Cost of Embedded Processors, Axed by UK Scientists

The Leicester University engineers have come with a new production process that is alleged to dramatically reduce the costs of manufacturing embedded processors. These chips are used all over the market, in products ranging from cars, computers, wet razors or even washing machines and cell phones.

Embedded systems may sound a little formal, but in fact they are more common appearances on the market than the very computers we are using on a daily basis. These products even outsell desktop systems at a 80 to 1 percentage.

He who holds the key to agile development and manufacturing is "doomed" to make fortunes overnight. The scientists at the Leicester University have just managed to achieve that; all they need is sell the patents for their "RapidiTTy" products.

However, the engineering staff does not seem eager to market their invention, or at least, not just yet. However, the group has managed to research and develop technologies that would allow embedded chips manufacturers to mass-produce these chips in record times and at ridiculous prices. Moreover, as this were not enough, the same staff created a technique that allows developers to detect and correct erroneous code.

"It's easier to identify where things go wrong in production, which saves developers a lot of time," said Dr. Dev Ayavoo, with the TTE Systems company.

Market analyst company IDC, the embedded software market enjoyed a revenue of around $31 billion in 2005. The most time-consuming operation in the whole process is programming each of these intricate processors that are more and more complex. Re-designing the whole process and simplifying it will be the key for ramping up production, thus keeping costs down, just like in the DRAM industry.

As these processors are widely spread in both consumer electronics and automotive industry, the lower the chip's price is, the lower the overall price per product goes.