Embedded control problems, Thumb, and the ARM7TDMI

High-end embedded control applications such as cellular phones, disk drives, and modems demand more performance from their controllers yet still require low costs. By implementing a second, compressed instruction set, our architectural innovation Thumb reduces RISC code size, providing 32-bit RISC performance at 8-/16-bit system cost. We describe the problems of embedded control, discuss the Thumb solution and its implementation, and explore typical application areas and competitive benchmarking.<
>