“Tony Fadel”, the former Apple VP known as the “Father of the iPod,” apparently has no plans to retire anytime soon. After creating his own company and selling it to Google, Fadel is now on the board of the chip design company Arm Joined.
As reported by CNET, Fadel recently joined Arm’s board to help the company improve the design of its processors as Arm plans to expand its technology into many more devices than smartphones.
Fadel’s history with Arm dates back long before this new role. In the past, he was responsible for the company’s chips used in iPods and iPhones. The ARM architecture is so efficient that it is now used for Apple’s M1 and M2 computer chips.
Arm’s focus on low energy consumption
In this report, the company’s focus on consuming the lowest possible energy is mentioned as the biggest reason why Fadel was attracted to it. Given that power is now a major limitation for PCs and servers, Arum’s focus on low power is even more important, Fadel says.
He explained that he expects to bring “more of a system-level mindset” to Arm as he thinks “about the end user.” Fadel was invited by the CEO of the company, Rene Haas, to work with Arm. Haas also introduced Fadel as a new member of the company’s board of directors during the Web Summit 2022 exhibition in Lisbon.
It’s unclear exactly what Fadel will be doing at Arm, but the announcement comes at an important time for the company. In 2020, Apple announced plans to move away from Intel processors and equip Mac computers with its own Arm-based chips. Arm chips are widely used by phones and tablets, and not just by Apple.
Also in 2020, Nvidia announced its decision to buy Arm for more than $40 billion. However, the company reversed its decision earlier this year.
