Digi-Key Electronics, a global electronic components distributor, has announced that it has expanded its tool offerings by signing a global partnership with EAO to provide Digi-Key customers with a new Digital Product Selector (DPS) tool for emergency stop switches. EAO's Digital Product Selector is an interactive and intuitive virtual configuration tool, enabling engineers and designers to easily configure products online to their specific needs.The new DPS tool offers an engaging user experience for customers to select emergency stop switches and configure them to their needs based on 3D photo realistic selections, as well as parametric input. Customers can view 360-degree images, mounting depths, dimensional representations, illumination previews, and panel mounted views. Users can also download files such as data sheets designed for specific configuration, CAD drawings, launch installation videos and certifications.The new tool gives customers access to over 130 parts, which can be configured in more than 2,000 different combinations. Once a customer has selected a configured emergency stop switch to meet their specific needs, they may add it to their cart and purchase it through Digi-Key's website."We are pleased to introduce this new tool to our customers," said David Stein, vice president, global supplier management at Digi-Key. "Emergency stop switches are a critical component of design engineering, and this tool has a variety of industry applications, from industrial automation to medical equipment and electric vehicle charging stations. We're proud to support these important industries with critical resources and a simplified shopping experience."The DPS tool takes the guess work out of configuring emergency stop switches for customers. From switch function to IP ratings and unlocking features, the DPS allows customers to quickly and intuitively select their switch and accessories, add them to their Digi-Key cart and checkout.The tool supports a variety of industries, including machinery and industrial automation, food and beverage, packaging systems, process automation, lifting and moving, specialty vehicles, transportation, medical equipment, industrial X-ray machines, compressors, printing equipment, EV charging stations and more.For more information about EAO and their Digital Product Selector, please visit the Digi-Key website.EAO's Digital Product Selector offered by Digi-Key

The trend towards AI at the edge and the rapid advance of machine learning algorithms have brought new application challenges to traditional video surveillance systems. As a result, the edge video analysis (EVA) market, which uses AI to analyze images and videos and derive actionable information, has recently come to the forefront.Since becoming an NVIDIA Quadro Embedded Preferred Partner, OEM Preferred Partner, and Jetson Elite Partner, ADLINK, has transformed from an embedded system developer to a leading provider of AI edge computing, and has worked with NVIDIA to create comprehensive AI edge platforms and solutions. By doing so, the two companies aim to help customers realize the value of AI edge computing and bring EVA functions to a diverse range of edge devices, and assist companies across industries to achieve business transformation.In the "When ADLINK meets NVIDIA" webinar held on July 9th, the latest AI edge computing trends and optimal solutions jointly provided by the two companies were presented. In addition, application cases and practical deployment experience for different verticals, including manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and defense, were also introduced.AI edge computing enables business transformation and added value"AI has become a game-changing technology," said Jim Liu, Chairman and CEO of ADLINK, in the "Expert Talk", a session in which Eunice Chiu, VP, Sales & GM of Taiwan at NVIDIA Corporation, also participated. "By realizing AI at the edge, the way many devices are used will change from automation to autonomy.""In particular, intelligent vision analysis will drive business transformation and value enhancement for various industries, such as manufacturing, retail, medical, smart cities, and sports. By leveraging our deep experience in the embedded market and integrating NVIDIA's powerful GPU product portfolio and rich software stacks for different verticals, I believe that our partnership will play an important role in the market.""Data, domain knowledge, and fields for validation are the three requisites for successful AI solutions," Jim Liu stressed. "In addition, the deployment of AI edge computing involves the integration of processors, application software, platforms, security and other building blocks. No single company can provide all solutions alone. Therefore, partnership is very important and we should work with companies that have knowledge in different domains."Eunice Chiu echoed by saying, "The challenges faced by the industry and its application requirements continue to evolve. For NVIDIA, we not only keep improving our GPU performance and product portfolios, but have also established comprehensive software stacks for various vertical markets. Our goal is to build complete end-to-end solutions so that we can help companies accelerate the innovation and deployment of AI edge computing." She also emphasized that, when selecting a technology partner for AI deployment, in order to ensure investment, it is necessary to cooperate with suppliers that can provide complete solutions, scalability and future-proof capabilities, as well as simplify complexity.The two experts highlighted the fact that ADLINK and NVIDIA have worked together over the past few years and have invested a lot of resources to build the optimal platform for edge computing. As the development of AI edge applications matures, the problem of how