Introduction Flashcards
Term: ARM Architecture
Definition: A family of computer processor architectures known for their power efficiency and versatility.
Term: RISC
Definition: Reduced Instruction Set Computing, a design philosophy used in ARM processors for simplicity and efficiency.
Term: ISA
Definition: Instruction Set Architecture, the set of instructions understood by a specific processor.
Term: Thumb Instruction Set
Definition: A 16-bit instruction set in ARM architecture, useful for applications with limited memory.
Term: SIMD
Definition: Single Instruction, Multiple Data; ARM extensions for parallel processing of multiple data elements.
Term: Endianness
Definition: Byte order used by a processor; ARM supports both little-endian and big-endian.
Term: Multicore Support
Definition: Ability of ARM processors to integrate multiple cores on a single chip.
Term: Power Efficiency
Definition: A key feature of ARM architecture, making it ideal for mobile and battery-powered devices.
Term: Licensing Model
Definition: ARM architecture is licensed to semiconductor companies to develop custom processors.
Term: SoC
Definition: System-on-Chip, an integrated circuit that contains multiple components like CPU, GPU, and memory.
Term: ARMv8-A Architecture
Definition: ARM architecture with 64-bit support, bringing performance improvements and increased memory addressability.
Term: ISA Extensions
Definition: Additional instructions or features added to the base ARM ISA for specific tasks.
Term: Pipeline
Definition: A sequence of stages that a processor’s instructions go through during execution.
Term: Branch Prediction
Definition: Technique used to guess the outcome of a conditional branch instruction to improve performance.
Term: Fetch-Decode-Execute
Definition: The three steps in the instruction execution cycle of a processor.
Term: Registers
Definition: Fast storage locations within the CPU used for temporary data storage during processing.
Term: ALU
Definition: Arithmetic Logic Unit, responsible for performing arithmetic and logical operations.
Term: Data Processing Instructions
Definition: ARM instructions for arithmetic and logical operations on data.
Term: Control Flow Instructions
Definition: ARM instructions for managing the flow of program execution (e.g., branching, looping).
Term: Interrupts
Definition: Signals used to temporarily halt the normal program flow and handle exceptional events.
Term: Embedded Systems
Definition: Computers integrated into other devices or systems, commonly using ARM processors.
Term: IoT
Definition: Internet of Things; devices connected to the internet that often utilize ARM-based chips.
Term: Real-Time Systems
Definition: Systems that must respond to events within a guaranteed time frame, frequently using ARM architecture.
Term: ARM Cortex
Definition: A series of ARM processor cores with various features and performance levels.
Term: Application Processors
Definition: ARM processors designed for running applications in devices like smartphones and tablets.
