9.5 Generic Interrupt Controller (GIC)

The integrated Generic Interrupt Controller (GIC) collates and arbitrates from a large number of interrupt sources. It provides:

  • Masking of interrupts
  • Prioritization of interrupts
  • Distribution of the interrupts to the target processors
  • Tracking the status of interrupts
  • Generation of interrupts by software
  • Support for security extensions
  • Support for virtualization extensions

Refer to the Cortex-A7 Core Technical Reference Manual for more information about the GIC.