It seems like there’s an almost unlimited array of microcontrollers—from low-cost 8-bit varieties to high-performance 32/64 multicore systems. While some systems require little thought beyond cost or speed, there are also many high integrity applications requiring reliability, security and/or functional-safety (FuSa) standards to be met, requiring the architect to pay special attention to the MCU selection.
At the extreme end, today’s vehicles contain 100+ MCUs serving different functionalities: infotainment, steering, braking, engine control, ADAS, etc. Some of these systems are built with commercially available MCUs. However, when a high degree of integration and low cost are the top priorities, dedicated systems-on-chips (SoCs) become necessary. These contain not only an MCU but additional analog/digital processing functionalities.