ARM architecture in the context of Fugaku (supercomputer)


ARM architecture in the context of Fugaku (supercomputer)

⭐ Core Definition: ARM architecture

ARM (stylised in lowercase as arm) is a family of RISC instruction set architectures for computer processors. Arm Holdings develops the instruction set architecture and licenses them to other companies, who build the physical devices that use the instruction set. It also designs and licenses cores that implement these instruction set architectures.

Due to their low costs, low power consumption, and low heat generation, ARM processors are useful for light, portable, battery-powered devices, including smartphones, laptops, and tablet computers, as well as embedded systems. However, ARM processors are also used for desktops and servers, including Fugaku, the world's fastest supercomputer from 2020 to 2022. With over 230 billion ARM chips produced, since at least 2003, and with its dominance increasing every year, ARM is the most widely used family of instruction set architectures.

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ARM architecture in the context of CompCert

CompCert is a formally verified optimizing compiler for a large subset of the C99 programming language (known as Clight) which currently targets PowerPC, ARM, RISC-V, x86 and x86-64 architectures. This project, led by Xavier Leroy, started officially in 2005, funded by the French institutes ANR and INRIA. The compiler is specified, programmed and proven in the Rocq proof assistant. It aims to be used for programming embedded systems requiring reliability. The performance of its generated code is often close to that of GCC (version 3) at optimization level -O1, and always better than that of GCC without optimizations.

Since 2015, AbsInt offers commercial licenses, provides support and maintenance, and contributes to the advancement of the tool. CompCert is released under a noncommercial license, and is therefore not free software, although some of its source files are dual-licensed with the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1 or later or are available under the terms of other licenses.

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ARM architecture in the context of Apple–Intel architecture

The Apple–Intel architecture is an unofficial name used for Macintosh personal computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. that use Intel x86 processors, rather than the PowerPC and Motorola 68000 ("68k") series processors used in their predecessors or the ARM-based Apple silicon SoCs used in their successors. As Apple changed the architecture of its products, they changed the firmware from the Open Firmware used on PowerPC-based Macs to the Intel-designed Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI). With the change in processor architecture to x86, Macs gained the ability to boot into x86-native operating systems (such as Microsoft Windows), while Intel VT-x brought near-native virtualization with macOS as the host OS.

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ARM architecture in the context of Freescale DragonBall

The DragonBall, or MC68328, is a microcontroller design based on the 68000 core, but implemented as an all-in-one 3.3v low-power system for handheld computer use. It is supported by μClinux. It was designed by Motorola in Hong Kong and released in 1995. The series was later owned by Freesale Semiconductor.

The DragonBall's major design win was in numerous devices running the Palm OS platform. However, from Palm OS 5 onwards their use was superseded by ARM-based processors from Texas Instruments and Intel.

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ARM architecture in the context of Surface Pro X

The Surface Pro X is a 2-in-1 detachable tablet computer developed by Microsoft. It was developed alongside and was announced on 2 October 2019 alongside the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3. Updated hardware was announced alongside Surface Laptop Go and Surface accessories on October 1, 2020 and September 22, 2021. The device starts at $899.99 USD / £849.99.

The Surface Pro X comes with a Microsoft SQ1 or SQ2 ARM processor, which the company claimed has three times the performance of an x86 MacBook Air, whilst also having a 13-hour battery life. This is due to the increased power efficiency of ARM processors compared to traditional x86 processors. Microsoft has previously used ARM processors in the discontinued Surface RT and Windows Phone devices.

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ARM architecture in the context of RISC-V

RISC-V (pronounced "risk-five") is a free and open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) based on reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles. Unlike proprietary ISAs such as x86 and ARM, RISC-V is described as "free and open" because its specifications are released under permissive open-source licenses and can be implemented without paying royalties.

RISC-V was developed in 2010 at the University of California, Berkeley as the fifth generation of RISC processors created at the university since 1981. In 2015, development and maintenance of the standard was transferred to RISC-V International, a non-profit organization based in Switzerland with more than 4,500 members as of 2025.

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ARM architecture in the context of Load/store architecture

In computer engineering, a load–store architecture (or a register–register architecture) is an instruction set architecture that divides instructions into two categories: memory access (load and store between memory and registers) and ALU operations (which only occur between registers).

Some RISC architectures such as PowerPC, SPARC, RISC-V, ARM, and MIPS are load–store architectures.

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