Most processors are used in embedded systems, where the processor architectures are diverse due to optimizations for different application domains. The main challenge for embedded system processors is the right balance between performance and chip size, which directly relates to cost. An early estimation of the performance for a new design is of paramount importance. In this paper, the authors propose cross profiling for that performance estimation, which can be accomplished very early in the design phase. They evaluate their approach in the context of a java processor for embedded systems using cross-profiling on a standard desktop Java Virtual Machine (JVM).