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System on a Chip (SoC) & Microcontrollers

Definition and resources for System on a Chip (SoC) and Microcontroller Units (MCU).

Definitions​

  • System on a Chip (SoC): An integrated circuit that integrates all or most components of a computer or other electronic system. These components almost always include a central processing unit (CPU), memory, input/output ports and secondary storage – all on a single IC.
  • Microcontroller (MCU): A small computer on a single metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chip. MCUs are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers.

Resources & Guides​

Major Vendors & Architectures​

  • Architecture: ARM (Cortex-M, Cortex-A), RISC-V, MIPS, x86.
  • Vendors:
    • STMicroelectronics: STM32 series (Cortex-M).
    • Espressif: ESP32, ESP8266 (WiFi/BT integrated SoCs).
    • Texas Instruments: MSP430, SimpleLink.
    • Nordic Semiconductor: nRF52/nRF53 (Bluetooth Low Energy).
    • Broadcom: Used in Raspberry Pi (BCM2835, etc.).
    • Allwinner / Rockchip: Popular in low-cost SBCs and Android tablets.