Toward a two-processor world

Jim Turley
embedded.com (October 6, 2012)

Since Intel makes only about 2% of the world's microprocessor chips, that leaves a big 98% for everyone else. Those are all the embedded processors, and it's a fragmented market. There are gobs of 8-bit and 16-bit MCUs out there, from dozens of different chipmakers. But it looks like the 32-bit world is coalescing around just two: ARM and x86.

Is that collapse for real, and if so, is it a good thing or a bad thing for us as developers?

Maybe "collapse" is a harsh word. There's nothing inherently wrong with a two-horse race. But compared to all the variety we see in 8- and 16-bit micros, why is the 32-bit segment so… homogenous?

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