ARMv7A

ARMv7-A is the application-profile of the ARMv7 architecture, a 32-bit instruction-set architecture designed for high-performance, energy-efficient processors used in mobile and embedded devices. It defines both ARM and Thumb-2 instruction encodings, a unified 32-bit register file, and system-level features such as a memory management unit for virtual memory, along with capabilities to support security and virtualization.

Key features include the Thumb-2 mixed 16- and 32-bit instruction set that improves code density, and optional extensions for multimedia acceleration such as the Advanced SIMD (NEON) and the VFP floating-point unit. ARMv7-A also provides security and isolation through TrustZone technology, and hardware-assisted virtualization in some implementations to run multiple operating systems or guests on a single core. The architecture relies on a 32-bit address space and is implemented across various Cortex-A cores, with details varying by core design.

Early implementations of ARMv7-A include the Cortex-A8 and Cortex-A9, with later cores such as Cortex-A12 and Cortex-A15 expanding performance and features. ARMv7-A formed the basis for many smartphones, tablets, and embedded devices from the late 2000s through the early 2010s, facilitating a wide ecosystem of software. It remains relevant for 32-bit software and devices even as the ARM architecture moved to ARMv8-A, which adds 64-bit support while maintaining compatibility paths for 32-bit code.