Docker and Arm have announced a strategic partnership enabling cloud developers to build applications for cloud, edge, and Internet of Things (IoT) environments “seamlessly” on the Arm architecture.
This cloud-native unified software development and delivery model by Docker and Arm for cloud, edge, and IoT devices would allow organizations to build applications faster, more securely, and ultimately create new services and applications to further realize the benefits of digital transformation.
Data generated by the proliferation of IoT and intelligent connected devices are causing networks to be weighed down, thus making centralized processing inefficient and expensive. Docker and Arm are addressing this challenge by offering a common software pipeline for cloud, edge and IoT, allowing developers to remove the dependencies of applications from infrastructure, while gaining delivery and production frameworks.
Enterprises would also benefit through direct cloud cost savings and increased operational efficiencies with Docker developers “seamlessly” becoming Arm developers, instantly taking advantage of new services like AWS EC2 A1 instances based on AWS Graviton Processors that feature 64-bit Arm Neoverse cores.
“Extending to the edge furthers our enterprise vision of providing one single platform for building and running all applications,” said David Messina, EVP of Strategic Alliances at Docker. “The pervasiveness of Arm-powered technologies across the global internet infrastructure market is unmatched and now nearly two million Docker developers will be able to build and scale applications for the cloud and these connected devices quickly and securely. From product integration and technology innovation to a joint go-to-market approach, this partnership empowers enterprises to create new services and drive differentiation at the edge.”
Arm Neoverse Platform
The two companies are also making Docker-based solutions available to the Arm developer ecosystem as an extension of the Arm Neoverse platform. This integration means millions of Arm developers can now leverage Docker-based solutions to build and deploy their applications “more quickly and easily” across a wide range of applications from cloud to edge to device.
“A world of one trillion connected devices will require heterogenous and distributed compute from cloud to edge,” said Mohamed Awad, vice president of marketing, Infrastructure Line of Business, Arm. “Bringing together Docker’s comprehensive platform with Arm’s vast hardware and software ecosystem gives developers a simplified experience and delivery model for cloud, edge, and IoT applications.”
This marks the beginning of the Docker and Arm collaboration and covers the complete software lifecycle, from development to production. The initial phase of the partnership is focused on delivering a seamless developer environment, starting with the integration of Arm capabilities into Docker Desktop Community.
Additional work by Docker and Arm will address:
- End-to-end management of the full product lifecycle from development to secure device management
- Unified development environments for heterogeneous compute
- Scaling cloud-native benefits to consolidate edge workloads
Additionally, Docker and Arm will provide a Docker Enterprise Engine for Amazon EC2 A1 instances powered by AWS Graviton Processors that feature 64-bit Arm Neoverse cores and custom silicon designed by AWS. The instances would allow organizations to achieve “up to 45 percent” cost savings when running their scale-out containerized applications on Arm backed by commercial support from Docker. In many cases, cloud-native Linux applications can run unmodified, in some cases a simple recompile may be needed to generate Arm executables.
