
Embedded Topics


Go east, young man

In defense of innovation

Designing SoCs—the agonies and the ecstasies
Rapid prototyping for MCUs
The increasing capability and performance of microcontrollers suggests that they can now reach markets for which they were never previously envisioned, particularly as 32-bit devices move into the mainstream. However, prototyping and even researching new application spaces is difficult with existing tools. These are highly optimized for existing uses, but as such very unwieldy when […]
Wright on target
We are given plenty of reasons why we ‘should’ all buy electric cars. They will safeguard the environment. They will enhance national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. They will create a Detroit 2.0 that can pay back the taxpayer. What we do not hear is a more free-market economic argument. “And the […]
Linux Nucleus… Or both
Until recently, operating system (OS) specification for embedded systems has been seen largely as an ‘either/or’ exercise. Similarly, OSs that have their foundations in the embedded market and those that have grown out of desktop computers have been seen as competing rather than complementary technologies. Cost and performance criteria within specifications will often lead to […]
Implementing a unified computing architecture
Netronome offers a range of programmable Network Flow Processors, which deliver high-performance packet processing and are aimed at designers of communications equipment whose requirements extend beyond simple forwarding. Many network processors and multicore CPUs lack L4-L7 programmability or cannot scale to 10Gbit/s and beyond. Netronome’s flow processors are powered by 40 programmable networking cores that […]
Engineering creativity
To the world at large, Junot Diaz is well on the way to becoming a literary superstar. His novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has already earned critical superlatives and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Literature. And deservedly so. It is a fabulous, accessible book, expressed in language that—when you buy a copy […]
Embedded software virtualization comes of age
New separation kernels and embedded hypervisors can help ease the pain of migrating legacy systems to new hardware platforms, including multicore processing systems. Bringing multiple OSs and applications on to the same hardware also opens up new possibilities for combining systems that offer real-time performance within a familiar GUI environment. The LynxSecure separation kernel and […]