<<Growing end-user markets create opportunities for embedded controllers >>
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- The global embedded-controller market is subject to economic swings, such as the Asian currency crisis, but overall demand is on the rise, said market researcher Frost & Sullivan here. Opportunities can be found in the growing end-user markets, especially telecommunications, consumer electronics and business computing.
According to Frost & Sullivan Inc., revenues for 32- and 64-bit embedded controllers reached $3.2 billion in 1997, and the total market is expected to grow 28.6% through the year 2000.
Customers are increasingly demanding increased performance and lower cost, so prices are on the decline as manufacturers work to improve the price/performance ratio. Other trends include improving time to market and time to production, defining products for specialized applications in end-user markets, and integrating logic and memory functions.
Growing revenues means having a reusable processor core around which peripherals and customized circuitry can be synthesized. Manufacturers are also developing advanced interconnect materials and integrated design environments for hardware and software co-verification and co-simulation.
Some other technology trends include smaller packaging with increased thermal properties, embedded memory, multitasking cores, and active power management.
Embedded-controller manufacturers must meet the challenge of providing customers with a total system solution at a competitive price. This requires providing highly integrated logic and memory devices that can be customized with peripherals. Customers want to understand the development process for an embedded controller, the researcher said, and they want to know what technology and resources vendors have, and what development tools and technologies are available.
Frost & Sullivan presents Market Engineering awards to companies in the embedded controller industry to recognize companies for their achievements in the past year. This year, the Market Engineering Customer Focus Award was given to Motorola Inc., for the reorganization of its Semiconductor Products Sector into marketing groups intended to serve the embedded controller needs of its customers.
A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc.
Story posted 8 a.m. EDT/5 a.m. PDT, 7/21/98 |
