So, if you look at Broadcom and Qualcomm, both companies use an ARM instruction set to build their chips.

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Apple would need to build a 64-bit processor compatible with the ARM instruction set, a project that could take years.

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Why on the list: arm is the main designer of RISC (reduced instruction set computing) chips used in such battery-powered information appliances as handlheld PCs and mobile phones.

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