Hardware & CPU
What is an ARM processor and how does it differ from x86?
ARM processors use a reduced instruction set (RISC) architecture that prioritizes power efficiency, while x86 processors use a complex instruction set (CISC) optimized for raw performance. ARM dominates mobile devices and is rapidly expanding into laptops and servers — Apple Silicon and AWS Graviton proved ARM can compete with x86 on performance while using significantly less power.
Key Considerations
- ARM's power efficiency makes it ideal for battery-powered and always-on devices
- Software compatibility varies — some x86 applications require emulation on ARM
- ARM server adoption is accelerating driven by cloud cost optimization
- The performance gap between ARM and x86 has effectively closed for most workloads