Introduction to ARM Processor & its Versions
ARM Processors
Overview
- ARM: Advanced RISC Machine (A)
- Company: ARM Ltd
- Founded in: November 1990
- Company HQ: Cambridge, UK
- Design Center: Cambridge
- Sales & Support: All over the world
- Best known for: Various range of processor cores designs
- Used in:
- high end applications involving complex computation
- Hand held devices
- Robotics
- Automation system
- Consumer electronics
- Website: www.arm.com
Features
- High performance, low power, small in size (ideal for embedded sys)
- Large Register File, Small instruction set, Load-Store instructions
- Fixed length instructions, Conditional execution of instructions
- High code density, most instructions executable in single cycle
- 32-bit in-line barrel shifter, built-in circuit for hardware debugging
- DSP enhanced instructions, Jazelle (Java byte code extn. 3rd state)
- TrustZone (SoC approach to security)
Applications
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ARM Processor Cores
ARM is so popular because it supports wide range of capability and functionality (performance). The evolution of the same is shown in above figure.
ARM7-TDMI-S
- Was widely adopted by cell phone industries in mid 1990’s onwords.
- Foundation for ARM’s early success.
- Still widely available (but ARM no longer licences AMR7-TDMI).
Cortex Processors
Cortex M Family
It is intended to use in microcontroller where cost is at premium.
Cortex R Family
- Provides Very High performance and Throughput
- Precise Timing property.
- Predictable Interrupt Latency.
- Ideal Embedded core for deeply embedded timing critical applications.
- eg. Engine Management system.
Cortex A Family
- It provides scalable High Performance in applications that require platform Operating System. Ie. Linux.
- It co-operates Memory Management system.
- Extended instruction set.
- Supports Multimedia Processing.
- All processors are available in multi-core designs
- It balances performance & power consumption in real time.
Development of the ARM Architecture
V4T | V5TE | V6 | V7 |
Half word & signed Half word byte support | Improved ARM/Thumb | Single Instruction Multiple Data | Thumb-2 |
System mode | Interworking | Multi-processing | NEON |
Thumb instruction set | Arithmetic saturation | V6 memory architecture | Trust Zone |
| DSP MLA instructions | Unaligned data support | Virtualization |
ARM7TDMI-S | ARM926EJ-S | ARM1136J(F)-S | Architecture profiles: V7-A (Application) V7-R(Read time) V7-M(Microcontroller) |
ARM Nomenclature
A R M {x}{ y}{ z} T D M I E J F S (Example: ARM7-TDMI-S) | |
---|---|
ARM | Advanced RISC Machine |
x | Series |
y | MMU ( No. of Memory Management units present) |
z | Cache Memory ( in terms of KB) |
T | Thumb instructions Support |
D | Debugger ( Debugging via JTAG interface) |
M | Multiplier |
I | In-Circuit Emulator (ICE) macrocell |
E | Enhanced Instructions for DSP related applications |
J | Jazelle instructions support for JAVA Codes execution |
F | Floating-point unit |
S | Synthesizable version |
Eg. ARM7TDMI
ARM926EJ-S
ARM1136J(F)-S
References
- ARM website www.arm.com
- Created, Edited, Developed and Notes by Prof Sujit Wagh, Sinhgad's SKNCOE, Vadgaon Bk, Pune
- WikiNote Foundation
Last modified: Tuesday, 16 June 2020, 11:35 AM