Skip to main content
ARM, Renesas,TI join move for low power MCU benchmark


he Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) intends to create a standard method to evaluate the energy efficiency of ultra-low power (ULP) microcontrollers.
To date, the industry has lacked a common method to test, validate, and compare the real-world energy consumption of these microcontrollers that target applications such as portable medical devices, security systems, building automation, smart metering, and also applications using energy harvesting devices.
EEMBC benchmarks typically measure the performance of processors and systems. The proposed ULP benchmark will focus on measuring the energy consumed by microcontrollers running various computational workloads over an extended time period.
The benchmarking methodology will allow the microcontrollers to enter into their idle or sleep modes during the majority of time when they are not executing code, thereby simulating a real-world environment where products must support battery life measured in months, years, and even decades.
Support from ARM, Renesas and TI
Initial participation in the EEMBC ULP working group has come from industry-leading microcontroller vendors such as Analog Devices, ARM, Atmel, Cypress, Energy Micro, Freescale, Fujitsu, Microchip, Renesas, Silicon Labs, STMicro, and TI.
“We have seen a significant need for a well-constructed, industry-accepted benchmark to equitably evaluate the energy efficiency of microcontrollers,” said Horst Diewald, chief architect of MSP430 microcontrollers at Texas Instruments (TI), who will chair of the EEMBC ULP working group.
“Unfortunately, the application developer cannot rely on datasheet parameters alone to compare total microcontroller power consumption and select an appropriate microcontroller,” said Diewald.
“I am very excited that the EEMBC members are so motivated to develop this much-needed ULP benchmark,” said EEMBC president Markus Levy. “In the system developer’s interest, we encourage all relevant companies, including the system manufacturers, microcontroller vendors, and tool providers, to join us in this effort.”
All companies in the industry are invited to participate in this working group. Contact Markus Levy to inquire about participation and membership in EEMBC.
Preliminary details of the EEMBC ULP benchmark will be revealed on February 27, 2013, during the Ultra-low Power System Design Workshop at the Embedded World Conference in Nuremberg, Germany.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Configure NTP (Network Time Protocol) on Windows Server 2008

The Network Time Protocol ( NTP ) in Windows 2008 provides your server with the ability to control the system clocks on your Windows client machines. This keeps all machines on the network synchronized with the same system time. This is beneficial for Windows administrators who need to schedule time-sensitive services on the network. You set the Windows 2008 NTP service in the registry. Step 1- Click the Windows 2008 “ Start ” button and enter “ regedit ” into the search box. Press Enter to open the Windows registry editor. Step 2- Navigate to the “ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Services\W32Time\Config\ “. registry key Step 3- Double click the key value labeled “ AnnounceFlags ” in the center detail pane. Step 4- Enter “ A ” into the DWORD value text box. Click “ OK ” to save your settings. Close the Windows registry editor. Step 5- Click the Windows “ Start ” button and enter “ cmd ” into the text box. Press Enter to open the command prompt. Enter...

TI-RTOS Real Time Operating System for Microcontrollers

TI has released TI-RTOS , a real-time operating system (RTOS) for its microcontroller platform. This new RTOS helps developers by eliminating the need to write complex system software, such as file system, schedulers, drivers, and protocol stacks. TI-RTOS is provided with full C source code and requires no upfront or run-time license fees. TI-RTOS is based on existing components such as SYS/BIOS RTOS, controlSUITE, and StellarisWare software. The modular and scalable architecture enables system designers to chose sufficient modules/ functions and memory size as required. TI-RTOS Real Time Operating System for Microcontrollers Advertisement TI-RTOS is integrated into the TI’s CCStudio (Code Composer) IDE, which includes System Analyzer tools, enabling designers to view run-time application behavior including the sequence of thread execution and processor load. CCStudio IDE also has tools to assist multitasking debug. Designers  can use an object viewer (ROV...