Cortex-M1 with Actel
Is Small, Fast, and Free
Actel Delivers the First ARM Processor Designed for FPGAs
Co-developed by ARM and Actel, the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M1 processor is the first ARM processor designed specifically for FPGA implementation. A streamlined three-stage pipeline processor, the Cortex-M1 processor implements a subset of the Thumb®-2 instruction set, retaining compatibility with Thumb code for any ARM processor from the ARM7 processor upwards.
The Cortex-M1 processor, providing a good balance between size and speed, operates at up to 72 MHz in Actel's secure M1-enabled Fusion or ProASIC3 FPGAs. It can be implemented in as few as 4300 tiles, roughly 20 percent of an M1A3P1000.
ProASIC3 device or 30 percent of a mixed-signal M1AFS600 Fusion PSC. The configurable Cortex-M1 processor connects to the industry-standard AHB bus,
| SMALL | Roughly 20% of a ProASIC3 1 Million Gate device |
| FAST | 72 MHz in ProASIC3 or Fusion |
| FREE | No license fees or royalties with Actel devices |
Actel's implementation of the Cortex-M1 processor is now available as early access. The M1-enabled Fusion and ProASIC3 devices will sample in Q3 2007. Pricing for the M1 devices starts at $3.95.
Cortex-M1 Tools
Typical of industry-standard offerings, support for the Cortex-M1 processor surpasses that offered for proprietary solutions.
Actel will offer its CoreConsole IP Deployment Platform, SoftConsole program development environment, and Actel Libero IDE — all available for free download from Actel's website. In addition to ARM tools, such as the RealView® Development Suite and RealView Microcontroller Development Kit, third-party vendors like Aldec, CriticalBlue, CodeSourcery, IAR, ImpulseC and Keil will offer supporting tools — from compilers and debuggers to RTOS solutions.
Since the AMBA bus is an industry standard you can use any of the Actel supplied AMBA peripherals, create your own, or use other third party peripherals to complement your processor.
Cortex-M1 Dev. Kits
Since the Cortex-M1 can be programmed into either the ProASIC3 or
the Fusion device, designers will be able to use variants of the CoreMP7
and System Management Development Kits to develop with Cortex-M1.
