Why Higher-performance Microcontrollers Matter For the Growth of the IoT Ecosystem From smartwatches to traffic control systems, IoT has become an integral part of technological advancements

The introduction of IoT in the tech space has been revolutionary. It enhances how a machine operates, especially in control and accessibility. The idea of a web of physical devices interacting with each other in real-time through the internet opened the door to endless possibilities in the tech space. From smartwatches to traffic control systems, IoT has become an integral part of technological advancements.

I remember a time when the freezer compartment would clog up, and we would switch our fridge off to let it defrost. The family would plan well in advance for this, making sure that all the cooked food in the house is finished before the event.

Then came auto-defrosting refrigerators. Cut to 2024, and modern refrigerators can order milk and eggs!

Devices have changed

The dumb devices of the 90s are now connected smart. Air Conditioners that can be turned on when we leave work so that our homes are cool when we arrive. Speakers can lower their volume when they start speaking. Locks that can open with fingerprint, OTP, Bluetooth, NFC, face recognition, and whatnot. This is the change we see in our homes.

Factories have changed, too. With Industry 4.0, observability, analytics, and intelligent control are key to managing processes, heating, cooling, lighting, water, and material movement. Other sectors, like logistics, construction, building management, and city utilities, are also transforming with the advent of IoT.

Microcontrollers are stressed out

Unfortunately, many modern devices still use microcontrollers (MCUs) designed in the 2000s or even the 1990s. These chips were originally designed for devices that did not need much processing. These devices were not connected, nor did they encrypt their data. Asking these sub-100 MHz MCUs to handle multiple data streams, perform machine learning, or perform other algorithms is foolhardy.

For modern devices, the necessity is high-performance microcontrollers with a processing speed of at least 500MHz, a dozen or more i/o ports, and possibly hardware support for encryption. The advantage of newer MCUs is that they enable engineers to develop applications in Python, Rust, or similar languages, a feat that was not possible with earlier microcontrollers.

The crossover microcontroller + microprocessor

When I was an engineering student three decades ago, microcontrollers were defined as programmable units for "controlling" other devices. Microprocessors did computation, and other chips were also needed to make a functional product. But today, the lines between microcontrollers and microprocessors have blurred.

Yet many devices still follow a 2-chip approach—a higher-speed processor that does the heavy lifting and a low-speed controller that manages the sensing and control. Honestly, this is an outdated solution since many "cross-over" MCUs are now available, including Secure IoT from Mindgrove Silicon.

These cross-over MCUs are much better suited for modern IoT devices.

Looking forward

Let's revisit the definition of a high-performance microcontroller. It should interface with a large number of other devices and chips, ingest significant amounts of data, and process information immediately. It should offer a software engineer flexibility in terms of languages, applications, and algorithms. Needless to say, such a chip also simplifies the circuit board and lowers the bill of materials.

Without these advanced chips, IoT devices will fall short of the potential that people envision for them. Consider a smart TV running an HD stream of a live cricket match on an OTT channel with multiple language and camera options, and live chat. Or a car infotainment system streaming music, showing maps, and guiding lane changes at the same time. These are the kinds of applications that high-performance microcontrollers enable, and they are just the beginning of what's possible. Consumer expectations will only increase. It's easy to imagine that devices will need even more power, speed, and functionality. Many of these future workloads will process vision or speech feeds or run AI/ML workloads.

This is the compelling reason why engineers are swiftly transitioning to high-performance MCUs for their IoT devices. The necessity of these advanced chips is not just a trend, but a crucial step in meeting the escalating demands of IoT technology.