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Electronics and Computing

Basics

February 2004
The concept of a programmable system-on-chip (SoC) started in 1972 with the advent of the unassuming
4-bit TMS1000 microcomputer—the perfect fit for applications such as calculators and microwave ovens
that required a device with everything needed to embed electronic intelligence. Microcomputers changed
the way engineers approached equipment design; for the first time they could reuse proven electronics
hardware, needing only to create software specific to the application. The result of microcomputer-based
designs has been a reduction in both system cost and time-to-market.

Trends in Processor Architecture

Chip Basics: Time, Area, Power, Reliability and Configurability