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.

FORBES: 20 FOR 2000

With the acquisition of wireless-chip company Icera last year, graphics-chip designer Nvidia will introduce do-it-all chips that can support both high-speed LTE networks and slower third- and second-generation networks early next year.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Luminary bases all of its chips on a common blueprint from ARM Holdings, a Cambridge, England designer of digital architecture.

FORBES: Smarter, Cheaper

Apple has been taking more of the design of the chips inhouse over recent generations of them, leaving Samsung just as a fab rather than designer.

FORBES: Is Apple Switching Its Processor Production Away From Samsung Already?