Apple signs long term ARM deal
 

Will pay for its designs beyond 2040

Apple has signed a new deal with the chipmaker for technology that "extends beyond 2040."

The move is good for Arm which is hoping to float a $52 billion initial public offering soon. The IPO would be the largest such deal in the US this year.

Arm owner SoftBank plans to offer 95.5 million American depository shares of the United Kingdom-based company for $47 to $51 apiece,

Arm said in a filing. Arm owns the intellectual property behind the computing architecture for most of the world's smartphones, which it licenses to Apple and many others. Apple uses Arm's technology in the processes of designing its own custom chips for its iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Apple has a long history with Arm and helped found the firm in 1990. The relationship continued even after Apple's "Newton" handheld computer in 1993, which used an Arm-based processor chip flopped like an out-of-water cod. Arm went on to become dominant in mobile phone chips because of its low power consumption.

The deal disclosed on Tuesday but was not mentioned in Arm's previous IPO filing documents made public on Aug. 21, implying that the deal was signed between then and 5 September.

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