The move is an expansion of the company’s Flexible Access programme which ARM will open access to its IP for early stage startups. Normally companies pay the chip designer for that information, but the cost can be prohibitive for those just starting out.

SVP Dipti Vachani said: “In today’s challenging business landscape, enabling innovation is critical – now more than ever, startups with brilliant ideas need the fastest, most trusted route to success and scale. ARM Flexible Access for Startups offers new silicon entrants a faster, more cost-efficient path to working prototypes, resulting in strengthened investor confidence for future funding.”

The company hopes that fostering hardware startups during a slowdown for the industry could lead to huge sales later when things pick up.

Interested parties can access the full list of available IP here. ARM believes the launch of Flexible Access for Startups could help companies accelerate time to market by up to a year.