ARM Releases "World's Most Efficient Processor"

According to the IP provider, the chip is designed to be used in home appliances, white goods, medical monitoring, metering, lighting and power and motor control devices to deliver an "ultra low-power" of 9µA/MHz on a 90nm LP process.

The Cortex-M0+ fits into a new product trend that is generally referred to as the "Internet of Things", which describes an environment in which simple devices are wirelessly connected to each other and can provide communication, management and maintenance capability. ARM imagines its new processors to be used in applications ranging from "sensors to wirelessly analyze the performance and control of domestic or industrial buildings, to battery-operated body sensors wirelessly connected to health monitoring equipment."

ARM said that the new 32-bit chip, which builds on the platform of the Cortex-M0, consumes only one third of 8-bit and 16-bit processors that are used in the application field targeted by the processor. Developers can use the ARM Keil MDK to compile and debug 32-bit applications for the chip. According to ARM, early licensees of the Cortex-M0+ chip include Freescale and NXP.

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Douglas Perry was a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware covering semiconductors, storage technology, quantum computing, and processor power delivery. He has authored several books and is currently an editor for The Oregonian/OregonLive.