Arm has launched the new Cortex-M42 core, targeting AI deployment vehicles such as wearables, industrial IoT terminals, and smart controllers that need to perform machine learning computations locally while balancing power consumption, area, and cost. Based on the Armv8.1-M architecture, the core focuses on machine learning and digital signal processing, delivering vector operation throughput up to three times higher than the Cortex-M33 and vector computing energy efficiency up to twice as high. Combining the Helium vector extension with a streamlined AHB bus architecture, it features low resource usage and a low migration threshold, and supports Arm custom instructions to facilitate differentiated tuning by manufacturers, covering a wide range of non-safety-critical scenarios. The Cortex-M42 has been included in two Arm technology licensing programs, with the related licensing service system expanded accordingly. Data on the scale of active members, tape-outs, and chip designs in both programs globally and in China has also been released.