System-on-Chip Overview As microelectronics and VLSI technologies have matured, the number of components on a single silicon chip has also increased, reaching a point where a complete electronic system fits in a single integrated circuit. This is when system-on-a-chip was born. This trend in electronics (and computing) can be described by periods of evolution. From 1960 to 1975, it was the mainframe era, where integrated circuits were designed purely based on performance. Over the next 15 years, the network era arrived; At that time, VLSI technologies evolved significantly because the main design goal was cost/performance oriented. Finally, since 1995, we have witnessed the downsizing era, in which system-on-chip technology is applied to specific applications. The industry is pursuing SoC design not only because of its smaller form factor but also its lower overall cost and power. higher levels of integration and faster development. According to the perception of SoC engineers, this means the extensive use of reusable IP blocks and hardware and software such as programmable processor, integrated memory, DSP, system bus and multiple interfaces as well as analog components. For example, in order to handle multiple inputs/outputs required by these new applications, SoC devices can be based on RISC processors (like the ARM7 family). We are always looking to integrate predefined components to reduce the total system development time. Figure 1: Block diagram of the ARM7 architecture. The extensive use of “plug & play” IP blocks is what really sets the SoC apart from the design of integrated circuits in general; moving from block-based design to platform-based design. This allows for the reuse of components and reduces the time required to develop a new product....... middle of paper ...... cycle time. In summary, SoC designs allow products to be created in shorter time frames by reducing the amount of work by using pre-existing modules, requiring less power consumption and smaller sizes. Works cited[1] ARM. (2008). ARM7 architecture. Available: http://www.arm.com/products/CPUs/ARM7TDMI.html. Last accessed October 9, 2009.[2] Goh Ban Hok; Xu Bing Tao, “Low-Cost Approach for Systems-on-Chip.” Integrated Circuits, 2007. ISIC '07. 2007.[3] K. Mori; H.Yamada; S. Takizawa, “System on the chip era”. VLSI technology, systems and applications. Proceedings of technical documents. 1993[4] L. Benini and G. De Micheli, “Networks on Chip: A New SoC paradigm,” IEEE Computer, January 2002.[5] Maurelli, A.; Belot, D.; Campardo, G., “SoC and SiP, the Yin and Yang of the Tao for the new electronic era”. Proceedings of the IEEE Volume 97, Issue 1, January. 2009