This Microcontroller Tells You What's Up--In Real Time
Call it the New Millennium version of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
STMicroelectronics is introducing a breakthrough family of Ethernet-ready microcontrollers that will allow point-of-sale terminals, vending machines, patient monitors, industrial controls, building automation, security applications and other industrial equipment to alert a central command about everything from low supplies and need for repairs to a breach in security-all in real time.
ST is first in bringing the powerful ARM9E Central Processor Unit (CPU), that typically acts as the brains controlling PDAs and cell phones, to low-cost, one-chip Flash solutions that can be used in a wide variety of network applications, making it easy to connect many everyday products to the Web. Now manufacturers of complex products will also have an economical solution for a product to be networked with a central system or other devices via wired or wireless Ethernet. Additionally, the new microcontroller combines high performance with low-power consumption, and large embedded memories.
ST expects to see rapid growth in the industrial market for flash microcontrollers-from $394M in 2006 to $584M in 2010 according to market research firm IMS-and is positioning itself to serve this demand by setting new price/performance standards.
