The invisible world of Computer Science within Arm’s reach

The key to appreciating the relevance of computer science in our everyday lives lies in understanding the invisible systems that make modern technology work.

With this in mind, we were delighted to welcome guest speaker, Salomé Thirot, Senior Software Engineer at Arm, to explain how the world’s leading provider of microprocessor technology has an impact on all of us.

Based in Cambridge, Arm itself does not make or sell end-user products like laptops or mobile phones: it designs and licences the technology to power these devices.

When Salomé began explaining the intricacies behind watching a high-quality YouTube on a phone without the battery dying in minutes, the entire class was captivated.

For a generation that has grown up surrounded by tech, learning how much we rely on the engineers and software creators at companies like Arm was a revelation for the Year 7 students at St Mary’s.

Their curiosity sparked, the students then went on to plug in micro:bits and do their own coding, furthering their own problem-solving and computational thinking skills just like the 22 million strong global community of developers who use Arm’s technology.