ARM has announced the ARM Cortex-M0+ processor, a chip that the company describes as “the world’s most energy-efficient microprocessor.” The processor could have applications in a range of household appliances, medical equipment, lighting and motor control devices according to ARM.
“The Cortex-M0+ processor features enable the creation of smart, low-power, microcontrollers to provide efficient communication, management and maintenance across a multitude of wirelessly connected devices, a concept known as the ‘Internet of Things’.”
ARM’s new microprocessor has the potential for chip-makers to create 32-bit versions of chips that were previously only capable of supporting an 8- or 16-bit architecture due to the lower energy requirements and higher performance of the Cortex. The 32-bit Cortex-M0+ is said to draw a third of the energy of existing 8- and 16-bit chips of equivalent size.
Freescale and NXP Semiconductor have already licensed ARM’s latest bit of silicon, adding it to their respective MCU lines.