Benchmark Suite Allows Objective Testing 8/16-Bit MCUs

Formerly setting benchmark standards suited for DSPs and 32- or 64-bit devices, the company's first suite of benchmarks tailored for eight- and 16-bit embedded microcontrollers (MCUs) were created by adapting a number of its existing kernels originally used for automotive and industrial applications. The industrial and automotive algorithms adapted for this new suite include bit manipulation, memory access, response to remote request, pointer chasing, PWM, road-speed calculation, and tooth-to-spark. The new suite also includes a task-based benchmark suite that performs multiple operations including memory transfers, multiplication, data transfer with a UART, and shift operations typical of encryption algorithms. Two scoring methods are employed: a compiler is specified with no modification to the original source code for out-of-the-box evaluations and, for optimized evaluations, the source code is hand-tuned to accommodate architectural features, peripherals or hardware accelerators, special libraries, or assembly language. A disclosure document is available to detail the specifics of the benchmarked platform. EMBEDDED MICROPROCESSOR BENCHMARK CONSORTIUM, El Dorado Hills, CA. (530) 672-9113.