to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and optimization of deployment will be the next issue facing the industry. In this regard, the two companies will together strengthen cooperation with end customers across industries and strive to embrace the huge opportunities in the new era of smart economy.EVA in manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and defense industriesIn the second part of the webinar, four "Solution Sessions" targeting manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and defense industries introduced the latest solutions from ADLINK and NVIDIA.For smart manufacturing, ADLINK explained how edge AI vision can be deployed to assist the operations of automated optical inspection (AOI). Application cases including intelligent robotics, smart pallet, and AI AOI for contact lens defect inspection were discussed. Compared with traditional machine vision, AI AOI can successfully help manufacturers improve the accuracy and productivity of inspection.For healthcare applications, a detailed explanation was given on how to improve speed and accuracy in medical imaging. By adopting diversified products jointly developed by ADLINK and NVIDIA, multiple challenges, including improving image quality, reducing harmful radiation exposure to patients, and satisfying the compact and small form factor requirements for advanced imaging equipment, can be overcome.For smart cities, NVIDIA described how intelligent video analytics can be used to solve important problems across a range of smart city applications, such as retail, warehouse, and transportation, by using its Jetson-based hardware and Metropolis application/platform, and how to create higher value by realizing edge-to-cloud inference at the edge.Finally, in the defense field, NVIDIA discussed the impacts and changes that AI has brought to defense applications. For example, radar, communications, sonar, image processing and other applications will more widely use AIOM (AI-on-Module) products with built-in GPUs to perform visual analysis, encryption, simulation and other functions, a fact that will drive significant growth of GPUs within military. In addition, a series of rugged board and module products jointly developed with ADLINK can meet the various size, reliability, and performance requirements of the next generation of defense devices.AI will be ubiquitous in the future. Rapid and successfully AI deployment will be a key factor for the successful transformation to AI industrialization. ADLINK has evolved from focusing on embedded system development to being a leading provider of AI edge solutions in recent years. By leveraging NVIDIA's powerful GPU product portfolio and a wide range of vertical software stacks, ADLINK has created complete end-to-end solutions covering software/hardware platforms and system implementation. With the most suitable solutions, ADLINK aims to help customers accelerate their deployment and realization of innovative AI edge applications.To learn more information about the optimal AI edge solutions jointly provided by ADLINK and NVIDIA, watch a replay of the webinar!To learn more information about the optimal AI edge solutions ,watch a replay of the webinar

Global telecommunications companies are continuing the race to deploy the best 5G networks and technologies around the world. Though the coronavirus has pushed the 5G rollout back by 3-6 months, companies are now prioritizing capacity allocation to 5G production as they ramp back up.The rollout has been long anticipated as the gateway into the Internet of Things connectivity, low latency and high speeds, the outcome of which will be a massive boom in the semiconductor industry.With the 5G network being the catalyst to multiple technological revolutions, new devices containing higher performing components will be essential requirements of 5G. All new chips, wafers, memory and storage components will be necessary in making 5G a working reality, resulting in large capital investments into manufacturing.According to Tony Leong, Fusion Worldwide's Director of Business Development, Asia, "From FPGA and Active ICs to Passive and Transformers, the 5G network has brought about a re-generation of components to meet the specification required."Due to the global shutdown caused by the coronavirus, there is currently an adequate level of inventory. But, as production restarts, chip makers are prioritizing components that support 5G technologies. Thus, backlogs are expected, which are expected to produce some level of supply tension along the way.Some key manufacturers are already increasing their prices and lead times on components. According to Electronics Sourcing, DRAM selling prices are expected to increase by 12% while NAND flash average prices have been predicted to rise by 19% as OEMs transition to 5G-based systems.Because key ICs, such as FPGAs, RF Transceivers, SRAM, and NAND, are commonly used in multiple applications, manufacturers will need to increase production once 5G equipment starts being produced. Therefore, pressure will be added to existing supply and lead to further price increases.MLCCs are another key component that will be impacted by the 5G rollout. After the major MLCC shortage in 2018, speculation has been growing that there will be another shortage this year partly due to the next generation of smartphones and automobiles."With the ramp up in production of 5G components and products, we are expecting added pressure on existing MLCC supply, as well as an increase in pricing for these components," Leong continues.Current market forecasts call for 1.4 billion smartphones to ship worldwide. If shipments exceed just slightly to 1.5 billion units, this would represent a demand increase of MLCCs amounting to 120 billion units. Once demand picks up, shortages will be wider spread moving forward.Because the rollout will act as the catalyst for many technological revolutions, the 5G industry will lead to a new era of a global networking. Already a IHS Markit report shows that the global 5G value chain will enable US$13.2 trillion in economic output by 2035 and the investment of US$235 billion annually on average to the expansion and strengthening of 5G networks and infrastructure.This will have a downstream effect on semiconductor sales for years to come and will result in a new level of market growth for the industry.The 5G revolution: A catalyst for semiconductor success

