Develop and Manufacture Commercial SoCs

DesignStart Pro is the fastest, most affordable way to access a select mix of Arm IP for commercial custom SoC/ASIC design. DesignStart Pro provides access to Cortex-M0 and Cortex-M3 for no cost. Access to Cortex-A5 is also available with low upfront costs that vary dependent upon desired support.

Features and Benefits
IP Delivery

Full RTL

Licensing

Simple agreement for single-use commercial production

Royalties

Success-based royalties after sale of Arm-based product

Choose the Arm CPU Technology that Fits Your Application
DesignStart

Cortex-M0

 

One of the smallest Arm processors available with an exceptionally small silicon area and low power consumption.

Ideal for cost sensitive IoT and embedded devices

DesignStart

Cortex-M3

 

Industry-leading 32-bit processor specifically developed for high-performance, low cost platforms.

Ideal for wide range of embedded devices
DesignStart

Cortex-A5

 

Arm’s smallest applications processor delivering rich functionality to power-sensitive devices.

Ideal for feature-rich IoT and embedded devices
Upfront cost Upfront cost Upfront cost
$0 $0 $75K includes onboarding support and 1-year dedicated technical support, or
$150K includes onboarding support and 3 years dedicated technical support
Tape-out fee Tape-out fee Tape-out fee
$0 $0 $50K
Lead time to access IP Lead time to access IP Lead time to access IP
7 working days* 7 working days* 12 working days*
Includes Includes Includes
  • Cortex-A5 processor
  • Configurable AXI Interconnect
  • Arm Socrates tool
  • Debug and Trace module
  • Cache controller, SRAM controller, Watchdog, UART, GPIO, RTC
Tools and Models Tools and Models Tools and Models
Mbed OS support Mbed OS support Mbed OS support
No Yes No
Technical Support Technical Support Technical Support
Community-based support Community-based support
  • Onboarding call with Arm engineers maximizes design success
  • 1-year or 3-years dedicated technical support
*Arm attempts to provide access within this timeframe once legal contract and upfront fees (applicable only for Cortex-A5) are received. Few exceptional cases may take longer.
Get Started with DesignStart Pro
Apply now or log in if you are already a DesignStart Pro customer. 
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*If you are geographically located at People Republic of China (PRC), please visit Arm China DesignStart and apply or login. If you are geographically located at People Republic of China (PRC) and choose to apply on this web page, your information will automatically be shared with Arm China.

DesignStart Pro Support

Training

Arm training will get your teams up to speed quickly. We have hardware, software and system courses available in private, online and public classrooms.

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Technical Support

Discover a wide range of technical resources and support to aid in your custom chip development. Access relevant documentation or take advantage of our paid-for support service for fast answers on any issue from our team of highly qualified in-house experts.

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Design Services

We can help turn your ideas into reality in partnership with the Arm Approved Design Partners, offering design advice and assistance with specifications. Let us help you select the best design partner for your needs. 

Find a Partner

DesignStart RTL Review

For customers that design their own SoC, we can help verify the design and reduce risk before tape out. The review includes memory system arrangement, debug system, clock and power domains, and more.

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New Cortex-A5 Processor Package

The Cortex-A5 DesignStart package is being upgraded with new exciting features. Be the first to know about upcoming releases.

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Get Access to a Broader Range of Arm IP

If you would like to evaluate and design solutions with a broader range of Arm IP, Arm Flexible Access lets you explore and design with a wide-ranging package of Arm IP, tools, and services, with licensing due only when your SoC design is ready and committed for manufacture.

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Start-up Uses DesignStart Pro to Create Proof of Concept 

Find out how this start-up used Arm DesignStart to create proof of concept and secures $16m in funding.

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