How We See Embedded Processing
Industry leaders share their insights about processor and software-processing architectures and the impact they have on system and software development. Relevant architectures include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), multiprocessor architectures, processor fabrics, coprocessors, and accelerators, plus embedded cores in FPGAs, SOCs, and ASICs. Moderated by EDN Technical Editor Robert Cravotta.
Using eight bits to save two bits
Do some inflection points make as much sound as one hand clapping? It seems that way. Why else would so many device manufacturers still use 8- or 16-bit processors, when modern 32- and 64-bit processors blow those parts out of the water? The answer, of course, is cost. 8-bitters are cheap. Unfortunately, this cost-saving measure comes at a, well, cost — lost productivity. Engineering time i ...... Read More
Comments (2)Using eight bits to save two bits
Do some inflection points make as much sound as one hand clapping? It seems that way. Why else would so many device manufacturers still use 8- or 16-bit processors, when modern 32- and 64-bit processors blow those parts out of the water? The answer, of course, is cost. 8-bitters are cheap. Unfortunately, this cost-saving measure comes at a, well, cost — lost productivity. Engineering time i ...... Read More
Comments (0)Blurring Lines Between 8- and 32-bit Microcontrollers?
… or is the 16-bit microcontroller family dead? Over the years, the lines have blurred between the 8-, 16-, and 32-bit microcontroller families with designers confused to when they should select which line. In Robert Cravotta’s recent article entitled “Recognizing Technology’s Inflections” he says that “… Freescale’s Flexis and Atmel’s ...... Read More
Comments (7)Wireless Everywhere and Programmable Designs
Robert Cravotta’s article on technology inflection points highlights the idea that electronics industry progress is often driven more by added simplification, not added complexity, in underlying technologies. When the internal sophistication of a technology can be encapsulated in robust, general-purpose abstractions, it becomes more usable. We have seen this in the many key transitions in o ...... Read More
Comments (0)Wireless baseband inflection point – SDR as a technological breakthrough
After reading Robert Cravotta’s article on Recognizing technology’s inflections it brought to mind just how many changes our industry is going through. It appears that Moore’s Law can be applied to many different fields in the embedded processor market, and perhaps that the original two year timeline for each generation has become even shorter. One specific market my co ...... Read More
Comments (0)Of Windows, Newton’s, iPad’s and 10GBASE-T
[Editor’s note: George Zimmerman’s post is copied here as a guest post to allow the guest posts on this topic to be gathered in one place. Check out George’s other posts at Up and Down the Network Stack.] A recent article in EDN by Robert Cravotta pointed out how changes in the adoption of new technologies (so-called “inflection points”) are often related ...... Read More
Comments (4)Technology inflections : digital signal processing
[Editor’s note: Gene Frantz’s post is copied here as a guest post to allow the guest posts on this topic to be gathered in one place. Check out Gene’s other posts at On the Fringe with Gene Frantz.] I just read the EDN article by Robert Cravotta on “Recognizing technology’s inflections.” We have talked about this at length over the last several mont ...... Read More
Comments (3)Cross Breeding DSPs and Microcontrollers
As processing devices continue to get faster, smaller, and lower power, the ability to integrate more functionality into a single device is more easily realized. Advances in core architecture and process technologies are allowing system-on-chip (SoC) methodologies to proliferate. Stand-alone DSPs (digital signal processors) are an example of devices becoming a thing of the past in many application ...... Read More
Comments (0)Software development flows
I recently participated in the IP-ESC 2009 conference in Grenoble, France. This event, which brings together many of the leading IP vendors and their customers - SoC designers - focused on some of the key trends in SoC design, including growing complexity, increased programmability, and the need for robust development environments. A clear trend that has been emerging over the last few year ...... Read More
Comments (1)The evolving landscape of DSP
DSP is all about multiplying, accumulating, and manipulating data for all kinds of interesting applications such as software defined radios, controlling motors and encoding and decoding music. It has become something that touches all of our lives. We can’t even watch TV without it. Everything is digital. These days when you talk about inductors designers give you a funny look. Power supply ...... Read More
Comments (0)Is DSP really dead?
[Editor’s note: Gene Frantz’s post is copied here as a guest post to allow the guest posts on this topic to be gathered in one place. Check out Gene’s other posts at On the Fringe with Gene Frantz.] I am currently running a series looking at where technology will be in 2020. I hope you are enjoying it! I wanted to break into that series for a minute to comment ...... Read More
Comments (1)Imagine Cup 2009
This summer I participated as a judge at the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2009 finals in Egypt, and I am finally taking time to reflect on my experiences. You can think of the Imagine Cup as the Olympic Games for Software. It is an amazing event for student developers to compete in categories such as Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Development, Robotics and Algorithm, IT Challeng ...... Read More
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