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Designing a SoC with an Arm Cortex-M Processor

Joseph Yiu
Joseph Yiu
February 21, 2017
1 minute read time.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a small system-on-chip (SoC) based on a Arm Cortex-M processor? In this blog, we explain typically what IP components are required and what other things you might need to put the whole system together.

Cortex-M in SoC designs: A history and a future

Since the Cortex-M0 processor was released a few years ago, the number of silicon designs based on Cortex-M processors has increased substantially. By the end of 2016, it was reported that there were over 400 Cortex-M licensees, with most of these licensees using Cortex-M processors in non-MCU products.

In fact, Cortex-M processors are finding their ways into new SoC designs whose previous generations did not include a Cortex-M, let alone a digital processor core. As a result, many SoC design engineers have taken the exciting journey of integrating a Cortex-M processor core for the first time without previous experience or any knowledge of important considerations required.

Arm Cortex-M processor SoC

Integrating Cortex-M FAQs: A white paper

This white paper seeks to answer some of the frequently asked questions SoC designers face when integrating a Cortex-M processor for the first time. At the end of this white paper you will find a host of links to other resources and information that will be of use.

Since this is a big topic to cover, I am sure there is some information I missed. If you have additional information which can be useful to other chip designers, or if you spot any error in this document, please contact me and I will update this document from time to time.

Download Cortex-M white paper

A big thank you to various people who have been helping me in the preparation of this article:

  • Tim Menasveta (Senior Product Manager, Arm)
  • Diya Soubra (Director of Business Development and Solutions, Arm)
  • Leah Schuth (Technical Marketing Director, Arm)
  • Faisal Goriawalla (Senior Platform Marketing Manager, Arm)
  • Sam Geha (V.P. Technology and IP Business Unit, Cypress Semiconductor)
  • James Davey (Director Strategic Alliances, Cadence) and his team
  • Mayank Sharma (Product Manager, Arm)
  • Alexis Ogborn (Senior Marketing Manager, Arm)

Good luck with your next Cortex-M based design!

Regards,

Joseph

P.S. An older version of this paper is attached in this page below.

Designing a SoC with ARM Cortex-M (2.0b).pdf
Anonymous
  • Joseph Yiu
    Joseph Yiu over 10 years ago

    Thanks Michael. Document updated.

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  • Michael Thomas
    Michael Thomas over 10 years ago

    Compliance

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  • Joseph Yiu
    Joseph Yiu over 10 years ago

    Oops! You are right. It should be "compliants".

    I will update the document.

    Thanks

    Joseph

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  • Changjiang Duan
    Changjiang Duan over 10 years ago

    Hi,Joseph, I find a  spelling mistake (maybe  I am wrong ):

    Page 12

    The CMSDK also included a range of verification components for testing bus protocol complaints, and for bus stimulus generation.

    is protocol complaints a spelling mistake?

    or should be protocol compliants?

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  • Changjiang Duan
    Changjiang Duan over 10 years ago

    Wonderful, it's not only useful for chip designers to design Cortex-M based SoC or microcontroller, it's also useful for embedded software engineers who develop software for Cortex-M to better understand the inner operation of the Cortex-M based SoC or microcontroller.

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