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
Cortex-M0
One of the smallest Arm processors.
Cortex-M3
Developed for high-performance, low cost platforms.
Cortex-A5
Delivering rich functionality to power-sensitive devices.
Upfront Costs
Upfront Costs $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 $0 $0 $50K
Lead time to access IP
Lead time to access IP 7 working days* 7 working days* 12 working days*
Includes
Includes
  • Cortex-A5 processor
  • Configurable AXI Interconnect
  • Arm Socrates tool
  • Debug and Trace module
  • Cache controller, SRAM controller, Watchdog, UART, GPIO, RTC
  • SSE-500 Example Subsystem
Tools and Models
Tools and Models
OS support
OS support None Mbed Linux
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
Get Started with DesignStart Pro
Apply now or log in if you are already a DesignStart Pro customer 
Apply Now*Log In

*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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