The ARM Cortex-A8 is a
32-bit
In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in a maximum of 32- bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform la ...
processor core licensed by
ARM Holdings
Arm Holdings plc (formerly an acronym for Advanced RISC Machines and originally Acorn RISC Machine) is a British semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge, England, whose primary business is the design of central processing ...
implementing the
ARMv7-A architecture.
Compared to the
ARM11, the Cortex-A8 is a dual-issue
superscalar
A superscalar processor (or multiple-issue processor) is a CPU that implements a form of parallelism called instruction-level parallelism within a single processor. In contrast to a scalar processor, which can execute at most one single in ...
design, achieving roughly twice the
instructions per cycle
In computer architecture, instructions per cycle (IPC), commonly called instructions per clock, is one aspect of a processor's performance: the average number of instructions executed for each clock cycle. It is the multiplicative inverse of c ...
. The Cortex-A8 was the first Cortex design to be adopted on a large scale in consumer devices.
Features
Key features of the Cortex-A8 core are:
* Frequency from 600 MHz to 1 GHz and above
*
Superscalar
A superscalar processor (or multiple-issue processor) is a CPU that implements a form of parallelism called instruction-level parallelism within a single processor. In contrast to a scalar processor, which can execute at most one single in ...
dual-issue microarchitecture
*
NEON
Neon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is the second noble gas in the periodic table. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with approximately two-thirds the density of ...
SIMD
Single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) is a type of parallel computer, parallel processing in Flynn's taxonomy. SIMD describes computers with multiple processing elements that perform the same operation on multiple data points simultaneousl ...
instruction set extension
[Cortex-A8 Specification Summary; ARM Holdings.](_blank)
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* 13-stage integer pipeline
A pipeline is a system of Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries ...
and 10-stage NEON pipeline Jazelle RCT
ARM (stylised in lowercase as arm, formerly an acronym for Advanced RISC Machines and originally Acorn RISC Machine) is a family of RISC instruction set architectures (ISAs) for computer processors. Arm Holdings develops the ISAs and lice ...
(also known as ThumbEE instruction set)
* Advanced branch prediction unit with >95% accuracy
* Integrated level 2 Cache (0–4 MiB)
* 2.0 DMIPS/MHz
Chips
Several system-on-chips (SoC) have implemented the Cortex-A8 core, including:
* Allwinner A1X
* Apple A4
* Freescale Semiconductor i.MX51
* Rockchip
Rockchip (Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese fabless semiconductor company based in Fuzhou, Fujian province. It has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hong Kong. It designs system on a chip (SoC) products, usi ...
RK2918, RK2906
* Samsung Exynos 3110
* TI OMAP3
* TI Sitara ARM Processors
* Conexant CX92755
See also
* ARM architecture
ARM (stylised in lowercase as arm, formerly an acronym for Advanced RISC Machines and originally Acorn RISC Machine) is a family of reduced instruction set computer, RISC instruction set architectures (ISAs) for central processing unit, com ...
* Comparison of ARMv7-A cores
* JTAG
* List of applications of ARM cores
* List of ARM cores
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, bu ...
References
External links
;ARM Holdings
*
ARM Cortex-A8 Technical Reference Manuals
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ARM processors
ARM Holdings IP cores