ARM is getting interested in motor control applications and the potential of using ARM processors to improve the energy efficiency of the motorised systems from washing machines to car windows.
But is it a case of finding new markets and customers in a downturn or is it a logical fit for the low power 32-bit processor technology?
"The area of motor control is a hugely interesting area for us, both commercially and technically," ARM CEO, Warren East told EW.
East sees this as potentially new application for literally billions of ARM processor based devices.
"We know there are over four billion ARM-based IC shipped but there are 10 billion motors shipped," said East.
"We believe that many of those motors could be run twice as efficiently with sophisticated motor control," said East.
And intelligence will require higher levels of processing performance in the MCU, particularly in more energy-efficient sensorless motor control designs.
Motor controllers are inherently low cost devices and so have traditionally been 8- or 16-bit processors.
As the cost of ARM's 32-bit processors has come down, they have become more relevant to the new types of intelligent motor controllers now being designed for energy-efficiency.
"We have been waiting for 32-bit MCUs to become cost-competitive with 8-bit MCUs," said East.
With the introduction of Cortex-M3 processor-based MCUs fabricated on 180nm process technology this is starting to happen.
According to East, the average cost of an ARM-based MCU is now $2 and will go lower.
This is less that half the average price of the ARM-based baseband modem devices going in mobile phones.
ARM is already developing specific peripherals IP to support motor control applications. "There will be a little more shaping of the IP," said East.
ARM's move to expand its business beyond mobile phone processor market, which it dominates, is also a way to find new customers to counter the general industry downturn of the last year or so.
In the last few months it saw 15 new processor licences signed for non-mobile markets including digital TV, microcontrollers, hard disk drives and networking applications.
See: ST to put ARM Cortex-A9 processor into HDTVs