Embedded Systems and Real Time Operating Systems

Most embedded systems are small enough to sit on the end of your thumb and are usually hidden within much larger and more complex mobile computing or electronic devices, so they often go unnoticed. But embedded systems actually represent the vast majority of semiconductor sales. According to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics blue book, there are an estimated 5 billion embedded microprocessors in use today a whopping 94 percent share of the world market. (By comparison, unit sales of high-profile PC processors, such as the Intel Pentium and Motorola PowerPC, check in at only 6 percent market share.)