General-Purpose, Deterministic 32-Bit Performance
The Cortex-M processor series is designed to enable developers to create cost-sensitive and power-constrained solutions for a broad range of devices. The optimal balance between area, performance, and power makes Cortex-M3 ideal for products such as microcontrollers, automotive body systems, and wireless networking and sensors.
Features and Benefits
Reduce time to market and achieve first-time success by using one of the most trusted processors. It is deployed in billions of devices across a broad set of embedded applications and backed by the richest ecosystem of software, tools, and knowledge.
Achieve more with Cortex-M3, which features exceptional 32-bit performance with low dynamic power. It also delivers leading system energy efficiency, thanks to integrated software-controlled sleep modes, extensive clock gating, and optional state retention.
Arm DesignStart helps companies design innovative custom chips or FPGA designs, with the lowest risk possible.
Where Innovation and Ideas Come to Life
Smart Home Devices
Increasingly smart devices and advanced levels of interaction demand 32-bit performance, without compromising on cost or power. Cortex-M3 is used across many smart home devices, providing the perfect balance of performance, cost, and ease of programming required in smart home devices.
Talk with an Expert
Find out how the Arm Cortex-M3 processor can improve power efficiency in your smallest applications.
Available in Arm Flexible Access
For unlimited design access to this product and other useful Arm IP,
visit Arm Flexible Access. Start your project off the right way
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Explore More Options and Features
Arm Development Studio
An end-to-end software development environment for all Arm-based systems, including Arm Compiler, debuggers, IDEs, performance analysis tools, models and middleware.
Corstone-101
The Arm Corstone-101 package contains a pre-verified subsystem and system IP to help make the development of secure custom SoCs for IoT and embedded applications quick and efficient.
Software Test Libraries
Arm's Software Test Libraries provide diagnostic coverage to address functional safety requirements for ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 systems, with flexible execution scheduling minimizing the run-time impact on applications.
DesignStart
Arm DesignStart offers instant and easy access to
Arm IP and an extensive ecosystem, enabling
developers to pursue application-optimized designs
at low upfront cost and reduced risk, with faster
time-to-market.
A Foundation of Silicon Success
Arm-based chips, device architectures, and technologies orchestrate the performance of everything that makes modern life possible — from smartphones to agricultural sensors and from medical instruments to servers.
Armv7-M Architecture
The Armv7-M architecture provides opportunities for simple pipeline designs offering system performance levels across a broad range of markets and applications. It offers low cycle count execution, minimal interrupt latency, and cacheless operation, and is designed for deeply embedded systems.
Safety Ready
Functional safety is a critical element in the design of any system that requires a high level of reliability. Arm’s Safety Ready program is a collection of products across the Arm portfolio that have been through various and rigorous levels of functional safety systematic flows and development.
CMSIS-NN
A collection of efficient neural network kernels developed to maximize the performance and minimize the memory footprint of neural networks on Cortex-M processor cores.
Cortex-M3 Resources
Reference Book
Blog
Case Study
- From concept to tape-out in 6 months using DesignStart
- Start-up uses Arm DesignStart Pro to create proof of concept, secures $16m in funding
Tools
Training
Event
emberlight
emberlight is an attachment that screws into an existing light fitting
and can be used with any dimmable bulb. It connects directly to a
home’s wireless network, which allows control through a smartphone
application.