Atmel has announced a new 32-bit embedded CPU architecture with DSP extensions that is expected to extend the battery life of portable, handheld multimedia products such as portable video players, MP3 players and mobile phones.
Early benchmarks of the AVR32, conducted by benchmarking organisation, EEMBC, gauge the core's performance per clock cycle at three times that of other processors, according to Atmel. This faster throughput means that applications can be executed with fewer clocks, reducing power consumption and increasing the battery life of the end-product. Code size benchmarks also indicate exceptional results with up to 50% reduction compared to other processors, it adds.
"Traditionally chip vendors have increased processing power by making processors run faster," said Oyvind Strom, AVR32 product director. "This is a real issue for portable devices because turning up the clock directly increases power consumption and reduces battery life. The approach taken with the AVR32 is to increase the amount of processing the processor can do internally during each clock cycle.
"Although it is difficult to digest the notion that a processor could be more powerful using fewer clock cycles, that is exactly what we are doing," adds Strom. "For example, running at just 100 MHz, the AVR32 core can do all the processing required to decode quarter-VGA MPEG4 movies - the same format as used with the iPod - while other processors are required to operate as fast as 266 MHz. For the end-user, this means a longer battery-life."
By increasing the AVR32's clock frequency to 400 MHz or more, the exceptional computational capability of the architecture can also be used to handle more tasks and remove additional processors. Technical details can be found at www.atmel.com/avr32.
According to Atmel, its 8-bit AVR is now the leading 8-bit Flash microcontroller on the market. Shipments of AVR-based products are growing at a compounded rate of 35% per year, and more than 1,4 billion units have been shipped, it claims. With the new AVR32 core, Atmel intends to again provide another major innovation that will help developers to build next generation embedded systems.
For more information contact Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 (0)11 923 9600, or EBV-Electrolink, +27 (0)21 402 1940.
EMC limits and levels Altron Arrow
Editor's Choice Circuit & System Protection
As soon as electronics and electrical systems started interfering with each other, the world had to come to some consensus. Considering physics is universal and does not care about what country electrical/electronic products are used in, it should be the same everywhere, right? It is nearly there, but not quite.
Read more...Industrial time-of-flight proximity sensor EBV Electrolink
Opto-Electronics
STMicroelectronics’ VL53L4ED is a compact, high accuracy time-of-flight proximity sensor designed for industrial and embedded applications that require precise short range distance measurement.
Read more...Introducing STM32CubeMX2 Altron Arrow
Design Automation
STMicroelectronics has launched STM32CubeMX2, a new evolution of its popular configuration and code generation tool for STM32 microcontrollers.
Read more...Next-gen SPE Altron Arrow
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Next-generation 100/1000BASE-T1 Single Pair Ethernet PHYs integrate MACsec security, time sensitive networking, and functional safety.
Read more...Ultra-low-power smart metering EBV Electrolink
Analogue, Mixed Signal, LSI
ScioSense’s UFC23 sensor combines improved resolution and offset stability with ultra-low standby current, enabling high-end battery-powered water, heat, gas and leak detection meter designs.
Read more...Industrial vibration sensing simplified Altron Arrow
Analogue, Mixed Signal, LSI
The IIS3DWBG1 from STMicroelectronics is a high performance, three-axis digital vibration sensor engineered for demanding industrial applications where accurate motion monitoring is essential.
Read more...ESP32-S31 for advanced IoT iCorp Technologies
DSP, Micros & Memory
At the heart of the device is a dual-core 32-bit RISC-V MCU operating at up to 320 MHz, delivering 6,86 CoreMark/MHz performance with MMU support for efficient memory management.
Read more...High-performance SSD storage EBV Electrolink
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Targeting the performance segment, the new KIOXIA XG10 Series leverages PCIe 5.0 technology to significantly elevate speed and responsiveness across data-intensive client applications.
Read more...Cortex-M33 performance for cost-sensitive designs Future Electronics
DSP, Micros & Memory
The STM32C5 series from STMicroelectronics introduces a new generation of entry-level microcontrollers engineered to deliver enhanced processing capability, modern security, and cost-effective scalability for connected embedded applications.
Read more...Memory shortage 2026: Engineering implications for South Africa
DSP, Micros & Memory
[Sponsored] Addressing this challenge requires system-level thinking and adoption with McKinsey Electronics providing the engineering and sourcing framework required to maintain system resilience despite ongoing global constraints.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version