An ARM SoC chip has a lot of stuff inside: it has USART(s), SPI controller(s), I2C controller(s), SDRAM controller, sometimes LCD controller, USB controller, et

An ARM SoC chip has a lot of stuff inside: it has USART(s), SPI controller(s), I2C controller(s), SDRAM controller, sometimes LCD controller, USB controller, ethernet controller, a crypto coprocessor, graphic acceleration... Of which you only use a fraction. It has logic to multiplex all those I/O to GPIO pins, and sometimes you have to choose between a second USB controller and a third UART. Because all this gates eat a lot of current, it has a lot of logic to power off parts of the core. In a way, popular ARM SoCs are a lot like bloated software. I think the GA144 can replace a lot of this, without all the hardwired logic, with less gates, less power, less heat dissipation, and probably less pins. Regarding his way of presenting it: I did cringe at times a little too. But at least he doesn't present it as silver bullet than can do anything easily with a C compiler and a Web programmer. Clearly his chip is as an oddball as his creator, so it requires some commitment.