nonARM

NonARM is an informal term used to describe computing platforms, hardware, or software that do not use the ARM architecture. It is not a formal standard, but a convenient shorthand for distinguishing ARM-based systems from other instruction set architectures (ISAs) in discussions about hardware design, software portability, and system performance.

The category of non-ARM architectures is diverse. Major examples include x86 and x86-64 (used by Intel and AMD CPUs on most desktops, laptops, and servers), MIPS, POWER/PowerPC, SPARC, and the increasingly important RISC-V. In embedded and microcontroller contexts, non-ARM families also include AVR, MSP430, and PIC. Some historic or niche architectures—such as Itanium (IA-64), DEC Alpha, and Motorola 68k—are no longer widely deployed but remain part of the broader non-ARM landscape in historical or specialized use.

In software and development, non-ARM implies architecture-specific binaries and toolchains. Programs compiled for ARM typically cannot run on non-ARM systems without recompilation or emulation, and vice versa. Packaging, distributions, and build systems often separate software by architecture, so non-ARM ecosystems encompass a wide range of platforms, from x86-64 Linux and Windows to RISCV-based environments and legacy systems.

Trends show ARM dominating mobile, certain embedded designs, and increasingly some edge devices, while non-ARM platforms remain prominent in personal computers, servers, and specialized appliances. The non-ARM space also includes growing interest in RISC-V, which aims to provide an open, extensible ISA for a broad set of applications.