Cortex-M3 DesignStart Prototyping with the Cortex-M Prototyping System

ARM announces new DesignStart program with Cortex-M3 addition.

This program provides immediate, free access to evaluate, design, and prototype custom SoCs based on Cortex-M0 or Cortex-M3 processors via DesignStart Eval. DesignStart Pro enables design of commercial SoCs with no up-front licensing costs and a simple, success-based royalty model.

DesignStart is more than just processor IP. DesignStart Eval and DesignStart Pro include processor IP, reference systems, and access to free online community support. In addition, dedicated support, training, and services from ARM and ARM partners are available.

DesignStart Eval runs out-of-the-box on the MPS2+, an ARM Cortex-M prototyping system, enabling rapid evaluation and prototyping of user designs.

Prototyping is a very essential step in the SoC design process. It not only verifies the design, but also prevents the tape out of a defective design. It also saves valuable time, as you can start developing software for your prototype before you even get silicon, in parallel with verification. ARM offers the perfect solution for this: the Cortex-M Prototyping System.

The Cortex-M Prototyping System enables rapid FPGA prototyping for Cortex-M, including example designs and software support. Unlike other boards on the market, the FPGA platform is optimized for Cortex-M processors, allowing you to get up and running quickly and focus on differentiation. It supports multiple debug connectors including CMSIS DAP, ARM mbed OS, includes 16MB of zero wait-state memory, and is supported directly by ARM.


The Cortex-M3 DesignStart package enables users to simulate a reference subsystem design using their preferred simulator (Mentor® Questa®, Cadence® Incisive, or Synopsys® VCS®). Then, they can add their own IP to the design and build it into the simulation environment or modify existing tests.

ARM has designed an example FPFA implementation using the DesignStart Eval package for its Cortex-M prototyping system. This can be used to advance testing and integrate user designs into the platform or re-run simulation tests on the FPGA target.

The ARM Cortex-M3 processor is provided as a netlist, with debug and trace support. The Cortex-M3 subsystem design example is small enough that there is enough space in the FPGA to expand the design with user IP. The board has a variety of peripherals, and more peripherals can be added via the Arduino expansion adapter. If you can't find the peripherals you need, you can design your own board using the PCB files provided for the expansion board. You can find the files to use as examples in the Arduino section of the Cortex-M Prototyping System page.