US FTC launches antitrust probe into Arm over AGI CPU restrictions

The US Federal Trade Commission has reportedly opened an antitrust investigation into Arm Holdings following the chip designer's entry into the AGI CPU market. Regulators are scrutinizing whether Arm is restricting architecture access to rivals or using its licensing authority to favor its own silicon products against competitors.

The probe marks escalation in regulatory oversight of Arm's market position, which has historically allowed licensees broad design freedom but now faces scrutiny as Arm becomes a direct competitor. This mirrors broader FTC attention to ARM ecosystem gatekeeping, particularly as AI accelerators and custom silicon reshape compute markets.