— Shailesh Thakurdesai, Business Development Manager,
Microcontrollers, Texas Instruments India
Microcontroller units (MCU) form the core of white goods and their
effectiveness determines the advancements in these equipments in
terms of their performance, efficiency and power consumption.
Texas Instruments that invented the microcontroller way back in the
1970s has leveraged this technology into numerous platforms.
Shailesh Thakurdesai talks about the latest Wolverine platform and
explains its remarkable energy efficiency. He also explains that
India's Smart Grid ambitions open up a big market for highefficiency
MCUs.
At what rate is the MCU industry in India growing and what are
the major demand drivers?
Growing importance of low power solutions has led to
numerous opportunities in the microcontroller semiconductor
space. The market is demanding more efficient use of energy
and longer times between battery recharge and replacement.
With the market for high-volume, low-cost products in India
evolving at a rapid pace, the role played by microcontrollers
(MCUs) in electronics design here cannot be underestimated.
Major demand drivers in the microcontroller market are the
following.
- More energy efficiency
- Increased processing power
- Smaller form factors
- More ease of use and ability to get to market faster
- More integrated features like RF and USB
With more application areas emerging, there has been a
consistent pressure on semiconductor companies in India to
come up with products that effectively counter the
performance and efficiency challenges of traditionally
available choices in 4-bit, 8-bit and 16-bit designs. With
demand coming in from areas like low-power/ energy,
consumer electronics, automotive and industrial for more
features at lesser costs and higher performance, there is need
to come up with the right solutions that deliver.
How do you view advancements in MCU technology and the role
that they play in improving the efficiency of products in which
they are built in?
Texas Instruments sees for the future of microcontrollers,
including smaller devices and a wider range of efficient
processing with intelligent peripherals to reduce power
consumption. These advancements will enable designers to
address trends within their own markets by utilizing the
increased memory and analog integration options to address
system-on-chip (SoC) needs for battery-operated portable
applications. This trend is driving innovation in microcontroller
architectures (improving lower power consumption/MIPS
performance), integrated intelligent peripherals, and
embedded memory technologies amongst others.
Microcontrollers (MCUs) are continuing to gain in popularity
for portable, low power applications because they are easy to
use, come in a wide range of configurations and can be used in
many different applications. For instance, in order to make LED lighting more intelligent and power-efficient, a low power MCU
is quite useful.
Tell us about the new MCU "Wolverine" and the advantages that
it offers over comparable products. How does Wolverine
compare with competition in terms of cost?
Texas Instruments (TI) invented the microcontroller (MCU) in
the 1970s and has leveraged this technology into numerous
platforms, including the ultra-low-power MSP430™ MCU
portfolio. The MSP430 MCU has been the industry's ultra-low
power leader for more than a decade and each new generation
of the architecture has been focused on setting new records for
power consumption and efficiency.
The Wolverine platform is the latest in low power and
combines FRAM, a new universal memory type that is
extremely low power, with a new 130 nanometer ultra-low
leakage (ULL) process technology and advanced MSP430 DNA.
MSP430FR58xx microcontrollers based on the "Wolverine"
technology platform will be available for sampling in June
2012. Developers looking to get started with ultra-low-power
designs can begin development with TI's existing portfolio of
nearly 500 MSP430 microcontrollers. Design ease is a
fundamental offering of MSP430 microcontrollers, with a wide
range of tools, software and support to help customers begin
development quickly.
While MCUs, as we understand, improve the efficiency of
products, how important is it for MCUs to be efficient by
themselves?
The steadily increasing pace of technology evolution has offered
India an opportunity to be globally competitive and the primary
function of an MCU is to help in reducing power consumption. The
market is demanding more efficient use of energy and longer
times between battery recharge or replacement
And microcontrollers are ubiquitous in all devices
performing various functions - from power management to
handling communications, from signal conditioning to data
handling, from securing data to being the applications
processor (brains) of the devices, and controlling peripherals
to name a few.
TI has the products and the potential to make a mark in this
growing market. We are committed to delivering products,
support and ideas to help our customers meet the market
demand and develop innovative products.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has mandated efficiency
norms on some products like frost-free refrigerators, airconditioners,
distribution transformers, etc. What role can
MCUs play to further the cause of energy efficiency?
Looking at the needs of the consumer electronics' market, TI
has been working on several initiatives. TI enables Green
solutions. Ultra Low Power is in TI's DNA and its low power
architectures and technologies better enable energy
harvesting solutions - including 'battery less' and intelligent,
wireless sensors - from motion, vibration, solar etc. Given the
fact that consumer devices are increasingly becoming
portable, smaller and battery powered (some with permanent
batteries), higher battery life, recycling, waste disposal are all
very favorably impacted by ultra low power consumption.
TI offers the industry's broadest portfolio of microcontrollers
and analog integration - driving new technologies and
applications. Taking advantage of FRAM, the world's lowest
power memory, "Wolverine"-based microcontrollers can
operate at less than 100 µA/MHz in active mode and consume
250 times less energy per bit compared to Flash- and EEPROMbased
microcontrollers. In addition to these power advantages,
FRAM is 100 percent non-volatile, which gives developers the
low power, speed and flexibility of SRAM while retaining the key
no-power storage capability of Flash. Customers are not limited
to the specific ratios of program-to-data memory inherent to
traditional embedded systems - they can change this ratio at any
time in the design cycle.
Please summarize the range of MCUs made by Texas
Instruments and also the industries (products) where they find
application.
From ultra-low-power and Value Line MSP430™ MCUs, to
Stellaris® Cortex™-M MCUs to real-time control C2000™ MCUs,
and Hercules™ safety MCUs, TI offers the broadest range of
microcontroller solutions. Designers can accelerate time to
market by tapping into TI's complete software and hardware
tools, extensive third-party offerings and technical support.
Lighting, it is said, accounts for 20 per
cent of total electricity consumption. Do
you envisage the use of MCU in creation
of efficient lighting solutions?
India has experienced rapid economic
growth along with a steady population
increase which is likely to continue over
the next few years as well. The rural
population in India comprises the core
of Indian society and represents a
majority of the population.
One of the core problems of this
chunk of population is affordable
lighting. The microcontrollers have
different applications across different
sectors, and thus they are continuing
to gain in popularity for portable, low
power applications because they are
easy to use, come in a wide range of
configurations and can be used in many
different applications. Spiraling
energy costs, governmental norms and
an increased awareness of
environmental issues such as global
warming and climate change have
opened up a whole new area of
opportunities for energy efficiency in
the semiconductor industry. To solve
power requirements and power-saving
challenges, IC manufacturers like
Texas Instruments (TI) are taking the
lead to decrease power consumption
for given performance levels.
Please discuss the role of MCUs in
products and processes associated
with Smart Grid. Do you see a future
demand for MCUs in India for Smart
Grid applications?
A complete smart grid solution is the
only way to go, and any smart grid
project needs global expertise.
Innovation is critical to any smart grid
design and flexibility too is critical for
the design. There has to be an end-toend
smart grid experience through the
available ultra-low-power metrology
MCUs. Innovation is the technology
thread that runs throughout TI's 80+
year history. Today, TI is driving gamechanging
technology roadmaps and
products in the areas of ultra-low
power processing and signal
conditioning, energy management,
cloud computing, safety and security,
medical and more. In collaboration
with our customers, industry consortia
and universities, TI develops
differentiated products that improve
how we live, work and play, today and
well into the future.
Understanding the growing
importance of smart grid solutions
and also that embedded control and
integrated connectivity will be at the
heart of future smart TI supports
every stage of the design process,
from device selection and software
development to tools and system
solutions.