What Is ARM Cortex?
ARM Cortex is a common processor-core family that ARM designs and licenses to many semiconductor manufacturers. Most of today's MCUs and MPUs use an ARM core.
Why Is It So Common?
ARM doesn't manufacture cores; it licenses the design. Companies like STMicroelectronics, NXP and Microchip take this core and place it in their own chips. This shared core provides software portability across different brands.
Cortex Series
| Series | Target |
|---|---|
| Cortex-M | Microcontrollers (low power) |
| Cortex-A | Application processors (phones, Linux) |
| Cortex-R | Real-time, critical systems |
Cortex-M (The Most Common MCU)
It's the most-seen series in the embedded world. The Cortex-M0 is for low power and cost, while the Cortex-M4/M7, with DSP and floating-point capabilities, is for more demanding applications.
Its Advantage
Thanks to the shared architecture, development tools, libraries and know-how are shared. Moving from one brand to another is easier, and a wide ecosystem exists.
The Thumb Instruction Set
Cortex-M cores use a compressed instruction set called "Thumb"; this makes the code take less space and run efficiently on low-memory MCUs. Also, interrupt handling is accelerated in hardware, which improves real-time response.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the series: Cortex-M (MCU) and Cortex-A (application) are for different purposes.
- Looking only at the core: two chips with the same core can have very different peripherals.
- Expecting an FPU: not every Cortex-M includes a floating-point unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ARM make chips?+
What is the STM32?+
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