From life sciences to astrophysics to quantum physics, advanced computation in every field heavily relies on high-performance computing (HPC) storage systems. While most enterprise applications and software today demand supercomputing, the storage requirements for modeling and simulation, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and analytics workloads, have significantly evolved over the years. These requirements have grown more intense, owing to the increased adoption of edge computing for optimizing applications and cloud-storage systems. To meet such requirements, businesses are embracing highly-scalable cloud storage solutions or efficient and reliable SSDs to improve performance benchmarks in end-user devices, servers, and storage arrays. This is where Sage Microelectronic is in a class by itself.Sage Microelectronic Corporation (Sage Micro) is one of the leading semiconductor companies that provide Integrated Circuits (ICs) and solutions for digital storage and data security applications. "We are designing today's storage solutions while researching and exploring tomorrow's technology," says Jerome Luo, founder of Sage Microelectronic. Headquartered in Hangzhou city, the company has devoted itself to creating superior products and services to prepare its petition to China's Sci-Tech innovation board (STAR Market) as an IC star providing storage solutions. The company's products have been widely applied in various customer applications like digital cameras, mobile phones, and personal computers, as well as in enterprise and communication systems such as industrial control, cloud storage, and more. Supported by funding of about US$90 million, Sage Micro's product line covers mobile flash controllers, SSD controllers, and aggregator/RAID/port-multiplier controllers. Furthermore, the company is facing the increasing demands of many high-end systems, such as communication and aeronautics. "We have enabled the latest and most sustainable semiconductors in the server and the cloud area. While everything is moving from the server room to the edge, there is a tremendous opportunity for new ICs. Sage Micro is primed to reap the benefits of the latest trends, and embeds, merges and integrates new functions into the current storage controllers," says Chris Tsu, CTO of the company.Sage Micro is one of the world's top three bridge controller manufacturers providing consumer storage controllers, including USB-IDE, USB-SATA/PCIe, SAS/SATA-SATA bridge controllers, and more.We are designing today's storage solutions while researching and exploring tomorrow's technologyIn 2012, the company announced China's first SATA SSD controller and is currently focused on developing and shipping enterprise high-performance SSD controllers, with an enhanced partnership with IBM that has pioneered high-end storage systems. Owing to its flexible architecture, Sage Micro is also the first enterprise SSD controller provider to apply the leading MRAM vendor, Everspin's newly released 1 GB Spin-transfer Torque MRAM.Sage Micro is building up a whole series of SSD controllers covering all kinds of interfaces, including SATA, SAS, PCIe, and more. "Our recent controllers are provided for MLC and TLC flash but should accumulate technologies for QLC flash memory and even the generation after QLC," adds Luo. Furthermore, the company is taking a big leap from being a single drive controller vendor to a system-level high-end IC provider by manufacturing storage system controllers such as RAID controllers, port-multipliers, aggregators, and expanders. Some of Sage Micro's controllers have embedded encryption/decryption engines to provide data security functions.In essence, Sage Micro is not only delivering storage controllers with high capacity, great performance, and embedded security, but also pioneering the next generation of storage and computing systems. Tsu further presents his aggressive ideas for embedded computing of an SSD or RAID/Expander IC. "Computational storage can be practiced by these chips, and the embedded hardware engines can run much faster than software can. Artificial Intelligence in a surveillance system implemented with these chips can ensure high efficiency in facial recognition applications. It can also be used to build block-chain with the security engines distributed and embedded inside each drive or storage access interface. To sum it up, as storage and computing are having a fuzzy boundary now, we are trying to leverage the merits," says Tsu.A bright future awaits Sage Micro, which aims to achieve milestones in the global market after its massive success in China.About Sage MicroSage Micro is one of the world's top 3 bridge controller manufacturers providing consumer Storage controllers, including SD/MMC card controller, USB flash drive controller, USB-SATA/PCIe bridge controller, and more. In 2012, the company announced China's first SATA SSD controller and is currently focused on developing and shipping enterprise high-performance SSD controllers, with an enhanced partnership with IBM that has pioneered high-end storage systems such as banking database. Owing to its flexible architecture, Sage Micro is the first enterprise SSD controller provider to apply the leading MRAM vendor, Everspin's new-released 1 GB Spin-transfer Torque MRAM. More information, please visit the website.(Editor's note: This article was originally published by CIOReview.)Chris Tsu, CTO (left) and Jianjun Luo (Jerome Luo), CEOSage Microelectronic achieves high reliability and performance with SSD controllers

