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Important factors to consider when choosing an embedded processor for a new project or for a follow-on/upgrade to an existing project include:

• The highest performing processor for a given die size and power profile
• Robust roadmap from the vendor and the choice of architectures in the processor family that facilitate optimal programming paradigms for a given application
• Software tools, applications and SoC partner ecosystem for the processor family
• Scalability of application performance for software investment protection
• Ease of adoption on a new project or ease of migration for an upgrade to an existing project

Software investment is the biggest ticket item in any project. Hence it is important to choose an instruction set architecture (ISA) that offers a truly scalable solution for future development. To address various embedded market segments, our distinct, binary-compatible families of processor cores span applications from 32-bit microcontrollers all the way to 64-bit multi-threaded, superscalar many-core processors for networking infrastructure, and numerous digital consumer markets in between. Since one can seamlessly scale the performance range between a wide array of processors, the MIPS architecture offers an ideal path for protecting software investment on a new design or a follow-on/upgrade to an existing project.