Tech Brief
Using NANDrive™ in Arm®-based Systems
The Arm® architecture is based on an extremely flexible and powerful processor core, making it an ideal choice to license fornumerous companies manufacturing embedded processors. Processors from these companies feature heavily in embedded
systems and although they have the same basic core, the peripherals and I/O will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer
based on the end applications. A common theme, however, is the Arm bus architecture and the standard interfaces andperipherals that it supports. The popularity of the Arm core architecture means that there is a well established ecosystem ofsoftware and driver support, making these processors an excellent choice for embedded systems.

Memory Subsystem
The adoption of a specific processor core may be application dependent, but the choices when considering the memory subsystem
will largely depend upon the peripheral IP implemented by the processor vendor.
Applications that require an embedded operating system will benefit from a managed NAND subsystem and Arm-based processors
offer excellent support for this. One such example is the Embedded Multi Media Card (eMMC) protocol support. In addition, using
Greenliant NANDrive™ as the managed memory subsystem means there is no requirement to customize the memory interface.
The powerful, energy-efficient cores offered by Arm together with the proven peripheral IP make this technology well-suited for
portable and embedded applications. NANDrive is the ideal choice for mass storage in these applications because it is surface
mounted and has a small footprint. As a solid state device, it is more robust mechanically than a traditional hard disk drive. TheSerial ATA (SATA) and eMMC versions of NANDrive can interface directly with Arm-based processors, with the added benefit ofbeing lower power than traditional mass storage solutions. In embedded systems where data integrity is paramount, NANDrive has
the added advantage of a proven flash file system which maintains data integrity even in the event of a power failure.
Because of the wide choice of capacities and interfaces supported by NANDrive, there are many compatible Arm-based processors
available. The table on the next page includes some of the Arm-based processors most commonly found in embedded systems.

Implementation ConsiderationsNANDrive uses industry-standard protocols and interfaces—Parallel ATA (IDE/PATA), SATA and eMMC. This means that after thedesigner has considered the memory subsystem needs, the implementation is straightforward, thus accelerating the time to market.
Furthermore, if the design goals change and more (or less) storage is required, NANDrive has a common footprint to enable various
capacities to be used on the same board. Any specific implementation will depend on the processor. Embedded SSD design may
require additional optimization based on processor functionality and compatibility.
Applications

Typical Arm Design Using NANDrive

CAN Bus

Networking

LPDDR

WirelessNOR
DisplayArmPlatform

AudioUSB

Touch Control
www.NANDrive.com— In-vehicle infotainment— GPS and telematics— Data recorder— Video conferencing— Rugged tablet PC— Multi-function printer— Point-of-Sale terminal— VoIP system / PBX— Wireless base station— Router / Gateway / Switch— Set-top box— Industrial PC / Single-board computer— Ultrasound and medical imaging— Industrial automation and control— Test and measurement equipment— Video surveillance / ID terminal
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Example of Typical Arm Chipsets with NANDrive Support
Manufacturer

Marvell

Processor Family

NANDrive Series

Armada XP MV78xxx

eMMC - GLS85VM
SATA - GLS85LS

Armada 38x

SATA - GLS85LS

Armada 375

SATA - GLS85LSJetson

eMMC - GLS85VM

Tegra

eMMC - GLS85VM
SATA - GLS85LS

i.MX6 Dual / QuadeMMC - GLS85VM
SATA - GLS85LS

i.MX7 Family

eMMC - GLS85VM

i.MX8 Family

eMMC - GLS85VM
SATA - GLS85LSQorIQ Family

eMMC - GLS85VMSATA - GLS85LS

STM32 H7

eMMC - GLS85VM

Cartesio STA20xx

eMMC - GLS85VM

Sitara AM3xxx / 4xxx

eMMC - GLS85VM

Sitara AM17xx / AM18xx

eMMC - GLS85VM
SATA - GLS85LS

NVIDIANXP

ST Microelectronics

Texas Instruments

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These specifications are subject to change without notice. 05/2020