Processor technology for embedded systems has expanded from a niche market 20 years ago to a massive expanse offering myriad options as demand for embedded and networked devices and solutions continues. Development of so many markets, as diverse as PC-based and mini-PACs in healthcare to wireless SCADA in energy to massively parallel signal processing in mil/aero, is generating ever-increasing demand for embedded computing and communications platforms – and the microprocessors that drive them.

The embedded processor market is becoming more important for processor suppliers by the day and many of them are strengthening their efforts to serve the segments that make up the market. For the moment, volumes tend to be smaller, but margins richer; differentiation parameters are varied and commodity pressures generally less acute.

But the most important demand driver and opportunity shaper is the specific application being enabled and its unique processor requirements. And more often than not, the applications are mission-critical.
There are two factors highlighting major differences between the larger consumer and commercial processor market for [desktop and laptop] PCs and servers and the embedded processor market. First, the fragmentation in the devices and solutions translates into highly diverse requirements, and a resulting zoo of off-the-shelf options of embedded processing platforms. Second, while the PC/ server market supports innumerable applications critical to the health and wellness in virtually every segment of the global economy, these applications ARE the embedded market.

The point is developers of embedded devices and solutions have the technical requirements and the commercial capabilities to justify support for a highly diverse set of embedded processing platform options, including:

• General-purpose CPUs from the PC/server market only mildly modified for the embedded market;
• FPGAs and DSPs for highly repetitive computing;
• Microcontrollers (MCUs) for highly integrated, low cost, low power, and self-sufficient embedded computing;
• Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) used a general purpose processors and many-core processors for massively parallel high-performance applications;
• Various versions of processor core designs offered by Processor-IP houses such as ARM and MIPS;
• Highly integrated SoCs; and
• A broad range of ASICs.

In these markets, embedded processor suppliers must be responsive to the needs of the development environments within which their processors operate. Many embedded processor suppliers now provide software development tools for their own processors in addition to silicon to facilitate application development. In order to compete, or compete more effectively, complementary software components are regularly packaged with hardware; in some cases, marketed aggressively as critical enabling technologies for the new lines of hardware. In many of the highest-performance, massively parallel segments, the silicon is actually designed around the software tool, not vice-versa.

This research will investigate the latest developments, issues, and trends affecting the embedded processor market, including: the affect of multi-core processing on the embedded world, mobility and low power requirements for all processors from CPUs to FPGAs, how the proliferation of various sensors in many different applications will affect the microcontroller market.

RESEARCH SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Processor Coverage
• Microprocessors (CPUs)
• Digital Signal Processors (DSPs)
• Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)
• Microcontrollers (MCUs)
• Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) used as general purpose processors (GPGPUs)
Vertical Markets/Applications
• Automotive
• Communications Infrastructure
• Consumer Electronics
• Digital Signage
• Digital Surveillance/Security
• Energy/Power
• Gaming

RESEARCH CONTENTS

Executive Summary
• Market overview and industry structure
• Strategic issues, trends, and market drivers
• Market estimates and forecasts
• Competitive landscape
• Summary and observation
Scope and Methodology
• Segments and definitions
• Data collection tools
• Analysis models
• Sources
• Handsets
• Industrial Automation
• Infotainment
• Medical
• Military/Aerospace
• Networking/Infrastructure
• Office/Business Automation
• Retail
• Storage
• Telecom/Datacom
• Transportation

Geographical Coverage
• Americas (North, Central and South America)
• EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
• Asia-Pacific
Market Overview and Industry Structure
• Technical value chain
• Sales and support channels
• Developers
• Industry standards
• Industry associations
• Key regulatory issues
Technology Trends and Issues Including, but not limited to:
• Application support
• Lifecycle management
• Multi-core performance issues
• Power consumption and management
• Pricing pressure
• Silicon technology development
• Supplier product road maps
• Technology displacement
• Time-to-market

Market Overview and Industry Structure
• Technical value chain
• Sales and support channels
• Developers
• Industry standards
• Industry associations
• Key regulatory issues
Technology Trends and Issues Including, but not limited to:
• Application support
• Lifecycle management
• Multi-core performance issues
• Power consumption and management
• Pricing pressure
• Silicon technology development
• Supplier product road maps
• Technology displacement
• Time-to-market

Market Segmentation, Estimates and Forecasts
Base year 2009 unit and revenue shipment actuals (where applicable) and forecasts through 2014, for the following segments:

• Total Market
– Processor type
– Vertical market/applications
– Core architectures as percentage of total embedded processor cores/unit shipments

• CPUs
– Architectures (e.g. x86, Power, MIPS, etc.)
– Number of cores
– Vertical markets/applications
– Distribution channels
– Geographic regions

• DSPs
– Multi-core configurations (heterogeneous vs. homogeneous)
– Number of cores
– Vertical markets/applications
– Distribution channels
– Geographic regions

• PLDs/FPGAs
– Embedded hard/soft CPU cores
– ASIC total available market
– Key capability/capacity segments (e.g. power, performance, high/low-end, etc.)
– Vertical markets/applications
– Distribution channels
– Geographic regions

• MCUs
– Architectures (e.g. 8051, proprietary, etc.)
– Bit count
– Co-processor integration
– Vertical markets/applications
– Distribution channels
– Geographic regions
• GPUs
– Architectures
– Vertical markets/applications
– Distribution channels
– Geographic regions

Device Developer Requirements and Trends The following analyses will be provided for each embedded processor technology, unless noted otherwise.

• Respondent demographics
– Primary markets served
– Processor architectures used