Cortex-M4 processor core
Cortex-M4 adds DSP instructions to the Armv7-M programming model. An implementation can include a single-precision floating-point unit.
Core features
| Feature | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Armv7E-M |
| DSP | Supports saturating operations, packed arithmetic and multiply-accumulate instructions for fixed-point filtering and control. |
| Floating point | Check whether the chip implements FPv4-SP. FPU compiler flags and calling conventions must agree across the firmware and its libraries. |
| Interrupt context | When floating-point code runs in handlers or an RTOS, account for the extra exception stack frame and the FPU context policy. |
Before bring-up
- Confirm the exact part’s DSP and FPU configuration. Select the target core, FPU and float ABI consistently in the build.
- Use the silicon vendor’s peripheral and package tables to find debug, power and application connections.
Manufacturer documents
- Arm Cortex-M4· Processor datasheet and technical documentation.
- Arm Cortex-M processor comparison· Architecture, instruction-set extensions and optional debug features.
- Arm Cortex-M documentation index· Technical reference manuals, programming guides and revision-specific errata.