Guest Editor's Introduction: Processor-Based Designs

0740-7475/02/$17.00 © 2002 IEEE July–August 2002 WELCOME to this special issue on embedded systems, which are information-processing systems embedded in larger products, such as cars, airplanes, and fabrication or communication equipment. In most embedded systems, information processing is invisible to the user. The main reason for buying such a system is not information processing, but the system’s overall functionality. Embedded systems must also be efficient in terms of weight, cost, size, and energy consumption. Moreover, they must be dependable and in many cases must meet real-time constraints. The market for embedded systems will grow significantly over the next years. For example, Kontron, one of the leading vendors of embedded computers, expects 40% annual growth over the next four years in the voice-traffic network-equipment market (http://www.icsadvent.com/applications/ap_convergence.cfm).