TI Unveils 25-Cent, 16-Bit MCU

摘要

Texas Instruments has rolled out a line of 25-cent, 16-bit microcontrollers that could go head-to-head with 8-bit devices in the low end of the $ 13-billion-a-yearrnMCU market.rnThe company says the new devices will offer 10 times as much MIPS (millions of instructions per second) throughputrnas low-end 8-bit products and will use one-tenth as much standby power for approximately the same price. Known as the MSP430 Value Line, the new devices could see action in lighting applications, as well as in safety and security, touch pads, consumer electronics, intelligent sensors, exercise equipment and personal health devices. "The perception and, to some extent, the reality, is that 16-bit microcontrollers have just been too expensive," says VC Kumar, MSP430 MCU product marketing manager for TI. "In cost-sensitive applications, people have been willing to compromise performance for the sake of price."