 64-bit Athlon processor.
"I don't think that consumers are asking for faster memory or a new bus, they're asking for a great entertainment experience," said Marty Seyer, general manager of A.M.D.'s microprocessor business unit.
The Intel Corporation narrowed its first-quarter revenue estimate Thursday, saying its microprocessor business performed at the low end of seasonal patterns because of a slight oversupply in Asia.
