Semiconductor & Computer Engineering
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| + | '''StrongARM''' was a microarchitecture for [[DEC]]'s series of [[ARM]]-based microprocessors {{decc|StrongARM|branded under the same name}}. This microarchitecture was the result of a collaborative effort by [[DEC]] and [[ARM Holdings|ARM]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Overview == | ||
| + | The StrongARM microarchitecture started as a collaborative project between [[arm holdings|ARM]] and [[DEC]] in the mid-1990s. The primary design goal was to develop a new class of high-performance low-power [[ARM]]-based processors. Earlier ARM architectures were simply insufficiently weak to power more advanced mobile devices such as PDAs and set-tops. Because of the new design goals, StrongARM implemented a number of new techniques not found in previous ARM architectures. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The historical significance of the StrongARM development cannot be overstated. StrongARM implemented the same [[ARM]] architecture as the {{armh|ARM8}} - {{arm|ARMv4}}. The route ARM took to improve the {{armh|ARM7}} through the {{armh|ARM8}} was to widen the pipeline which allowed for double the speed at the cost of more [[die]] space for an identical [[semiconductor process|process]]. ARM8 was consequently seldom licensed and has largely faded into obscurity. The StrongARM on the other hand resulted in performance increase of up to 5 times as much. StrongARM enjoyed a series of design wins such as [[Psion]] 7 Series, [[Apple]]'s MessagePad 2000/2100, Yakumo Alpha PDA, and various PDAs from [[HP]]'s Jornada line. After being sold to [[Intel]] in [[1997]], the architecture {{intel|xscale|was enhanced|l=arch}} and went on to dominate the PDA and light mobile market for close to a decade before being sold to [[Marvell]] just prior to the [[smartphone boom]] in 2006. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == References == | ||
| + | * Witek, Rich, and James Montanaro. "StrongARM: a high-performance ARM processor." Compcon'96. 'Technologies for the Information Superhighway' Digest of Papers. IEEE, 1996. | ||
Revision as of 16:45, 29 May 2017
| Edit Values | |
| StrongARM µarch | |
| General Info | |
| Arch Type | CPU |
| Designer | DEC, ARM Holdings |
| Manufacturer | DEC |
| Introduction | February 5, 1996 |
| Process | 0.35 µm |
| Core Configs | 1 |
| Pipeline | |
| OoOE | No |
| Speculative | Yes |
| Reg Renaming | No |
| Stages | 5 |
| Decode | 1-way |
| Instructions | |
| ISA | ARMv4 |
| Cache | |
| L1I Cache | 16 KiB/core 32-way set associative |
| L1D Cache | 16 KiB/core 32-way set associative |
| Succession | |
StrongARM was a microarchitecture for DEC's series of ARM-based microprocessors branded under the same name. This microarchitecture was the result of a collaborative effort by DEC and ARM.
Overview
The StrongARM microarchitecture started as a collaborative project between ARM and DEC in the mid-1990s. The primary design goal was to develop a new class of high-performance low-power ARM-based processors. Earlier ARM architectures were simply insufficiently weak to power more advanced mobile devices such as PDAs and set-tops. Because of the new design goals, StrongARM implemented a number of new techniques not found in previous ARM architectures.
The historical significance of the StrongARM development cannot be overstated. StrongARM implemented the same ARM architecture as the ARM8 - ARMv4. The route ARM took to improve the ARM7 through the ARM8 was to widen the pipeline which allowed for double the speed at the cost of more die space for an identical process. ARM8 was consequently seldom licensed and has largely faded into obscurity. The StrongARM on the other hand resulted in performance increase of up to 5 times as much. StrongARM enjoyed a series of design wins such as Psion 7 Series, Apple's MessagePad 2000/2100, Yakumo Alpha PDA, and various PDAs from HP's Jornada line. After being sold to Intel in 1997, the architecture was enhanced and went on to dominate the PDA and light mobile market for close to a decade before being sold to Marvell just prior to the smartphone boom in 2006.
References
- Witek, Rich, and James Montanaro. "StrongARM: a high-performance ARM processor." Compcon'96. 'Technologies for the Information Superhighway' Digest of Papers. IEEE, 1996.
| codename | StrongARM + |
| core count | 1 + |
| designer | DEC + and ARM Holdings + |
| first launched | February 5, 1996 + |
| full page name | dec/microarchitectures/strongarm + |
| instance of | microarchitecture + |
| instruction set architecture | ARMv4 + |
| manufacturer | DEC + |
| microarchitecture type | CPU + |
| name | StrongARM + |
| pipeline stages | 5 + |
| process | 350 nm (0.35 μm, 3.5e-4 mm) + |