By Ann Steffora Mutschler
The embedded processor world addresses a vast range of applications – from the datacenter to the biomedical device – all of which have critical power needs that vary with the use. Power concerns continue to dominate the embedded system whether it is avoid a noisy fan in a TV set-top box, allow video on a mobile phone or minimize pricey cooling costs in the datacenter.
The leading vendors in this space – ARM, MIPS and ARC (recently acquired by Virage Logic) – employ a variety of tactics and technologies to differentiate from trimming power by removing some features and making tradeoffs in the embedded software that run on them.
