ARM success could trigger takeover bid, says analyst

Peter Clarke, EE Times
(10/12/2009 9:34 AM EDT)

LONDON — Processor intellectual property licensor ARM Holdings plc (Cambridge, England) is set to outperform Intel in the netbook and smartbook markets over the next two and three years, but that success could trigger a takeover bid for the company, according to Didier Scemama, semiconductor analyst with ABN AMRO Bank NV.

Scemama has predicted that ARM might be taken into ownership by its semiconductor and equipment licensees, or at least a blocking holding be taken, to prevent ARM falling into the hands of a single private-equity or industry company. Alternatively, ARM could be placed under the control of a non-profit foundation, in a similar manner to the way in which Symbian and its mobile phone operating system was controlled prior to its acquisition by Nokia.

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