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National Semiconductor Develops IC Metrics

National Semiconductor Corp. has created a set of metrics to help designers assemble systems that can do more with less power. The company created power-to-performance metrics to assess its more energy efficient products, the top tier of which are found in its PowerWise family.

National Semiconductor Corp. has created a set of metrics to help designers assemble systems that can do more with less power.

The company created power-to-performance metrics to assess its more energy efficient products, the top tier of which are found in its PowerWise family of power management, interface, operational amplifier and data conversion products. Other design priorities include heat dissipation, size constraints, longer battery life and system reliability.

The company’s PowerWise metrics can be used to develop systems that use less power and create less heat by comparing the efficiency properties of analog components and subsystems. National Semiconductor’s PowerWise family of products includes some 300 integrated circuits.

The metrics incorporate engineering measurements for 24 product families, such as a high-speed data converter metric, which reflects power consumption and performance.

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