ARM will drop support for 32-bit software starting in 2022

Apple released the 64-bit A7 processor as early as 2013, and all Apple phones after the iPhone 5S use 64-bit processors. Whether it is software or hardware, 64-bit has greater improvements in performance and other aspects compared to 32-bit. According to the latest ARM Cortex-A CPU core details, the cores code-named Matterhorn and Makalu have stopped supporting 32-bit software. This It also marks the end of the 32-bit era, and the 64-bit software and hardware ecology of smartphones will be fully prevalent.

Compared with iOS, Android is slightly slower in 64-bit ecological layout, especially in terms of hardware ecology. The Android 5.0 system version in 2014 began to support 64-bit. In 2019, Google announced that its Play app store would no longer support 32-bit applications. At this point, the system and application software ecology in the Android 64-bit software ecosystem have been fundamentally resolved.

It must be noted that this time ARM mainly focuses on large-core changes. After the code-named Makalu core, that is, after 2022, it will gradually abandon support for 32-bit applications. This year’s new generation Cortex-A78 and Cortex-X1 core cities will continue to support 32-bit applications. Even in 2022, although ARM large cores will not support 32-bit applications, small cores similar to Cortex-A55 will continue to support it. Here we must talk about the Android software and hardware ecosystem.

Different from Apple’s strict requirements for its own software and hardware ecosystem, ARM has to consider compatibility issues because of the diversity of the Android ecosystem. There are not only many brands of Android devices, but also include smartphones, watches, tablets, and large-screen devices in terms of product form. Different devices have different software and hardware requirements. Some software has never launched a 64-bit version, and some devices use the 32-bit ecosystem. On the contrary, you can better control your costs. After ARM faced such a situation, it gradually opened up a 32-bit replacement plan.

Thanks to its control of its own iOS ecosystem and A-series processors, Apple has basically completed comprehensive ecological support for 64-bit software and hardware in the iOS 11 version. For many Android developers, a unified 64-bit application ecosystem can work better with 64-bit hardware. A single development without considering the compatibility of 32-bit software can also better reduce development and later maintenance costs. 64 The software and hardware ecosystem is the trend of the times, but it is a little slower to come to the Android ecosystem.

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