AMBAväyläjärjestelmät

AMBAväyläjärjestelmät, commonly known as AMBA bus systems, refers to a family of synchronous, high-speed bus protocols developed by ARM Holdings. These protocols are designed for on-chip communication within embedded systems, particularly those utilizing ARM processors. The primary goal of AMBA specifications is to enable modular design of complex integrated circuits by providing a standardized interface for connecting various functional blocks, such as CPUs, DSPs, memory controllers, and peripherals.

The most widely known AMBA specification is the Advanced High-performance Bus (AHB). AHB is a point-to-point bus that supports pipelined transfers, making it suitable for high-performance applications. It provides features like burst transfers, split transactions, and multi-master capabilities. Another significant protocol is the Advanced Peripheral Bus (APB), which is designed for lower bandwidth peripherals. APB offers a simpler interface and lower power consumption compared to AHB, making it ideal for connecting devices like UARTs, timers, and GPIOs.

More recent additions to the AMBA family include the Advanced eXtensible Interface (AXI) and the AMBA Low Power Interface (LPI). AXI is a more advanced protocol than AHB, offering greater flexibility and performance through features like multiple outstanding transactions, out-of-order completion, and separate address/control and data phases. LPI is focused on power management, allowing for low-power states of bus interfaces. The widespread adoption of AMBA standards has facilitated the development of complex System-on-Chips (SoCs) by providing a common language for IP block integration.