On April 21, 2023, Arm, the Japanese subsidiary of British Arm, held a press conference to announce the appointment of its new president, Takayuki Yokoyama. In his address, Mr. Yokoyama outlined the future strategy for the Japanese subsidiary, focusing on four key areas: strengthening cooperation with domestic partners, automotive, IoT (Internet of Things), and expanding the adoption of custom chips.
Yokoyama emphasized the importance of not only collaborating with silicon suppliers but also with equipment manufacturers to ensure a broader understanding of Arm’s advantages. As the automotive industry undergoes a “once-in-a-century revolution,” driven by CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) technologies and digital transformation, Yokoyama aims for Arm to contribute to the software ecosystem, high-performance computing, and functional safety in automobiles.
In the IoT space, Yokoyama is determined to leverage Japan’s strengths in edge AI (machine learning) and embedded storage, by contributing to the software ecosystem, power-saving, and security. The expansion of custom chip adoption will be facilitated through a program that offers free access to certain ARM licenses for academic institutions and universities, fostering engagement with the “next-generation arm.”
Yokoyama remains optimistic about the Japanese semiconductor market, despite some suggesting that it lags behind in this field. He highlights the significant presence of Japanese technology in high-value areas, such as smartphone modules and image sensors. As the representative of the Japanese company, Yokoyama is eager to collaborate with Japanese partners and contribute to their growth.
Before joining Arm, Yokoyama held leadership roles at global semiconductor firms, including CSR (currently Qualcomm), Infineon Technologies, and AMD. He most recently served as President and Vice President of Sales at the Japanese subsidiary of ETAS, an automotive software development tool provider. He was motivated to join Arm, recognizing it as a company he had long wanted to work for, and believing that he could better utilize his strengths in the semiconductor industry.
While Yokoyama refrained from outlining specific goals for his tenure, he expressed his desire to collaborate with universities and educational institutions, contribute to education, increase Arm’s market share by replacing competing company architectures with Arm, and train his successor.
