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.

In 2025, Arm introduced the C-series naming scheme to succeed the Cortex-A and Cortex-X branding for application processors. The C-series cores continue the architectural lineage of the Cortex-A family, beginning with the C1 generation.

Overview 64-bit Year Core 2016 Cortex-A34 2018 Cortex-A65 2021 Cortex-A510 2022 Cortex-A715 2023 Cortex-A520 Cortex-A720 2024 Cortex-A725 32/64-bit Year Core 2012 Cortex-A53 Cortex-A57 2015 Cortex-A35 Cortex-A72 2016 Cortex-A73 2017 Cortex-A55 Cortex-A75 2018 Cortex-A76 2019 Cortex-A77 2020 Cortex-A78 2021 Cortex-A710 2022 Cortex-A510(refresh) 32-bit Year Core 2005 Cortex-A8 2007 Cortex-A9 2009 Cortex-A5 2010 Cortex-A15 2011 Cortex-A7 2013 Cortex-A12 2014 Cortex-A17 2016 Cortex-A32

Licensing and customization Arm Holdings does not produce or sell physical processors. Instead, it licenses its processor designs to other companies, which integrate them into custom chips. Licensees receive a synthesizable hardware description of the core—typically written in Verilog—along with a software development toolkit and the rights to produce and sell chips containing the ARM architecture.

This licensing model allows chip designers to customize the processor core to meet specific performance, power efficiency, or size requirements. Manufacturers can add proprietary features, optimize for higher clock speeds or lower power consumption, and configure the core to suit a wide range of applications. The exact configuration of an ARM-based chip varies by manufacturer and can be determined by consulting datasheets and reference manuals.

Instruction sets Cortex-A cores implement several versions of the ARM architecture, reflecting their generation and feature set. Older models such as the Cortex-A5, A7, A8, A9, A12, A15, and A17 are based on the ARMv7-A architecture. Newer 32-bit and 64-bit cores—including the Cortex-A32, A34, A35, A53, A57, A72, and A73—use the ARMv8-A architecture, which introduced support for exclusive load and store instructions used in synchronization. Later cores such as the Cortex-A55, A65, A75, A76, A77, and A78 implement ARMv8.2-A. The most recent designs, including the Cortex-A510, A710, A715, A520, and A720, are based on the ARMv9-A and ARMv9.2-A architectures.

Technical documentation Documentation for ARM-based processors is typically organized in several layers. At the top level are high-level marketing materials and datasheets provided by the chip manufacturer, which describe the specific system-on-chip (SoC) and its capabilities. More detailed reference manuals outline the chip’s peripherals and system integration features.

At the core level, Arm publishes reference manuals for each Cortex-A processor, covering implementation details and supported features.ARMv7-A Architecture Reference Manual; ARM Holdings. For a deeper understanding of the underlying instruction sets and architecture, Arm’s architecture reference manuals provide a comprehensive technical specification. Additional documentation, such as evaluation board guides, application notes, and errata, is often provided by manufacturers to support development and deployment.

See also

ARM architecture family Comparison of ARMv7-A cores Comparison of ARMv8-A cores JTAG, SWD List of ARM processors

References

External links

ARM Cortex-A official documents

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! ARMCore !! BitWidth !! ARMWebsite !! ARM TechnicalReference Manual !! ARM ArchitectureReference Manual |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A5 || 32 || Link || Link || rowspan=7 | ARMv7-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A7 || 32 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A8 || 32 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A9 || 32 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A12 || 32 || colspan=2 |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A15 || 32 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A17 || 32 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A32 || 32 || Link || Link || rowspan=4 | ARMv8-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A34 || 64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A35 || 32/64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A53 || 32/64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A55 || 32/64 || Link || Link || ARMv8.2-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A57 || 32/64 || Link || Link || ARMv8-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A510 || 64 (2021)32/64 (2022) || Link || Link || ARMv9-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A520 || 64 || Link || Link ||ARMv9.2-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A65 || 64 || Link || Link || ARMv8.2-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A72 || 32/64 || Link || Link || rowspan=2 | ARMv8-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A73 || 32/64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A75 || 32/64 || Link || Link || rowspan=4 | ARMv8.2-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A76 || 32/64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A77 || 32/64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A78 || 32/64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A710 || 32/64 || Link || Link || rowspan=2 | ARMv9-A |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A715 || 64 || Link || Link |- | style="background: LightCyan" | Cortex-A720 || 64 || Link || Link || ARMv9.2-A

Quick Reference Cards Instructions: Thumb (1), ARM and Thumb-2 (2), Vector Floating-Point (3) – arm.com Opcodes: Thumb (1, 2), ARM (3, 4), GNU Assembler Directives (5).

Migrating Migrating from MIPS to ARM – arm.com Migrating from PPC to ARM – arm.com Migrating from SH-4 to Cortex-A – arm.com Migrating from IA-32 (x86-32) to ARM – arm.com