Atmel celebrates 50 billion with ARM

ARM – which employs over 2,000 people around the globe – has billions of RISC-based processors in the wild and powers approximately 95% of the world’s smartphones. Recently, the British company marked a major milestone: 50 billion ARM-powered chips shipped.

Commenting on the milestone, Reza Kazerounian, Senior Vice President of Microcontrollers at Atmel, noted that ARM helps embedded developers significantly accelerate the development cycle by offering access to standard cores and an extensive ecosystem, including software and reference designs.

Kazerounian also said the next 100 billion chips will likely be led by intelligent connectivity, primarily in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT).

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, Atmel offers an extensive portfolio of microcontrollers (MCUs) and microprocessors (MPUs) based on the world’s most popular 8- and 32-bit architectures: Atmel AVR and ARM. Indeed, Atmel’s two decades of microcontroller leadership and innovation include many industry-firsts:

• The first Flash microcontroller, the first ARM7-based 32-bit Flash microcontroller
• The first 100nA microcontroller with RAM retention
• The first ARM9-based Flash microcontroller

“In order to simplify the embedded design process, we’ve meticulously built a robust ecosystem around our ARM microcontrollers,” an Atmel engineering rep told Bits & Pieces. ”Meaning, Atmel offers a wide range of software tools and embedded software that support leading operating systems, along with low-cost evaluation kits.”

In addition, Atmel’s flexible and highly integrated ARM-based MCUs are designed to optimize system control, user interface (UI) management and ease of use. That’s why our ARM Cortex-M3 and M4 based architectures share a single integrated development platform (IDP): Atmel Studio 6. This platform offers time-saving source code with more than 1,600 example projects, access to debuggers/simulators, integration with Atmel QTouchtools for capacitive touch applications and the Atmel Gallery online apps store where embedded software extensions can be downloaded.

Meanwhile, Atmel ARM-based MPUs range from entry-level devices to advanced highly-integrated devices with extensive connectivity, refined interfaces and ironclad security.

“Whether you are working on new, existing or legacy designs, a wide range of Atmel ARM-based devices provides the latest features and functionality. These devices also feature the lowest power consumption, a comprehensive set of integrated peripherals and high-speed connectivity,” the engineering rep added.

Interested in learning more about Atmel’s extensive ARM portfolio? You can check out our ARM MCUs here and our ARM MPUs here.

Do wearables require a new kind of ecosystem?

Forrester analyst JP Gownder says tech companies must create a new type of ecosystem for wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, this ecosystem shouldn’t necessarily focus on developers, hardware makers or service companies.

Image Credit: Adafruit (Atmel-powered Gemma)

Rather, Gownder believes it should prioritize brands, healthcare providers, retailers, financial services companies and governments.

“Let’s be honest: A lot of 1.0 wearables devices are ugly, and tech companies aren’t always the best purveyors of fashion,” Gownder writes in a recent blog post. 

”The wristwatch has been around since 1571 – so watches have a deep cultural history into which smartwatches must integrate themselves. Partnerships between wearable vendors and fashion brands [sic] will be critical.”

Similarly, says Gownder, health and fitness wearables must become embedded in the normative healthcare system.

“Having doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and corporate wellness programs distribute fitness wearables embeds the information collected into the entire healthcare system,” he continues. 

”Doctors can use the data to treat patients, leading to better health outcomes. And consumers can sometimes receive a discount on their health insurance rates by participating.”

Last, but certainly not least, Gownder envisions a retail future where a wearable device owner walks into a store, is greeted by name and offered customized clothing options in his or her own size.

“Yet, this entire wearable scenario depends on adoption of the technology by retailers,” he emphasizes.

However, Gownder remains understandably optimistic about wearables, noting earlier this week in an InformationWeek article that the rapidly evolving technology represents the next logical step in the mobile revolution.

“If done right – with vigorous ecosystems of brands, retailers, healthcare providers, and even governments tapping into their value – wearables will create more efficient and seamless experiences for wearers,” he concludes.

“As consumers discover the value of wearables, technology managers can expect to see employees bringing smartwatches, smartglasses and other wearables into the workplace. For some of these wearables, existing practices for smartphones and tablets (like the use of mobile device management services) can be adjusted to accommodate new wearable devices.”