One of the questions that is always asked is, “Why FRAM and why now”? TI has been working on and producing FRAM devices for over ten years, examining and perfecting the method by which they embed it into microcontrollers, and feels they have reached a point where the next generation of applications would be much better supported with FRAM. The world is going wireless, but it also needs low power in order to be green and efficient. Also, the data these systems must manage is growing at an exponential rate and must be secure from casual snoopers or observers. This requires encryption and that requires an intelligent system of networked devices. All of this means that today’s and tomorrow’s MCUs must use less power, operate faster, be able to operate for long periods of time to avoid any maintenance costs, and have higher inherent security. FRAM does all of this and enables future applications like energy harvesting, all while reducing the amount of chips that will be needed and lowering the required design time.