by Chris Rommel, November 2015
System resource restrictions around memory and processing power were one of the fundamental issues that first fueled the development of the embedded operating system ecosystem. Overtime, however, the relative importance of these issues diminished in favor of more robust offerings capable of enabling sophisticated user interfaces and more advanced device connectivity. Now, however, the IoT has catalyzed a new level of market demand for OSs that can operate on MCU-class devices.
The sheer volume of small-footprint devices is enticing to silicon and software vendors alike, even if they are also accompanied by lower ASPs. The potential for this ecosystem extends far beyond traditional attached hardware and software stack components, and market leaders are responding in kind with extensions to their portfolios.