Embedded Technology
Which embedded processor architecture will lead the way into the next decade?
Ankur Tomar, solutions marketing manager at Farnell, looks at the different options available and highlights the pros and cons that could make a difference when it comes to future decisions.
F
or some time, there has been a lively debate exercising the minds of many engineers and developers and it is about the future of embedded processor architectures. Although there are clearly established leaders in the embedded chip architecture market, the sector is expanding at such a rapid pace that many new opportunities are expected to occur in the coming years and there will, of course, always be room for innovation and new players in such a
18 March 2024
busy field. So, the big question remains – which technology will come to dominate the market over the next decade?
Three main players currently lead the field
With more than 80 years’ experience of electronics components distribution, Farnell is well-placed to have a strong understanding of the embedded chip market. The company recognises that there are three main riders in the race – x86,
Components in Electronics
ARM, and RISC-V microprocessors. These three instruction-set architectures (ISAs) represent very different approaches. These ISAs are not used exclusively in embedded applications. While x86 (Intel and AMD) processors tend to be used primarily in computers and servers, ARM (Qualcomm and MediaTek) processors are usually the preferred architecture for smartphones and tablets. ARM has featured extensively in the embedded systems currently dominating the market.
The newest entrant is RISC-V, which was conceived in 2011, 26 years after the first ARM processor was produced. Looking more closely at the respective offerings, it helps to understand that RISC-V and ARM processors are based on reduced instruction set computing (RISC) while x86 processors use complex instruction set computing (CISC). Of course, there are many advantages and disadvantages between the two, which is why market observers have divided
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