ARM has announced the availability of ultra low-power physical IP libraries to drive the next generation of energy-efficient microcontroller unit (MCU) devices.
The ARM 0.18-micron ultra low-power libraries (uLL), coupled with the inherent power management advantages of the ARM Cortex processor family and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)'s 0.18-micron embedded flash uLL/HDR "high data retention" process provides SoC designers with additional reduction in power leakage up to 10x compared to 0.18-micron G implementations, ARM said.
The ARM libraries, combined with the ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-R profile processors, provide an alternative to companies that are accustomed to a multiple MCU system approach. Utilizing an advanced ultra low-power, single 32-bit MCU and optimized ARM libraries for the TSMC 0.18-micron uLL embedded flash/HDR process, designers can increase their design efficiency and lower overall system cost, ARM said. This combination of physical IP, processor architecture and leading-edge manufacturing technology enables the development of enhanced 32-bit MCUs for automotive, consumer appliance, sensor, lighting, e-metering, smart control and gaming devices, the company said.