It comes out next month. Any reason to think it might not have the new ARM memory feature that is a game changer for eliminating intrusions with the 8 and 8 pro?

Hopefully it carries the same 7 year support for both OS and security patches.

Judging by the track record of the A Series and the leaks, it should be the same chip as in the Pixel 8 and therefore the same security features. We'll see...

The Google Tensor 3 has been redesigned to use ARMv9 cores - this also allows Google to implement new security technologies such as Arm's Memory Tagging Extensions (MTE).

According to rumors, the Pixel 8a will also have the Tensor G3 installed - which would also enable MTE.

The article also states:

Similar to the Pixel 7a, the Pixel 8a uses a slightly different version of the G3 than the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. While the silicon die inside the chip is identical, the plastic casing is different. While the regular G3 uses FOPLP (Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging), the G3 of the 8a uses IPoP (Integrated Package on Package). According to Samsung, IPoP is thicker and hotter than FOPLP, but also cheaper, which explains the decision. In practice, the differences shouldn't be huge, and the chip should still be a massive upgrade.

I suspect this won't have an impact on the MTE feature.