[mlyle]

> Basically everything uses an ARM CPU these days, not just tablets and phones, but microwaves, TVs, projectors, refrigerators, ovens, 3D printers...

Most of these things are not on bleeding edge 5nm or 7nm process, though. Most microcontrollers are more like 90nm (e.g. STM32 up to F7 is 90nm; STM32H7 is 40nm... many smaller micros of the M0 variety are even 180nm...)

Basically, if you're not video processing, or a real computing device, or something power sensitive, 90nm is still a pretty sweet place to be-- ~$300k for a mask set, easy to have 5V tolerant I/O if that's something you need, high likelihood of common I/O and core voltage, &c.

[MayeulC]

Plus, if you are doing microcontrollers (cortex M) and not microprocessors (cortex A), the lower leakage current of >40 nm nodes is interesting. Batteries for infraed remotes last years, not days.