Overview of ARM Processor Architectures and Their Evolution

ARM architecture is one of the most popular processor architectures worldwide, with three profile configurations: A, R, and M, and billions of ARM‑based devices shipped each year.

ARM has introduced the new Cortex‑A50 series based on the ARMv8 architecture to strengthen its position in high‑performance and low‑power domains, directly influencing the mainstream PC market.

Cortex‑A57 and Cortex‑A53

Cortex‑A57 is ARM's most advanced, high‑performance application processor, while Cortex‑A53 is the most power‑efficient 64‑bit processor; both support the big.LITTLE architecture, allowing dynamic switching between cores for optimal performance and efficiency.

Cortex‑A15

The Cortex‑A15, based on ARMv7‑A, is the highest‑performance licensable processor, featuring an out‑of‑order superscalar pipeline, up to 4 MB L2 cache, and support for NEON and floating‑point units, making it suitable for smartphones, tablets, servers, and high‑end digital appliances.

Cortex‑A12

Released in mid‑2013, the Cortex‑A12 offers 40 % higher performance than Cortex‑A9 at the same power consumption and supports big.LITTLE; it targets mid‑range smartphones and tablets and includes virtualization, TrustZone, and up to 1 TB storage support.

Cortex‑A9

The Cortex‑A9, based on ARMv7‑A, provides an 8‑stage out‑of‑order pipeline, configurable L1/L2 caches, and is used in a wide range of devices from smartphones to servers, with many OEMs adopting it in their SoCs.

Cortex‑A8, A7, A5, and earlier cores

These cores represent earlier generations, each offering improvements in performance, power efficiency, and integration capabilities, and they have been widely deployed in various consumer and embedded products.

Mali GPU series

ARM's Mali‑G68, G77, and other GPUs follow the Valhall, Bifrost, and Midgard architectures, delivering significant performance and power‑efficiency gains for graphics and compute workloads.

For further study, the article lists multiple downloadable reports and reference manuals covering CPU and GPU research frameworks, ARM architecture documentation, and comparative analyses such as "CPU vs. Intel".