TI Korea (CEO Kent Jeon, www.ti.com/ww/kr) May 24, 2012 – TI has announced the industry's first software code analysis tool (product name: ULP Advisor™) capable of achieving ultra-low power consumption. The ULP Advisor tool provides developers with methods to create the most energy-efficient ultra-low power applications when using TI's MSP430 microcontrollers, while simultaneously supporting the development of designs that can drive transformation toward a more environmentally sustainable world. This tool was developed by MSP430 microcontroller experts and serves as the industry's first comprehensive software-based power optimization hands-on tool tailored for microcontrollers, incorporating decades of accumulated experience in MSP430 microcontroller development and ultra-low power design. The ULP Advisor tool includes a static code analyzer that annotates software code and provides ultra-low power tips and techniques. Consequently, developers can identify where code can be improved on a line-by-line basis, enabling them to save mA and nA in design and ultimately achieve optimal low-power performance. This hands-on practical tool assists developers in optimizing current application code to extend battery life, while simultaneously supporting the avoidance of similar ultra-low power risk conditions when designing future applications. Therefore, this tool will become an essential development tool for all MSP430-based projects. (For more detailed information, refer to www.ti.com/tool/ulpadvisor-pr-lp)

Emmanuel Sambuis, MSP430 Microcontroller General Manager at TI, stated, "Simply developing the industry's lowest-power microcontroller using the 'Wolverine' MSP430 microcontroller platform is not sufficient. Providing guidance on how to use TI devices in relation to ultra-low power product development and ensuring the most power-efficient products can be designed and developed is a very important process. TI's robust software products, including the ULP Advisor code analysis tool, play a critical role in development. There is a well-known saying that incompetent people teach incompetent people. Now TI is proving that capable people teach and create a new generation of experts in their midst."

Features and Benefits of ULP Advisor Software Code Analysis Tool:
• Based on a detailed specification list of ultra-low power best practices, code is examined and each ultra-low power rule violation is annotated and itemized through a graphical user interface.
• Improvement areas are highlighted and comprehensive resources are provided regarding how applications can be optimized for ultra-low power characteristics.
• A bidirectional community-driven wiki provides specific information for each ultra-low power rule, code examples, videos, tutorials, and links to related technical documentation, fostering collaboration between experts and beginners in a space where all can contribute to understanding ultra-low power design.
• ULP Advisor software is a free software tool supporting all MSP430 devices and applications, included in TI's Eclipse-based Code Composer Studio™ IDE (integrated development environment) v5 and also included in the latest IAR Embedded Workbench version.

Availability and Pricing
ULP Advisor software is currently available and included in the latest installation of Code Composer Studio IDE version 5.2. It can be downloaded for free from this location. ULP Advisor has been added to the list of useful MSP430 microcontroller software supported in CCS5, along with Grace™, a graphical-based peripheral configuration software, and MSP430Ware. For support of other IDE types, a version of ULP Advisor compatible with the latest IAR Embedded Workbench is also provided at www.ti.com/ulpadvisor-msp430ware-pr-sw. An upcoming standalone version will support compilers or IDEs such as open-source MSPGCC.

For more detailed information:
• ULP Advisor Wiki: www.ti.com/tool/ulpadvisor-pr-lp
• ULP Advisor Tool Folder: http://www.ti.com/tool/ulpadvisor-pr-sw
• MSP430Ware: www.ti.com/ulpadvisor-msp430ware-pr-sw
• Grace Software Platform: www.ti.com/ulpadvisor-grace-pr-lp
• MSP430 Microcontroller: www.ti.com/ulpadvisor-msp430-pr-lp
• "Wolverine" MSP430 Microcontroller Platform: www.ti.com/ulpadvisor-wolverine-pr-lp
• Code Composer Studio IDE: www.ti.com/ulpadvisor-ccstudio-pr-sw
• Switch to TI Microcontrollers: http://www.ti.com/make-the-switch