Industry Expert Blogs

I remember a time — not too many years ago — when the idea of “16-bit is dead in body electronics” was widely promoted in the automotive industry. Or should I say some would have liked 16-bit to be dead? Following the “more is better” theme that we take for granted in the PC industry, 32-bit microcontrollers seemed to be the solution to all problems. But as they say, not all that glitters is gold!

In June, Strategy Analytics released its “Automotive Semiconductor Demand Forecast,” which suggests the global demand for 16-bit microcontrollers will grow by 52% from 2009-2014, representing a market value of close to $400M. In the same year, 32-bit microcontrollers will represent a market of approximately $360M. So, who said 16-bit is dead?

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