Cortex product series worth paying attention to after ARM11

ARM changed the name of its products after the classic processor ARM11 to Cortex, and divided them into three categories: A, R and M, aiming to serve various markets. The Cortex series belongs to the ARMv7 architecture, which is the latest instruction set architecture of ARM as of 2010. The ARMv7 architecture defines three series with clear division of labor: the A series is aimed at cutting-edge virtual memory-based operating systems and user applications; the R series is aimed at real-time systems; and the M series is for microcontrollers. Due to different application fields, the technologies used in the Cortex processor series based on the v7 architecture are also different. The ones based on v7A are called the Cortex-A series, the ones based on v7R are called the Cortex-R series, and the ones based on v7M are called the Cortex-M series.

Today I will take you to look at the Cortex product series after ARM11:

ARM launched the ARMv8 architecture ARM Cortex-A50 processor series, which first launched the Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 processors and the latest energy-saving 64-bit processing technology and the expansion and upgrade of the existing 32-bit processing technology. The scalability of this processor series enables ARM's partners to develop system-level chips (SoCs) for various market needs such as smartphones and high-performance servers.

STMicroelectronics has taken the lead in deploying the 64-bit ARM Cortex-A57 processor and has successfully integrated 32-bit ARM cores into various products, accumulating rich experience in ARM processor integration. STMicroelectronics will use the extremely high performance, wider addressing space and low power consumption of the 64-bit Cortex-A57 processor to develop the next generation of computing-intensive system-level chips.

Marvell released the ARMADA 375, a dual-core 1.0 GHz SoC chip based on Cortex A9. The ARMADA 375 SoC chip has two main frequencies of 800 MHz and 1 GHz, including a variety of I/O peripherals, which realize seamless device integration and provide high performance in a compact system design. By deploying advanced design methods, the ARMADA 375 SoC chip has been fully optimized and has the advantages of high cost performance and low power consumption, which is suitable for a large number of application environments, including NAS platforms, network applications and high-capacity enterprise access points.

Texas Instruments Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processors support the most powerful Arduino currently available. TI's 1 GHz Sitara AM335x processors provide ArduinoTRE with 100 times more performance than Arduino Leonardo or Uno. Arduino users can not only use the full functionality of Linux for the first time, but also get a variety of new onboard connectivity options, allowing them to develop powerful advanced applications while taking full advantage of the simplicity of Arduino software.

Atmel has expanded its Cortex-A5 processor-based microprocessor SAMA5D3, with a computing power of up to 850DMIPS at a main frequency of 536MHz and a bus speed of up to 1328MB/s at a speed of 166MHz. In addition, these processors can provide high-speed connections for various industrial applications, and have ultra-low power consumption, with power consumption of less than 150mW at the highest speed in active mode; for battery-powered consumer applications, such as wearable applications such as smart watches, the power consumption in low-power mode is less than 0.5mW.

Atmel released the ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller SAM D20 series. The new product series takes advantage of Atmel's 20 years of microcontroller experience and the success of easy-to-use AVR and ARM products, combined with innovative and proven technologies, including intelligent peripherals with Atmel Event System and capacitive touch support for buttons, sliding control buttons and dial functions and proximity sensing. The new SAM D20 series also supports the latest versions of Atmel Studio and Atmel Software Framework, as well as integrated development platforms for developing and debugging applications based on Atmel ARM Cortex-M and Atmel AVR MCUs.

Atmel expands the ARM Cortex-M4 Flash microcontroller family, operating at up to 120MHz, offering greater processing power, an FPU and an integrated cache that provides zero-wait-state Flash access at full speed. The SAM4E microcontroller features up to 1MB of embedded Flash memory, security and safety features, and a wide range of communication links

Atmel has launched a low-power SAM D MCU portfolio based on ARM Cortex M0+. These entry-level low-power MCU products use Atmel's patented Event System technology, SERCOM module, peripheral touch controller and full-speed USB interface, allowing designers to bring their products to market faster.

Fujitsu has launched a series of 32-bit microcontrollers based on the ARM Cortex-M4 and M0+ cores. The FM4 series will cover the high-end product segment with higher performance and enhanced peripheral functions, as well as the addition of a DSP (digital signal processor) and an FPU (floating point processing unit); the FM0+ series is targeted at low-end products and is smaller in size, more energy efficient, and has lower leakage current than the FM3 series.

Toshiba has developed the CORTEX-M3 core microcontroller TMPM36BFYFG, which can reduce the energy consumption of the entire system by optimizing the bus architecture. The new microprocessor is equipped with a rich communication interface and multi-purpose motor control and IGBT control timers, making it an ideal system controller for home appliances, computer peripheral control instruments and subsystems, office automation equipment, and automated factory machines.

Silicon Labs has introduced the EFM32 Zero Gecko, the world’s most energy-efficient MCU based on the ARM Cortex-M0+ core. The EFM32 Zero Gecko MCU family is designed to achieve the lowest system power consumption for a wide range of battery-powered applications, such as portable health and fitness products, smart watches, sports trackers, smart meters, security systems and wireless sensor nodes, as well as battery-free systems powered by energy harvesting systems.