The microcontrol unit (MCU) populates end-market products from automobiles to Smart Cards. The 16-bit and 32-bit+ MCUs are key products in high-end consumer products, automotive applications and industrial control hardware. MCUs’ broad application base and wide range of embedded memory and other technology contribute to their steady unit and revenue growth. Now, it appears the ubiquitous MCU is also key in expanding the use of Flash memory. This is according to a study entitled “MCU Memory: A Flashy Trend?” by marketing and consulting research company Semico.

The study focuses on the memory technology trends and the memory density for MCUs. More cost- sensitive applications use smaller amounts of memory, while applications with high-performance requirements implement more memory. The memories used for the main program in an MCU include: OTP (one-time programmable), Flash, MROM (mask ROM) and other (such as EPROM).

Flash MCUs account for 50% of 2007 sales and are forecast to increase in importance and size. This report addresses why the average amount of memory in each MCU category (4-bit to 32-bit) is increasing each year. For more information, contact Susan Cadel at susanc@semico.com.

www.semico.com