You are forgetting one very important issue.

If you have your own ASIC design and validation teams targeting the latest nodes, the ARM license is not a major cost to you. Heck, it's probably less than what you pay for your simulator or clock tree compiler. And probably worth it given the high quality support you get.

And if you are not at that level, do you really need a custom architecture? Can you pull it off with your limited resources?

It's not the direct cost of the license that is the big problem with using Arm. It's bullshit you have to deal with, not least the 18 months of time to negotiate the license in the first place.

Why don't Arm have a standard license that you download the PDF, tick the box for what you want, with a standard cost, sign it, and mail it in?

I don't know, but from all accounts from people who have been there, done that, they don't.

As we can see from the current revelation (or at least claim) that despite both Nivia and Qualcomm having "Arm Architectural Licences" they're apparently not allowed to do the thing that was the sole reason for Arm wanting to buy Nuvia i.e. use the core they had designed.

I feel you are moving the goalposts.

Also, in my own experience arm is pretty quick to approve things. But of course if you are "negotiating" things can take more time

Because Qualcomm - of all companies - would never push the envelope of what their licenses allow them to do?

This is a firm that got endorsements from 22 other companies for their acquisition of Nuvia but apparently somehow forgot to tell the firm that that are legally obliged to inform.