ARM architecture is behind millions of devices used today in the Internet of Things (IoT). It is stumbling into this burgeoning moment; ARM is the go-to processor for the world’s connected devices because they are energy efficient, scalable, and secure. The energy efficiency, performance, and security of ARM is the best option for IoT developers for applications ranging from tiny sensors to smart home hub devices.

Key takeaways

• The ability to use ARM’s RISC architecture provides an ideal option for battery-based IoT devices because of its low power consumption.
• With transition from data processing to IoT, ARM provides high-performance per watt with greater processing enabled while drawing minimal power.
• The capability to scale is unparalleled with ARM, ranging from basic sensor characteristics to OEM edge products.
• With security threats increasing, the TrustZone has a wide variety of security features to protect data and functions related to IoT.
• Software is plentiful in the ARM ecosystem allowing for fast-tracked innovation and development.

Why ARM Architecture Is Perfect for IoT Devices

What is ARM Architecture?ARM means Advanced RISC Machine, a family of processor designs based on Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC). Unlike x86 processors which use a complex instruction set, ARM uses a small, simple instruction set that reduces power consumption and aloows strong performance, especially for embedded or battery powered devices.

With a simple instruction set there is less energy consumed every time the instruction is run which is really important for IoT devices that run on a small battery or limited power..

ARM & IoT: A Natural Fit
IoT devices range from simple temperature sensors to sophisticated AI-based smart devices. Most importantly in IoT technology are certain key properties that ARM provides. It’s ARM’s flexibility, energy efficiency, and rich software ecosystem which makes it ideal for the highly diverse environment as the IoT devices market. In fact, ARM has shipped over 310 billion chips worldwide, a significant commercial share of which has been related to powering IoT innovations.

Top 5 Features of ARM Architecture Ideal for IoT Devices

ARM’s architecture considers energy efficiency its primary concern. The RISC architecture has a simple design and executes fewer instructions. With fewer instructions, fewer transistors switch, which results in less battery drain.

ARM Cortex-M series microcontroller examples are popular with fitness trackers, industrial sensors, etc. because they consume practically zero current. Low power consumption allows many IoT devices to run for years on even tiny batteries, needing replacement or charging less frequently.

2. High Performance per Watt
ARM has a superior performance per watt which means there is more work done for a given power budget available to IoT devices. This is possible through features like superscalar execution (the ability to process several instructions at once), branch prediction (the ability to guess the next instruction), and the number of registers available internally within processors, e.g. ARM E31M or Cortex-A.

This foundation allows IoT devices to process data, do analytics, or execute AI workloads (machine learning) at the edge and remain in real time and connected without having to query the cloud and drain excessive power budgets.

As a result, many of the IoT gateways and edge computing devices on the market, are based on ARM core architecture, Cortex-A processers

3.Scalability and Flexibility Across IoT Applications
One of the great strengths of ARM is scalability. It provides a large variety of processor cores for different types of IoT devices:

• Cortex-M cores are included in simple sensors and wearables.
• Cortex-R cores are designed for real-time systems, e.g., automotive controls.
• Cortex-A cores are oriented towards managing complex applications in IoT gateways and smart appliances.

Such diversity allows manufacturers to build a full product portfolio with ARM as a platform, keeping the same or compatible software with little development effort. Also, ARM licenses that provide companies the capability to customize their chips (SoCs) for specific IoT requirements allows for improved products for smart agriculture, industrial monitoring, medical applications, etc.

4. Built-in Robust Security Features
Given that IoT devices manage sensitive data and may control critical systems, security must be the highest priority in the design and architecture of these devices. All ARM processors provide security, with TrustZone technology being its standout feature. TrustZone allows secure and non-secure operating environments to coexist on an SoC, thereby separating sensitive applications from those not trusted.

This level of hardware-based sandboxing greatly minimizes the attack surface for an IoT device and protects personal data such as health, financial transactions and operational integrity in smart homes, industrial plants, or connected health devices.

In addition to TrustZone, ARM chips also offer secure boot and cryptography (both standard and hardware-based), and secure key storage to provide protection for the startup and communications of a system.

5.Extensive Software Ecosystem and Developer Community
You need hardware to play with. ARM supports the architecture with a huge software ecosystem. Developers can use general support for popular RTOS, as well as many variants of Linux and IoT-specific platforms.Alongside that ecosystem, come a myriad of tools, debug environments, libraries, and open-source projects that are tailored to ARM. There are starter kits like the Arduino (Cortex-M), and Raspberry Pi (Cortex-A), which are in the hands of millions of developers around the world. These projects support prototyping and idea sharing.The community and extensiveness of tooling provide a lower barrier for companies and hobbyists, allowing for faster innovation of ARM-based IoT platforms with lower risk.

Conclusion
The critical role that ARM plays in the emergence of IoT underlines the value of corporate training for employees to learn about ARM technology. Providing formal training for the teams will help them fully exploit ARM’s energy efficiency, scalability, and security in building resilient IoT devices. Cranes Varsity offers practical, hands-on courses involving ARM microcontrollers, embedded systems including IoT Security, for organizations seeking to upskill professionals.