The LPC178x/7x is an ARM Cortex-M3 based microcontroller for embedded applicationsrequiring a high level of integration and low power dissipation.The Cortex-M3 is a next generation core that offers better performance than the ARM7 atthe same clock rate and other system enhancements such as modernized debug featuresand a higher level of support block integration. The Cortex-M3 CPU incorporates a3-stage pipeline and has a Harvard architecture with separate local instruction and databuses, as well as a third bus with slightly lower performance for peripherals. TheCortex-M3 CPU also includes an internal prefetch unit that supports speculativebranches.