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JUNE 15, 2026
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Rename Arm v8/v9 architecture tags for consistency

Arm architecture tags now consistently include the profile suffix.

The Arm AEABI CPU architecture tag constants and macro definitions are renamed to include the profile suffix for A-profile architectures. This change makes the naming consistent with existing v8-R and v8-M tag names, while preserving the existing numeric tag values. This commit updates BFD, GAS and Gold usages accordingly, including attribute combination tables, architecture checks, and mach selection.

In Details

This commit renames the architecture tags in bfd/cpu-arm.c, elfcpp/arm.h, and other files to ensure consistency across different Arm profiles (A, R, M). The change affects how the architecture is identified in BFD, GAS (the GNU assembler), and Gold (the GNU linker), impacting attribute combination tables and architecture checks.

For Context

When working with ARM processors, different architectural profiles exist such as A-profile, R-profile, and M-profile. Each profile supports a different set of features and targets different application domains. This commit renames internal architecture tags within the Binutils suite to provide clear distinction between the different ARM profiles. This ensures that the correct features and optimizations are used when building software for specific ARM processors.

Filed Under: armarchitecturebfdgasgold