With targeted latency reductions up to 50x, targeted throughput increases up to 100x, and targeted increases in the number of connections up to 100x, the underlying networking and computing infrastructure must transform. By their very nature, network nodes have fixed constraints around power, space, and form factor, yet they face increasing demands for the real-time processing capabilities needed to handle events driven by IoT and other emerging applications.

Meeting these requirements within these constraints will require an architectural shift to a more agile, software-defined network solution, with a significant increase in the compute densities throughout the network to optimize where, when, and how the network traffic is processed. Additionally, emerging latency-sensitive applications and massive amounts of data that require local processing will further drive the demand for compute capability within those fixed constraints.

To balance these competing needs for compute resources, infrastructure will require architecturally compatible solutions optimized for different workloads. The Arm ecosystem enables a range of products, from optimized silicon to flexible systems, that scale from data center and core to edge to access.

The Arm ecosystem encompasses silicon, system, and software elements to provide the capability to solve both current and future needs of these markets. The Arm ecosystem is driving innovation and choice for infrastructure, from data center to network core to edge to access. AIDC is a global directory of solution providers delivering Arm-based infrastructure building blocks and reference solutions. Our community works through open source Linux organizations like Linaro and the Linux foundation, with communities like Open Platform for NFV, and with initiatives like WorksOnArm.com

Major Linux distributions like RHEL, SLES, and Ubuntu are available for Arm-based systems. Key middleware pieces like Java and container technologies like Docker are also being deployed. The Arm approach to standardization is to leverage and influence industry standards like UEFI, ACPI, and DPDK, and to collaborate on the development of new standards within the Arm ecosystem like the Server Base System Architecture.

Semiconductor solutions based on the Arm architecture are available from market-leading companies providing a range of silicon, from high performance server chips to optimized SoCs, to FPGAs, ASICs, and even CoT-based paths to solutions. These are then adopted by OEMs and ODMs who provide systems and software solutions ready for deployment throughout data center, cloud, and network providers.