[Chapter 812: Many Bridges]
Cambridge was located roughly seventy kilometers northeast of London.
On October 5th, a Saturday, Eric woke up early and took Caroline to Cambridge. To avoid being followed by the paparazzi that constantly surrounded Pinewood Studios, they flew in by helicopter.
Caroline had spent the last month gathering extensive information about ARM and had even contacted ARM's president, Roger Wilson or Sophie Wilson since 1994. Upon realizing Eric's interest in ARM, she expressed great enthusiasm, and they agreed to meet today.
Although they shared the Wilson surname, Sophie Wilson had no relation to Caroline's family, much like Barbara Broccoli's half-brother Michael Wilson. Wilson was a common British name.
Eric took a keen interest in this and casually discussed it with Caroline during the helicopter ride. She merely stated that her family was from the Buckinghamshire Wilsons. While she spoke without any sense of pride, her tone conveyed a certain entitlement.
This historic city of Cambridge lacked tall buildings, filled instead with ancient-looking structures that appeared to be at least a few hundred years old. It would have been a more enjoyable experience had it not been for the modern cars parked along the roads, which disrupted the quaint atmosphere of the quaint historical town.
They were set to meet Sophie Wilson at two o'clock in the afternoon, so Eric and Caroline decided to wander around Cambridge in the morning. Although they planned to enjoy a leisurely day, the two of them attracted attention, not due to their good looks, but because of their height difference. Even in high-heeled boots, Caroline barely came up to Eric's shoulders.
Dressed in matching black trench coats, despite her coat being several sizes smaller than Eric's, they still resembled a couple.
...
Eventually, they passed a women's clothing shop. Eric had an idea and led Caroline inside. When they emerged, Eric still looked the same, but Caroline had switched to a pink women's hoodie paired with light pants, replacing her high-heeled boots with white sneakers.
After tossing the clothes Caroline had changed out of to a nearby assistant, Eric looked her over and said, "This looks a lot better on you."
Noticing the mischievous grin on Eric's face, Caroline shyly replied, "Eric, you're up to something, aren't you?"
Eric shook his head, "Not at all! Now we won't attract any attention. Everyone will just think you're my sister or something."
Caroline scrunched her nose in frustration and said, "I don't want to be your sister."
Eric replied casually, "Then how about a cousin?"
Once Caroline realized Eric was merely joking, she stopped arguing, though her mind wandered to legal and genetic questions.
As they continued to stroll through the narrow streets of Cambridge, they passed a boutique. Eric spotted a light gray deer stalker hat and decided to buy it. He also tucked away the plain glasses he had been wearing as a disguise.
Seeing Eric fiddling with the hat, Caroline clumsily teased, "You don't look anything like Sherlock Holmes."
Eric pulled the brim down and joked, "Is it because I'm too handsome?"
Caroline laughed, "Not at all! The original Sherlock was an older man with a mustache."
Eric mused, "Who knows? I might invest in a younger version of Sherlock Holmes, set in the modern era. Charlotte and Watson could have a gripping storyline!"
Caroline chuckled at the thought of Eric ruining a classic and said, "Ha! That would definitely be chaotic."
Eric laughed along, "Maybe people would actually love it."
...
Cambridge University boasted over thirty colleges and research institutes scattered throughout the southwestern part of the city. Caroline took Eric on a tour of a few of the more renowned colleges and even visited the dormitory where she used to live with Rachel. At eleven that morning, following Caroline's recommendation, they grabbed lunch at a pizza place and then wandered to a small park opposite Queen's College, which wasn't too far from the cafe where they had arranged to meet with Sophie Wilson. The small park lay alongside the famed River Cam, known for its many charming bridges.
As noon passed and their plans to explore further dwindled, Eric requested the ARM materials from their bodyguard. He settled on a bench that overlooked the river and called Caroline over to sit next to him.
The autumn sun carried a slightly chilly pallor that easily evoked emotions. Fortunately, sitting in the noontime sun brought some warmth.
With his legs crossed and the documents resting on his lap, Eric inhaled the light fragrance that wafted from Caroline. He casually flipped through the pages of the information he had already read several times, committing crucial details to memory.
Interestingly, the emergence of ARM processors was born from a single issue: poverty.
In the early 1980s, as personal computers gained traction, the BBC aired a documentary on microprocessors that sparked strong viewer interest. Subsequently, the BBC decided to partner with Acorn Computers, which could be considered ARM's parent company, to produce a low-cost PC for eager viewers.
Acorn Computers was financially strapped and lacked the resources of industry giants like IBM or Intel to develop complex instruction set (CISC)-based high-performance processor chips. Instead, they could only produce low-cost, low-power processors based on reduced instruction set (RISC) technology, which required fewer transistors.
However, as the entire PC industry was focused on producing more powerful processors, Acorn experienced a brief period of success, only to quickly decline.
In 1990, Apple took notice of ARM's technological advantages and collaborated with engineers from Acorn Computers to establish ARM, working on processors for Apple's Newton Tablet. Although the Newton had advanced design concepts, its practicality was limited, and it came at a steep price. After several model iterations, it was teetering on the brink of discontinuation.
Following the failure of the Newton, ARM faced several years of slump until the resurgence of digital mobile phones allowed it to find its direction again. ARM was currently collaborating closely with Texas Instruments to develop phone chips based on ARM technology.
Coincidentally, this chip was commissioned by Nokia from Texas Instruments. While Nokia had a strong advantage in digital communications, its in-house chip development was just beginning, having relied previously on processors from companies like Texas Instruments.
At that moment, ARM didn't attract much attention in the industry yet as its first mobile chip had yet to be officially launched. ARM was also not publicly traded, with a relatively simple ownership structure mostly divided between Apple and ARM's parent company. Acquiring ARM would likely cost around $80 million.
The licensing situation for ARM's technology wasn't as rampant as in the past, with only a few companies like Apple and Texas Instruments holding licenses. Acquiring ARM would make it easy to control the dissemination of ARM technology.
However, careful consideration was necessary for the next strategic moves regarding ARM technology.
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