Chipsets

Microsoft has acquired embedded computing software firm Express Logic for an undisclosed fee, with an aim to “unlock access to billions of new connected endpoints” in the internet-of-things (IoT) space. The San Diego outfit is behind the ThreadX real-time operating …

The original Monarch system-in-package (SiP) from French chipmaker Sequans Communications has been made available Verizon’s ThingSpace IoT ‘accelerator programme’ for just $6.50. The new price point is a significant advance on the magic $10 mark for IoT chips that was …

Infineon Technologies has released a new ‘trusted platform module’ (TPM) to protect data in industrial PCs, servers, industrial controllers, and edge gateways. Its new OPTIGA TPM SLM 9670 controls access to key data within a digital factory functions, as well …

Traditional industrial technology giants are transforming their businesses by buying, funding or partnering with connected and intelligent manufacturing technologies and data management companies. The trend is most notable in Europe, among companies like like Bosch Rexroth and Siemens. At the …

Google has released new hardware for machine learning at the edge in the form of a single-board computer running its edge-based Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) processor. Alongside the new system-on-module (SOM), available under its Coral brand, Google has unveiled a …

Chip-design company Arm has appointed Vodafone as its global ‘bootstrap’ provider for NB-IoT and LTE-M devices based on its new line of integrated SIM (iSIM) designs. Emerging iSIM technology provides enterprises with a programmable, connected system-on-chip design that eliminates the …

5G as the ‘nervous system’ for the industrial IoT BARCELONA–Qualcomm is a major force in not just the modems and other components that power smartphones but also in the processes that gives us standards like Wi-Fi, LTE and 5G NR. …

UK based smart-city firm Telensa will run compute and analytics on its new streetlight solutions to insights from raw data in real time and reduce the need for cloud support. Telensa’s Multi-Sensor Pods will run on Qualcomm’s SDM845 processors, which …

Sequans Communications has introduced a new version of its Monarch chip platform, combining LTE-M and NB-IoT connectivity. The backward-compatible Monarch 2 chip brings a new secure element, a 60-percent boost in power efficiency, higher levels of integration, and lower costs. …

Nordic Semiconductor is bundling an eSIM with 10MB of data into all its nRF9160 development kits. Network operators buying the company’s dual-mode LTE-M / NB-IoT nRF9160 system-in-package (SiP) can connect their cellular IoT services anywhere in the world, it said. …

Jean-Philippe Provencher, vice president, manufacturing strategy and solutions, PTC “The governing factors are the facilities, the cost of downtime, and speed of product development. “Cloud computing could hit a snag with these factors as facilities in lower cost areas may …

The Linux Foundation has started a new umbrella organisation, LF Edge, to establish an open, interoperable framework for edge computing that is independent of hardware, silicon, cloud, or operating system. The launch “changes the IoT and edge computing landscape,” it …

Irish IoT antenna firm Taoglas has bought US competitor ThinkWireless for an undisclosed fee. The deal will help the Wexford firm expand sales in the commercial vehicle industry, it said. ThinkWireless, headquartered in Florida, specialises in combination antenna systems incorporating …

SEQUANS | Four new LTE-M / NB-IoT trackers for supply chain, vehicle industries French chipmaker Sequans is releasing four new IoT trackers for asset and vehicle tracking, among other use cases. The trackers use modules from Shanghai-based Asiatelco, running Sequans’ …

Car companies Audi, Ducati, and Ford have joined with California chip maker Qualcomm to prove the “maturity and potential” of cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology by showing their vehicles navigating a crossroads by themselves. The showcase at the 2019 Consumer Electronics …

AT&T has slipped out a minor announcement about LTE connectivity on latest-model Toyota and Lexus cars and trucks in the US, starting from the fall, just as the technology and automotive markets appeared in a newly climactic embrace ahead of …

Qualcomm has launched its long-awaited 9205 LTE modem for internet-of-things (IoT) applications, combining cellular low-power wide-area (LPWA) LTE-M and NB-IoT connectivity, and support for IoT developers. Module makers Telit and Quectel were quick to announce products based on the 9205 …

Test and measurement firm Rohde & Schwarz has validated a new dual-mode DSRC and C-V2X chipset from Autotalks, as the Israeli chip-maker also claims expansion into China. The lack of regulation around safety-critical vehicle-to-everything connectivity in the automotive sector has seen both …

Note, this is the second part of an interview with Mentor Graphics; for the first instalment go here. For Siemens, Mentor Graphics’ software capabilities with chip and board design, particularly the latter, was attractive, as the German company sought to …

In a tucked-away corner of a hangar-like exhibition space in Munich, US electronic design automation (EDA) company Mentor Graphics is reflecting on its recent status, as a small but notable function within German mega-corp Siemens. “It probably sounds like a …

Nordic Semiconductor’s new cellular IoT module, billed as the world’s smallest and lowest power, according to its maker, could “kick-start a new wave” of cellular IoT applications, including in tracking, metering, industrial intelligence, and smart cities. The Trondheim-based firm said …

With brand new silicon, a vibrant support network, and a profile burnished in the early IoT rush, LoRa specialist Semtech is looking to spread its wings and rise above the challenge from cellular IoT carriers. Outside of the IoT space, …

The sense to design and build a custom system-on-chip (SoC) is plain, we understand from an earlier companion piece. As we also understand, from the first part of this post, the process of IoT chip design is logical, much like …

In a flurry of activity, the makers of modules, chips and embedded systems have announced a number of product and service initiatives to extend, simplify and secure industrial IoT systems; u-blox, Analog Devices, Altair Semiconductor, and Eurotech appear. IoT maker …

The wisdom of bespoke chip design for IoT products is plain, and already discussed in some detail. UK based Arm says a custom chip will produce a higher-grade product, with optimised performance, and save money in the end. Fine. But …