Higher-speed interfaces and multiple connectivity options require more advanced microcontrollers (MCUs) that can handle both wireless communication and application needs.
Companies are also striving to serve multiple markets with different adaptations of their base product. Developers need a robust software foundation with intuitive abstraction levels and an operating system that supports the faster creation of applications, especially in the low-power wireless markets.
For example, in the Sub-1 GHz space, new singlechip wireless MCUs (WMCUs) are becoming more common, replacing two-chip solutions. These two-chip solutions use a base MCU for both running the application and for controlling the wireless transceiver through some kind of serial interface such as Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) or the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). If you’ve spent years tuning and perfecting your two-chip design, you may be hesitant when presented with the benefits of moving to a singlechip solution, with concerns about the feasibility of moving your current solution to a WMCU.
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