System Architectures

Arm system architectures define components and interfaces that simplify hardware and software interoperation. These architectures offer standardization and commonality across the ecosystem and help reduce the cost of ownership for software.

 

Arm provides system architectures that are free of charge to use and help the ecosystem design secure and efficient systems as easily as possible.

Features and Benefits

Performance. Compatibility. Efficiency. 

An energy-efficient, high-performing, and secure device needs more than just a good CPU. It also needs system components that connect the CPU to other components, such as memory, storage, and GPUs. Arm system architectures cover hardware, firmware, and software and provide standardization and best practice guidance to help reduce costs and time to market when designing your system.
Security

Security is essential to product success and our system architectures combine rigorous security principles, best practices, and industry knowledge. They offer a cohesive and standardized approach to engineering secure platform designs. PSA Certified is a good example of how Arm leads the ecosystem and encourages partners to design-in scalable security. See our Security Architectures framework.
Diverse Platforms

Arm provides system architectures that span multiple markets. These include automotive, embedded, IoT, mobile, server and infrastructure, and machine learning. We work with silicon partners and operating system (OS) vendors across the industry to design the necessary hardware-to-OS and firmware-to-OS interfaces.
Foundational Value

Arm offers value to partners and the ecosystem by providing the underlying foundation upon which the ecosystem builds and innovates. System architectures vary dependent on the market. They enable a wide range of products across many market segments, from embedded, to mobile, to infrastructure.

Talk with an Expert

Starting off on the right foundation for your product or project is critical. Talk with an Arm expert to learn more about which architecture is right for you.

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Arm SystemReady Program Logo

Arm SystemReady Certification Program

A set of standards and a compliance certification program that enables interoperability with generic, off-the-shelf operating systems and hypervisors. It provides a foundational framework at the system level to help software ‘just work’ out of the box.

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AMBA

The Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture (AMBA) is a freely available, open standard for the connection and management of functional blocks in a system-on-chip (SoC).

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Software Standards

View the software standards for Arm system architectures.

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Related Products and Services

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Platform Design - Mobile System

Platform designs pull together CPU and system architectures into a platform definition that large bodies of software, including operating systems, can rely on. This helps reduce the software cost of ownership in the Arm ecosystem and helps the Arm ecosystem scale.

 

Arm platform designs target diverse systems and markets, including servers and networking (infrastructure), embedded and automotive, mobile computing, and IoT devices. The links on this page provide more guidance on what is required when designing these specific systems.

 

Arm provides the Base System Architectures (BSA) that define hardware product requirements for specific markets, developed through our partner ecosystem. Arm platform design architectures offer many benefits, including accelerated product development, incorporation of best practices, and interoperability with the ecosystem.

 

The Base System Architectures are made up of various hardware and software components.

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System Architecture Resources