Arm expands Arm Flexible Access and Arm Total Access portfolios with new Arm Cortex-M42 to accelerate edge AI innovation

By Neil Parris, Commercial Director, Arm

• Arm Flexible Access continues to grow, with over 300 active members and more than 500 unique tape-outs, while Arm Total Access now enables 60 partners and has supported more than 600 projects since launch
• New Arm Cortex-M42 processor brings advanced machine learning and signal processing capabilities to cost and area-sensitive intelligent endpoints 
• Expanded access to Arm technology is helping silicon innovators accelerate development across areas including industrial IoT, wearables and connected devices 

November 10, 2026 -- Innovation across the semiconductor industry continues to accelerate, driven by growing demand for AI, more capable intelligent connected devices, and specialized computing across industries. As applications become increasingly diverse, silicon partners need access to a broad portfolio of advanced, power-efficient compute technologies to meet different performance, power and cost requirements. 

Through Arm Flexible Access and Arm Total Access, Arm provides that choice, giving silicon partners access to a wide range of technologies to develop differentiated products and bring them to market faster. Today, Arm is expanding both portfolios with the new Arm Cortex-M42 processor, bringing efficient AI compute capabilities to more intelligent devices.  

Evolving Cortex-M-based designs to bring advanced AI capabilities to more endpoints 

Cortex-M42 combines Arm Helium technology with a compact, AHB-based design, making it easier for silicon partners to upgrade existing Arm Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M33-based microcontrollers (MCUs) while introducing more advanced machine learning (ML) and digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities. This supports a wide range of cost- and area-sensitive applications, from audio processing and keyword spotting in wearables to sensor analysis, condition monitoring and signal processing in connectivity and industrial controllers. 

These capabilities are also relevant to physical AI, where intelligent machines rely on distributed embedded processing for sensing, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance and control. For example, Cortex-M42 could enable local signal processing and condition monitoring of robotic motors and joints, helping identify abnormal behavior or signs of equipment wear without performing safety-critical motion-control functions. 

Built on the Armv8.1-M architecture, Cortex-M42 delivers up to 3x the vector compute capability and 2x the vector power efficiency of Cortex-M33, while Arm Custom Instructions provide additional flexibility to optimize processors for specific workloads. The addition builds on the continued expansion of the Arm Flexible Access portfolio, including Arm Cortex-M52, Arm Cortex-M55, Arm Cortex-M85, Arm Ethos-U85 NPU, Arm Corstone-320 reference design platform and the Armv9 Edge AI platform, providing partners with a broader range of compute options for intelligent devices. 

Accelerating silicon innovation

As of November 2026, Arm Flexible Access has 319 active members and has enabled more than 500 unique tape-outs. Arm Total Access continues to grow, with 60 partners to date and more than 600 projects undertaken through the program since launch.  

Arm Flexible Access offers low or no-cost access to a broad portfolio of Arm processor designs, development tools, and technical resources to explore and develop new products before committing to a final design. Arm Total Access supports established semiconductor companies, OEMs, ODMs and system integrators as they develop, commercialize and scale their products across a wider range of applications and performance points. 

Across both programs, partners are using the Arm compute platform to bring differentiated silicon to market, based on a common compute foundation and software ecosystem. 

Recent partner tape-outs include: 

• EnSilica, using Arm Cortex processors and Ethos NPUs to develop custom ASICs across communications, satellite, automotive and industrial markets. 

• Nordic Semiconductor, building on Cortex-M33 in its nRF54LM20B for low-power wireless and connected devices. 

• Synaptics, combining the Cortex-M52 and Arm Ethos-U55 in its SRW1500 series to support AI processing in embedded devices, while its Astra SR80 series uses Cortex-M33 for energy-efficient connected applications.  

As AI moves into more of the devices and systems we rely on every day, the need for efficient, scalable compute continues to grow. By expanding access to technologies like Cortex-M42, Arm is helping more silicon innovators bring intelligence closer to where it’s needed, accelerating the next generation of intelligent, connected devices.