The new, full Arm Developer experience: community, kits, tools, and challenges in one place

AI development is moving fast. 

Developers are now building across cloud, edge, and physical AI systems, often at the same time. That creates new challenges around optimization, tooling, deployment, and moving projects from prototype to production. 

As Sharbani Roy, VP of AI and Developer Platforms at Arm, recently shared, in Arm’s role as the foundational compute platform for AI, we continue to invest across the software stack, ecosystem, and developer experience to help developers build and scale AI workloads more efficiently. 

Arm is investing across the developer journey with tools, learning resources, community programs, and validated workflows to enable building and deploying AI workloads on Arm.

Today, Arm is introducing three connected ways developers can participate, belong, and build:  

• Arm Create: Hands-on events, challenges, and community experiences for developers 
• Arm Developer Program: Now in its next phase, the program is a central place for tools, learning, technical engagement, and community 
• Kits for developers: Practical assets and workflows that help developers start building on Arm faster 

Arm Create

Arm Create invites developers everywhere to tap into the creativity behind their code. More than a program, it is an invitation to build, experiment, and bring ideas to life on Arm. Through hands-on sessions, technical events, challenges, and community activities, developers can experience Arm in ways that spark curiosity and innovation.  

The program also gives developers a space to move from idea to outcome, experimenting with workflows, optimization techniques, new tools, and applying what they learn to real-world projects. 

Several Arm Create experiences are already planned:  

• Arm AI Optimization Challenge 2026: Competition to build AI projects across Arm-powered platforms, with tracks for physical AI, cloud AI, and mobile AI, and a total prize pool of $8,000. 
• Arm Create Dev Day at SIGGRAPH: On July 20, developers are invited to hands-on sessions focused on graphics, AI workflows, and creative applications running on Arm. 
• Edge AI 101 Series: A practical introduction to running AI at the edge using local inference workflows on Arm-based systems. 

Attendees from companies including Amazon and Microsoft got an exclusive first look at Arm Create during Deep Learning AI Conference 2026. Developers explored hands-on cloud-to-edge demos from AWS and Octopus built on Raspberry Pi, alongside Android demonstrations showcasing the impact of SME2 across devices. 

Arm Developer Program

As AI development becomes more distributed across cloud, edge, and physical devices, developers need continuity across platforms, tools, and communities. The Arm Developer Program is designed to support that longer-term journey from prototype to production.  

The Arm Developer Program is the home for developers who want to: 

• Access tutorials, technical learning, and development resources 
• Connect through Discord and the broader Arm developer community 
• Engage directly with Arm engineers and experts 
• Participate in events and community discussions 
• Build recognition and progression over time 
• Explore deeper technical opportunities across the Arm ecosystem 

Check out the latest benefits available to developers in the program: 

• Personalized dashboard with curated tools, learning paths, labs, and technical content 
• Early access to Arm tools, SDKs, features, and beta programs 
• On-demand labs for real development and testing on Arm technology, without setup friction 
• Free Coursera licenses for Arm courses and certifications 
• Direct access to the Arm Developer Discord community and technical support forums with Arm engineers 
• Badging and recognition for learning and community participation 
• Opportunity to become an Arm Ambassador 
• And much more coming soon 

Kits for developers

Developers need to evaluate new technology quickly and efficiently, as new projects across cloud, edge, and physical AI systems are usually time constrained. Kits help developers quickly build on Arm with practical, reusable assets. 

Depending on the workflow, these may include: 

• Software development kits (SDKs) 
• Plugins and extensions
• Simulators and emulators 
• Downloadable assets 
• Sample applications 
• Guided workflows 

The focus is on helping developers move from first run to practical evaluation and integration. Initial examples include: 

• Neural Graphics Development Kit
• Getting Started with Kleidi and SME2 Resources 

These kits help developers experiment with AI optimizations, advanced compute capabilities like https://developer.arm.com/documentation/109246/0101/SME-Overview/SME-and-SME2, advanced graphics workflows through neural graphics techniques, and perception-based AI systems running on Arm. 

How can developers get started?

The best way to understand what is possible on Arm is to start building. Arm Create, the Arm Developer Program, and kits are designed to make that easier, whether you are experimenting with AI for the first time or optimizing production workloads across platforms.  

Here are a few ways developers can get started with Arm:  

Discover and join an upcoming Arm Create Experience  Explore resources through the Arm Developer Program   

Try a kit for developers and start building on Arm

We are looking forward to seeing how developers use these new experiences together to build what’s next.