ARM Cortex-A
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Designed by | ARM Holdings |
| Architecture and classification | |
| Instruction set | ARM, Thumb-2 (32-bit cores); ARMv7-A and ARMv8-A A64, A32, T32 (64-bit cores); ARMv8-A, ARMv8.1-A, ARMv8.2-A, ARMv9-A, ARMv9.2-A |
The ARM Cortex-A is a family of ARM architecture processor cores developed by Arm Holdings. Designed for application-level computing, Cortex-A cores are widely used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and embedded systems.
Cortex-A processors include both 32-bit and 64-bit designs. Most 32-bit cores implement the ARMv7-A architecture profile. All 64-bit Cortex-A cores implement the ARMv8-A profile, which supports both 64-bit and, in some cases, 32-bit execution.
The Cortex-A series is distinct from Arm's Cortex-R and Cortex-M families, which are optimized for real-time and low-power applications, respectively. Unlike the other two families, the Cortex-A series supports a memory management unit (MMU) required by many modern operating systems.