It may not be the best known microcontroller (MCU) brand, but an Ambiq Micro MCU has broken a record for low power consumption.
The company’s Apollo device recently broke the EEMBC ULPBench record, and handsomely too: it outscored the next best by more than a factor of 2, achieving a score of 377.
The benchmark, created to assist embedded designers in selecting the lowest-power MCU, standardises a typical low-power design workload and measures the actual energy required to complete that workload. This approach normalises the many different behaviours of MCU operation such as active current, sleep current, wake-up time, core efficiency and cache efficiency. It then synthesises this data into a single value developers truly care about – the amount of energy required to complete their specific application.
The Apollo MCU is based on a high-performance, 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 processor with floating point unit. It runs at up to 24 MHz and integrates ultra-low power memory, up to 512 KB Flash and 64 KB RAM. The microcontroller comes with a rich set of timing peripherals, I2C/SPI master and slave ports, and a UART for communicating with peripherals and legacy devices.
What really sets it apart in the energy consumption stakes, though, is Ambiq’s patented Subthreshold Power Optimised Technology (SPOT) platform, which enables the Apollo MCU to achieve its best-in-class power consumption in both active mode and sleep mode. It consumes a meagre 34 μA/MHz executing instructions from Flash and sleep-mode currents can be as low as 140 nA.
Cost-effective microcontroller series Altron Arrow
DSP, Micros & Memory
The STM32C5 series from STMicroelectronics delivers an excellent balance of performance, efficiency, and affordability for embedded designs that require more capability without increasing bill of materials cost.
Read more...Battery-friendly Thread and BLE solution iCorp Technologies
DSP, Micros & Memory
Positioned as an incremental upgrade to the ESP32-H2, Espressif’s ESP32-H21 adds an integrated DC-DC converter that reduces active current draw and helps extend battery life in power-sensitive consumer and industrial devices.
Read more...Next generation HMI processing platform Future Electronics
DSP, Micros & Memory
Microchip’s latest hybrid MCU SiP integrates an Arm926EJ-S processor with 512 Mb of DDR2 SDRAM and is engineered to meet the rising demand for sophisticated HMI solutions in modern vehicles.
Read more...MIL-spec connector series Future Electronics
Interconnection
The MIL-HD2 connector series from Amphenol is the company’s next-generation, SOSA-aligned solution engineered to meet the most demanding requirements of modern military embedded systems.
Read more...Next-generation HMI and vision processing Future Electronics
Edge Computing & IIoT
The Renesas RA8D2 group of microcontrollers delivers ultra-high performance for next-generation graphics, HMI, and vision-driven designs that demand fast response, rich visual interfaces, and embedded AI capability.
Read more...Low-power SoC for IoT designs iCorp Technologies
DSP, Micros & Memory
Espressif’s ESP32-H4 is a dual-core 32-bit RISC-V SoC designed for battery-powered wireless products that require low energy consumption, strong security, and modern connectivity.
Read more...Chip for high-density power Future Electronics
DSP, Micros & Memory
Microchip’s dsPIC33AK256MPS306 Digital Signal Controllers combine high-resolution control, high-speed analogue, and security with support for post-quantum cryptography.
Read more...The end of ‘entry-level’: STMicroelectronics’ STM32C5 sets a new baseline for embedded systems
DSP, Micros & Memory
[Sponsored] Instead of incrementally improving legacy Cortex-M0+ architectures, STM32C5 introduces a Cortex-M33-based platform into the entry-level category. This changes not only performance expectations, but also how engineers approach system architecture, consolidation, and long-term scalability.
Read more...GigaDevice expands GD25UF Series density NuVision Electronics
DSP, Micros & Memory
GigaDevice has announced the expanded density range of its GD25UF series 1,2 V ultra-low power SPI NOR Flash, now spanning from 8 Mb to 256 Mb.
Read more...ARINC 429 line driver evaluation board ASIC Design Services
DSP, Micros & Memory
Holt Integrated Circuits have announced the release of the ADK-85104 Evaluation Board, a compact, ready-to-use platform designed to help engineers rapidly evaluate and characterise Holt’s HI-85104.
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