Learn how the Arm architecture works with our series of guides. From the fundamentals to more advance concepts, these guides provide an accessible introduction to the architecture that powers Arm-based technology. Check back regularly for new guides and resources.

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Architecture fundamentals

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Introducing the Arm Architecture

This guide provides a non-technical introduction to the Arm Architecture.

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Armv8-A Exception model

This guide introduces the exception and privilege model in Armv8-A. 

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Armv8-A Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)

This guide introduces the A64 instruction set used in AArch64.

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Armv8-A memory management

This guide introduces the MMU, which is used to control virtual to physical address translation.


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Armv8-A memory model

This guide introduces the memory model in Armv8-A. It describes memory attributes and the basics of memory ordering.

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Understanding the Armv8.x extensions

This guide explains extensions to the Arm architecture and provides guidance on how to read and use them.

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Advanced features

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Armv8-A Virtualization

This guide describes the virtualization support in the Armv8-A AArch64, including basic virtualization theory, stage 2 translation, virtual exceptions, and trapping.

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Generic Interrupt Controller

This guide provides an overview of the GIC, describing the operation of a GICv3 compliant interrupt controller, and providing information about configuration for use in a bare metal environment.

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Generic Timer

This guide introduces the Generic Timer, the timer framework for A-profile PEs.

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Security

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Introduction to security

This guide introduces some generic concepts about security. These concepts apply to the secure compute platforms that Arm provides for a range of security-focused applications.

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TrustZone for Armv8-A

This guide introduces TrustZone, an efficient, system-side approach to security with hardware-enforced isolation built into the CPU.

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Providing protection for complex software

This guide examines the features in Armv8-A that help to mitigate against software attacks including pointer authentication, branch target authentication, and memory tagging.

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Software Development

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Introducing Neon 

This guide introduces Arm Neon technology, the Advanced SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) architecture extension for implementation of the Armv8–A or Armv8–R architecture profiles.

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Optimizing C code with Neon intrinsics

This guide shows you how to use Neon intrinsics in your C or C++ code to take advantage of the Advanced SIMD technology in the Armv8 architecture.

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Compiling for Neon with auto-vectorization

This guide shows you how to use your compiler to automatically generate code that contains Armv8 Advanced SIMD instructions, using several examples. 

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Boot: bare metal

We're working on a new guide. Until it's ready, you can read our Application Note Bare-metal Boot Code for ARMv8-A Processors.

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Building your first embedded image

This guide describes how create an embedded image, including compiling the program, specifying the memory map, use a model to run the image. 

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Before debugging

This guide describes concepts that are useful to know before debugging an Armv8-A processor, including different types of debug, target types and target states.

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Debugger usage

This guide focuses on characteristics that are common to bare-metal debuggers that target the Armv8-A architecture. It also covers what you need to know when you work with debuggers, and possible consequences of their use.

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