Summary: The newly launched Arm Cortex-M42 processor is included in the Arm Flexible Access and Arm Total Access programs, bringing efficient artificial intelligence computing capabilities to more smart devices and accelerating edge AI innovation.
Key Highlights
· The influence of the Arm Flexible Access program continues to expand, currently boasting over 300 active members and achieving more than 500 independent tape-out projects; meanwhile, the Arm Total Access program has empowered 60 partners, supporting over 600 projects.
· The new Arm Cortex-M42 processor brings advanced machine learning and signal processing capabilities to cost- and area-sensitive smart endpoints.
· Arm is further expanding its accessible technology portfolio to help chip innovators accelerate product development in areas such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), wearables, and connected devices.
Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARM, hereinafter referred to as Arm) recently announced an expansion of its technology licensing subscription programs, Arm® Flexible Access and Arm Total Access, to include the newly launched Arm Cortex®-M42 processor. This move brings efficient artificial intelligence (AI) computing capabilities to more smart devices and accelerates edge AI innovation. The Cortex-M42 processor targets cost- and area-sensitive endpoint devices, providing advanced machine learning (ML) and digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities, thereby enriching the computing choices available to chip partners.
Neil Parris, Director of Commercial Enablement at Arm, stated: "As market demand for AI, more powerful smart connected devices, and industry-specific computing continues to grow, the pace of innovation in the semiconductor industry is accelerating. Faced with increasingly diverse applications, chip partners need access to a richer portfolio of advanced, energy-efficient computing technologies to meet varying performance, power, and cost requirements."
Arm offers diverse options through Arm Flexible Access and Arm Total Access, enabling chip partners to access a broad range of technical resources to accelerate the development and time-to-market of differentiated products.
Driving Cortex-M-based design upgrades to bring advanced AI capabilities to more endpoint devices
The Cortex-M42 combines Arm Helium™ technology with a compact design based on the Advanced High-performance Bus (AHB), helping chip partners more easily upgrade existing microcontrollers (MCUs) based on Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M33 while introducing more advanced ML and DSP capabilities. This supports a wide range of cost- and area-sensitive applications, including audio processing and keyword recognition in wearables, as well as sensor analysis, condition monitoring, and signal processing in connected and industrial controllers.
These capabilities also apply to Physical AI. In Physical AI scenarios, intelligent machines rely on distributed embedded computing to achieve perception, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and control. For example, the Cortex-M42 can support local signal processing and condition monitoring for robot motors and joints, helping to identify abnormal behavior or signs of equipment wear (excluding safety-critical motion control).
Built on the Armv8.1-M architecture, the Cortex-M42 offers up to three times the vector compute performance and twice the vector energy efficiency compared to the Cortex-M33. Arm Custom Instructions (ACI) provide greater flexibility, allowing optimization of the processor for specific workloads. The addition of the Cortex-M42 further expands the Arm Flexible Access portfolio, which also includes the Cortex-M52, Cortex-M55, Cortex-M85, Arm Ethos™-U85 NPU, Arm Corstone™-320 reference design platform, and the Armv9 Edge AI Platform, offering partners a wider range of computing options for developing smart devices.
Accelerating Chip Innovation
Globally, as of November 2026, Arm Flexible Access has 319 active members and has achieved over 500 independent tape-outs. Meanwhile, Arm Total Access continues to expand, with over 600 projects launched among its existing 60 partners. In the Chinese market, 90 companies have chosen the Arm Flexible Access program, including emerging enterprises such as Hangzhou Chip Power, OneMicro, Anlogic, Huichun Technology, and Hengshuo Semiconductor, completing 45 chip designs through this program. Additionally, 11 companies have adopted the Arm Total Access program, completing 75 chip designs, thereby accelerating local technological innovation and ecosystem development.
The Arm Flexible Access program allows partners to access a wide range of Arm processor designs, development tools, and technical resources at low or no cost, enabling exploration and development of new products before finalizing designs. The Arm Total Access program supports mature semiconductor companies, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs), and system integrators, facilitating product development, commercialization, and scaled deployment for broader applications and performance requirements.
Regardless of the chosen program, partners can leverage a unified compute foundation and software ecosystem to bring differentiated chips to market using the Arm Compute Platform.
Recent tape-out projects by partners include:
· EnSilica utilizes Cortex processors and Ethos NPUs to develop custom ASIC chips for the communications, satellite, automotive, and industrial markets.
· Nordic Semiconductor has adopted the Cortex-M33 in its nRF54LM20B for low-power wireless and connected devices.
· Synaptics integrates the Cortex-M52 and Ethos-U55 in its SRW1500 series to support AI processing in embedded devices; its Astra SR80 series adopts the Cortex-M33 for high-efficiency connected applications.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday devices and systems, the market demand for efficient and scalable computing continues to grow. By expanding the range of Arm technologies accessible to chip partners, such as introducing the latest Cortex-M42 technology, Arm is helping more chip innovators bring intelligence to where it is needed most, accelerating the development of the next generation of smart connected devices.
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