This Arm-Powered Chip Could Work For –At Least- A Decade On a Single Charge

Microcontrollers and touch-technology developer Atmel Corporation ATML released Tuesday samples of a new type of super-low power, ARM-based family of microcontrollers (MCUs). Many are saying, already, that the SMART SAM L21 family of MCUs has the potential to revolutionize the way the Internet of Things (IoT) works.

Made by Atmel and based on ARM Holdings plc (ADR) ARMH technology, these chips can last for over ten years on a single battery charge. According to Atmel, this family of MCUs delivers power consumption down to 35 microamps per megahertz in active mode and to just 200 nanoamps in Sleep mode. Andreas Eieland, Atmel's Director of Product Marketing for low-power products recently made this figure understandable for non-nerds: it is so little power that it can run off energy drawn from your body.

The other novelty that arrives with this MCUs family is the sleep mode; well, actually, how it works. Unlike its predecessors, which shut down pretty much every function but the clock, the SMART SAM L21 family has different sleep states, which allow diverse levels of communication between connected devices and still help reduce leakage.

The companies did not announce yet when the products will be launched, and how much they will cost. However, they did announce that they would release sample kits for developers in the coming months.