ARM

British IT company ARM Holdings plc is a Cambridge-based company that designs the processors used in the majority of mobile phones and tablets. It’s so important, even Microsoft is writing a version of Windows 8 that will run on ARM architecture. What’s particularly clever about the company is that it doesn’t manufacture processors but licenses its intellectual property to other companies such as Intel, Samsung, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, which build their own CPUs. ARM CPUs are also noted for their low power consumption. Given the ever-growing number of smartphone and tablet computers, this feature is crucial, and one that should see ARM Holdings plc grow even more. The company started life as Acorn Computers Ltd, which manufactured the popular BBC Micro and the Archimedes range of computers. Just as it helped to kick-start the home computer revolution, so it continues to drive innovation and new products, making it the most important British computer company in operation today.