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 32-bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calculation ...
processor core licensed by
ARM Holdings
Arm is a British semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge, England.
Its primary business is in the design of ARM processors (CPUs). It also designs other chips, provides software development tools under the DS-5, RealView an ...
implementing the
ARMv7-A architecture.
Compared to the
ARM11, the Cortex-A8 is a dual-issue
superscalar
A superscalar 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 instruction per clock cycle, a sup ...
design, achieving roughly twice the
instructions per cycle. 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 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 instruction per clock cycle, a sup ...
dual-issue microarchitecture
*
NEON
Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with krypton ...
SIMD instruction set extension
[Cortex-A8 Specification Summary; ARM Holdings.](_blank)
/ref>
* 13-stage integer pipeline and 10-stage NEON pipeline
Chips
Several system-on-chips (SoC) have implemented the Cortex-A8 core, including:
* Allwinner A1X
* Apple A4
* Freescale Semiconductor i.MX51
* Rockchip 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 for computer processors, configured ...
* List of ARM cores
* List of applications of ARM cores
* Comparison of ARMv7-A cores
* JTAG
JTAG (named after the Joint Test Action Group which codified it) is an Technical standard, industry standard for verifying designs and testing printed circuit boards after manufacture.
JTAG implements standards for on-chip instrumentation in ele ...
References
"ARM Cortex
The force that drives mobile devices"
External links
;ARM Holdings
*
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Cortex-A8
ARM Holdings IP cores