Embedded Systems

The field of embedded systems has been steadily growing over

the past couple of years. Embedded systems involve the miniaturization of

electronics so that it can fit into compact devices. It also deals with the

software required to drive the associated hardware. This year, embedded systems

received a lot of attention, due to the rise of portable devices like handhelds,

PDAs, Internet set-top boxes, etc. Moreover, wireless devices and technologies

like Bluetooth have also seen a lot of development.

With so many applications, all major microprocessor

manufacturers are building their own embedded processors. Many companies have

started using existing microprocessor cores and modifying them to suit embedded

devices. AMD, for example, recently introduced its AMD-K6-2E processor in two

flavors for embedded applications. These have gained support from industry

players like Lucent for its WAN/ VPN products line.

Motorola has been a significant player in the embedded

processors field over the last couple of years. They have the 68K cores at the

low-end, ColdFire in the mid-range and PowerPC for higher-end applications.

Various enhanced versions of ColdFire have been used in a multitude of devices.

Another contender for the marketshare is Intel, who went the embedded way with

its i960 processor, based on 1.0 micron technology. The same team was then put

into developing the StrongArm, which is based on 0.18 micron technology. This

processor became quite popular, and found its way into devices like the Compaq

iPAQ pocket PC, HP Jornada handheld PC, mobile phones and various digital

imaging products.

MIPS Technologies licenses out its microprocessor cores to

other companies and application developers. To give you an idea of its

popularity, you’ll find MIPS-compatibles in almost every device you can think

of, ranging from printers, copiers, scanners, routers, to robotic toys, smart

cards, and gaming consoles.

Another trend noticed this year was the growing popularity of

Market Specific Processors (MSPs) over Application Specific Integrated Circuits,

more commonly known as ASICs. In ASICs, the drawback is that they need heavier

investments and longer time spans to develop. Plus, they can’t be customized

later as the software instructions for them are put on a ROM, which is difficult

to modify. On the other hand, MSP is essentially an application-specific product

built around a general purpose CPU core. The software in this case is written

for the specific application and can be easily redone if need be. An example is

the Maverick, a chip from Cirrus Logic, which uses the ARM (StrongArm) core, and

finds application in portable MP3 players.

Other devices that will run on MSPs include Internet set-top

boxes, gaming consoles, and wireless Internet-enabled handheld gadgets. These

devices need a software-configurable embedded processor that can run real-time

software modules to handle different functions like protocols, physical

interfaces, peripherals, and applications. With an on-chip flash memory program,

such a chip would allow quick and easy reconfiguration for evolving product

needs.

These applications clearly suggest the direction this market

will take. We’ll have more devices running on embedded systems. These in turn

will run on very little power but will offer higher speeds.

Ashish Sharma