Arm hires Amazon’s AI chip director to build complete processors

Sometimes it’s just wise to have an, er, chip on your shoulder.

Arm Holdings has hired Rami Sinno, Amazon’s AI chip director, to advance its ambitious plans to develop complete chips rather than just chip designs. Sinno previously led development of Amazon’s Trainium and Inferentia AI chips, bringing critical expertise as Arm shifts from its traditional licensing model to building full semiconductor solutions.

What you should know: This marks a significant strategic pivot for the chip architecture giant, which has historically focused on designing processor blueprints rather than manufacturing complete chips.

• Until now, Arm has operated by designing core architecture and instruction sets that customers like Apple and Nvidia incorporate into their own chips.
• The company collects royalty payments on chips its customers sell, with Arm-based devices powering nearly every smartphone globally.
• Server chips based on Arm’s intellectual property have gained substantial ground in data centers traditionally dominated by AMD and Intel.

Why this matters: Arm’s move into complete chip manufacturing could reshape competitive dynamics in the semiconductor industry, particularly as AI workloads drive demand for specialized processors.

• The shift represents Arm’s broader strategy to expand beyond supplying intellectual property to building comprehensive chip designs and systems.
• As a SoftBank Group majority-owned company, Arm is leveraging its market position to capture more value from the chip ecosystem.

Key details about the hire: Sinno brings proven experience developing AI chips that compete directly with Nvidia’s dominant graphics processors.

• At Amazon, he helped create Trainium and Inferentia chips designed to offer superior performance and lower costs than Nvidia’s AI processors.
• His work was part of Amazon’s broader effort to reduce dependence on expensive third-party AI hardware.

The bigger picture: Arm has been systematically building its chip development capabilities through strategic hires from major technology companies.

• The company recently brought on Nicolas Dube from HPE, who has extensive large-scale systems design experience.
• Steve Halter, a chip engineer from Intel and Qualcomm, also joined as part of this expansion effort.
• In July, CEO Rene Haas disclosed plans to invest company profits into developing chiplets and complete systems.

What’s next: Reuters first reported on Arm’s chip development plans in sealed court exhibits from a December trial, with the company actively recruiting executives from competitors since February.