Why will the 8-bit MCU continue to "traverse"?

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In a recent "Global Semiconductor Market Trend" announced by Gartner, the annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of global MCU market sales from 2003 to 2007 reached 14.3%, while in 2002, 8 MCUs occupied the world. 52% of sales are about 1.8 times and 2.2 times of sales for 16-bit and 32-bit MCUs, while 16-bit MCUs are only about 25% more than 32-bit MCUs, and this megatrend will remain until 2007. Among them, Microchip occupied the first place in the 8-bit MCU shipments in 2002, and Motorola and STMicroelectronics ranked second and third.

Embedded applications are a major factor in making 8-bit MCUs mainstream, as they require low-cost and small-sized devices. From the data of Gartner, color TV sets and CRTs are the largest applications, reaching 18%. These applications are mainly in the control part of color TV and CRT, such as OSD display. Other mainstream applications include smart cards, manufacturing systems/instruments, telephone terminals, safety/energy management, and automotive airbag control. At the same time, by 2007, automotive airbag control applications will become the main application areas of 8-bit MCUs, and digital set-top boxes and flat-panel displays will leap to the top 10 application areas, which also indicates the future development of the electronics industry. .

It is precisely because of the emergence of new applications in embedded electronic devices that 8-bit MCUs have maintained their dominance. The range of applications for 8-bit MCUs continues to expand, from traditional consumer electronics and industrial control to automotive electronics, office automation, and communications equipment. According to Gartner's data, in consumer electronics, digital applications will maintain a steady growth rate in the future, CAGR growth rate of 17%, while analog applications show zero growth, and even began to decline slightly after 2006. The transition from CRT to LCD monitors, the transition from analog TV to digital TV, and the rapid development of China's automotive electronics are creating new applications for 8-bit MCUs.

Overall, 8-bit MCUs are developed with faster processing speeds, flexible field programmability, and more sophisticated analog functions such as ADC/DAC and more functional I/O interfaces. . MCUs also have an advantage in pin-compatible, low-cost development tools.

Among them, in order to overcome the pressure brought by the time to market, 8-bit flash MCU with field programming capability is becoming the new favorite. With this MCU, users can use the same device in different systems in real-time, on-site programming or remote upgrades to manage inventory more efficiently. In this area, leading MCU manufacturers such as Microchip and Motorola have launched their own products.

With the huge demand for MCUs in embedded applications, Asia has become one of the largest markets for MCU applications. In terms of Microchip's global shipments, Asia (including Japan) accounted for the first 40%, of which MCU sales from consumer electronics applications are currently ranked first, reaching 35%.