
Can Arm Survive RISC-V Challenge? - childintime
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1334306#
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daddylonglegs
I'm not sure that MIPS and RISC-V represent the same threat.

In their heyday MIPS Technologies enthusiastically used the patent system to
drive differences between their product and open systems. The company has
since been through the grind of losing market share and being sold on and
taken over multiple times and, now that it's clear that commercially they've
lost to ARM, they're releasing MIPS as open source. This has been done before
with other software and rarely brings the incumbent down. I don't see this as
much of a threat to ARM.

> No one wants to spend months negotiating license terms under today’s cost
> and time-to-market pressures.

Now this might be a threat. Companies that are after every single penny for
their IP [1] never seem to realise that at some point their customers are
getting a better experience with DIY and some random geeks on an internet
forum.

ARM developers do have a whole host of tools, ancillaries and services
available to them but I'm optimistic that RISC-V has enough people and
organisations supporting it to make it a viable alternative for many practical
uses. The tech world has too many monopolies and walled gardens at the moment
and we will all be better off if there is space for people to try stuff and
consequently enough competition to keep incumbents humble. Also, surely some
tech giant wants to "commoditise their complement?"

[1] I hate the term "intellectual property" but what else to use to make
myself understood?

