Many embedded system designers are still struggling to determine whether multicore technology really buys them anything in terms of performance. Resolving this quandary requires a thorough understanding of the target application, the amount of time that must be invested to make the transition, and the characteristics of multicore processors that could be used.The first two points aside, what are the multicore processor characteristics that make a real difference? In other words, many people are inclined to call the multicore transition a software problem, but does the choice of processor architecture matter?