Multi-Core ARM and Speed vs power thoughts

[Martin Naef]

Terry,

Quoting thx1138 <thx1138 at earthlink.net>:
>> i look forward to the 1ghz arm multi-core, extremely low-power
>> requirements, on the horizon.  SOC and all that is great; multi-core

> The Automotive business is depressed as is the PC Market in general. It
> takes a large volume driving customer base to justify the fabrication of
> much of this business and unfortunately Consumer electronics alone will not
> sustain this growth.

You're certainly right about the depressed markets, but I'm surprised  
that you attribute little power to the consumer market - it certainly  
pushed low-power electronics more than anything else (mobile phones,  
anybody?).

> Another issue is Battery technology has not evolved fast enough to keep up
> to the demands of the Green agenda. If you want faster parts today, then
> they will have to be pigs on battery consumption. The automotive market is
> really pushing for lower power electronics i.e. More miles per gallon
> requirements.

Could you elaborate on that one? What percentage of engine power is  
used today for the electronics of the car? Compared to something like  
the headlight (40 to 70W / bulb), I don't really see the big push for  
ultra-low power electronics in a car. Am I missing something? I would  
have expected a totally different market driver.

> Maintaining x86 architecture is a big debate and it remains to be seen who
> wins out, Low power ARM or Low Power x86 from Intel/AMD or is there another
> competitor coming up not discussed here?

I think it was VIA that also have some low-power x86 on the market.

Martin