The leader in the processor industry, ARM, has been producing a wide array of microprocessors since 1990. Today, they have made it public that they will be releasing the ARM® Cortex™-M0+ processor, which happens to be the most efficient processor in the world regarding energy.
What makes the Cortex™-M0+ so effective is the fact that it has been completely enhanced to work with low levels of power, and also consume low-cost MCUs as well as the use of smart control systems. Being the latest item added to the collection, the Cortex makes use of about 33% of what a regular 16-bit processor puts to use when functioning. On top of that, it has the capability of raising the bar for the performance level, which is also better than that of a regular 16-bit or 8-bit processor.
With the Cortex™-M0+ now available, consumers will have the opportunity to upgrade to 32-bit devices, since they will be able to improve the overall performance of their devices without having to give up power or any other feature. It will also allow consumers to put together sophisticated microcontrollers that will do nothing but offer far more effective ways of managing and maintaining numerous types of devices. These can all be interconnected in a wireless manner, thus creating what is already known as the internet of things.
With the application of the Cortex™-M0+ the world is already moving to the future, because it will make it possible to perform a wide variety of tasks that were not possible before. Some of these tasks include the analysis of data produced by body sensors, which are hooked up to a piece of equipment that keeps track of the health information. The proper analysis and cross-reference is impossible with regular MCUs because they do not have the intelligence to carry them out.
There is no doubt that things will start to chance and there is going to be a visible improvement in the way MCUs perform. There has been a need for the power of 32-bit but the MCU also needs to be low-cost in order to produce positive results. With the Cortex™-M0+ finally here, it can be put to use in a large variety of applications, which go from consumer-based to industrial-based.
It’s important to note that the Cortex™-M0+ implements the traditional C program, and it’s consistent with previous processors. It also counts with the support of ARM’s ecosystem which makes it easier to upgrade from one model to the other.
Dr. Reza Kazerounian, VP and GM of Freescale’s Automotive, stated that they are one of the first licensees of Cortex™-M0+ and are thrilled to continue working with ARM. He stated that the newest addition will allow them to expand and improve their portfolio without having to raise their costs.
Additionally, Cortex™-M0+ has been created to be completely compatible with other ARM products, such as the Power Management Kit, as well as those developed by other companies, such as Micrium, Express Logic and SEGGER, among others.
