Published in News

ARM cooks up ultra low voltage processor

by on13 March 2012



Most energy-efficient CPU ever


ARM has proudly announced its most efficient processor to date, the Cortex M0+, or nonplus for the crowd that doesn’t speak geek.

Interestingly, the new 32bit processor is stamped out in a low cost 90nm LP process, yet it consumes just a third of the energy of any 8bit or 16bit chip available today.

Of course, the new chip is not aimed at smartphones or sexy gadgets, but it will soldier on in other markets for years to come. ARM claim that the chip should enable designers to come up with new wireless devices that will run on a single charge for months on end. This will make it suitable for a wide array of uses, ranging from medical equipment to households appliances.

The new chips will consume as little as 9uA/MHz and the core is said to measure less than 1mm by 1mm in size. ARM expects M0+ chips to sell for 13 to 20 pence, giving new meaning to the phrase cheap as chips.

Rate this item
(0 votes)