With the world going digital, the popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is rapidly rising. This is not only reshaping people's lives but also spurring a wave of new market opportunities. However, growingly widespread use of connected devices also leads to increased cybersecurity threats. To control cybersecurity risks, governments around the world are enacting cybersecurity laws while leading manufacturers are also implementing cybersecurity requirements for their products.As international markets and customers impose more and more regulations and requirements on cybersecurity, Taiwan-based ICT device manufacturers feel mounting pressure.Having long been committed to developing security compliance solutions for IoT devices, Onward Security envisaged the trend of security assessment for connected devices years ago and thus took early action by actively engaging in international standards certification and conformity assessment. As a result of its efforts, Onward Security has made itself Taiwan's only Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) and Amazon Prime Video security assessment lab and Asia's only Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) authorized test lab with an aim to help electronics brands and manufacturers obtain security certifications and thereby penetrate into international supply chains.Security compliance enhances brand image while reducing operating costsAccording to Onward Security Director of Technical Service, Daniel Liu, the rise of 5G and AIoT will bring a massive number of smart devices and applications into reality, many of which will be used at people's homes. In the case of security incidents resulting from poor security implementations on the part of the developers, people's safety and privacy will be at risk. To prevent such threats, many governments and manufacturers impose regulations and requirements demanding that connected devices comply with security standards. California's new IoT Security Law that went into effect on January 1, 2020 is an example.Although the security standards are not currently mandatory, they may be incorporated as part of government procurement procedures and national standards. For example, Taiwan Association of Information and Communication Standards (TAICS) has established a set of cybersecurity standards for a slew of products including video surveillance devices, smart street lamps and smartbus systems. When government procurement procedures include security compliance in the future, a product's conformity to the security standards will play a critical role. As to international standards, Amazon requires that products built in with Alexa and/or Prime Video pass security assessment by Amazon authorized labs or else manufacturers will be prohibited from shipping the products. CTIA, representing major North American telecom companies, also has the IoT Cybersecurity Certification Program in place to ensure that connected devices have appropriate security capabilities and thereby protect consumers and wireless networks.Liu notes that security assessment generally takes at least two weeks but could take as long as one and half to three months if any vulnerabilities or non-compliance items are discovered and need to be fixed and then retested, which is common during the initial stage of assessment. This will inevitably delay product development but developers have no way around it if they want to meet end market requirements. Liu thinks having their products pass security assessment enables manufacturers to penetrate into international supply chains while validating their product quality and enhancing their brand image. More importantly, if vulnerabilities are found after the product goes to market, the impact, including the burden on service personnel, delay in product development and cost for deploying security patches, will be much more serious than if the issues are caught and resolved beforehand. This manifests the value of security assessment. The benefits definitely outweigh the time and effort it takes.Operating an ISO 27001 and ISO 17025 accredited lab, Onward Security has built up strong capabilities in IoT security regulatory compliance through rigorous testing methodology, extensive service experiences and active devotion in international standards, based on which it is able to provide Taiwan-based manufacturers with comprehensive compliance and certification services for international cybersecurity standards.According to Onward Security Director of Technical Service, Daniel Liu, Onward Security exerts all efforts in making itself an authorized lab for international cybersecurity standards so that Taiwan-based manufacturers can have their products assessed and certified locally without engaging foreign labs and auditors to help reduce certification costs.

The global demand for healthcare services is growing, due in part to increases in aging populations, chronic diseases, and patient volumes in emerging countries. These trends and others will boost global healthcare spending, which is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% through 2023.Smart Healthcare SolutionsWith healthcare providers caring for more patients and battling the spread of infectious diseases, medical-grade computers can help by improving healthcare efficiency and patient safety. ADLINK's antibacterial medical panel computers deliver the high performance and a hygienic design needed to meet the stringent requirements of the healthcare industry. This case study describes how a Taiwan-based medical systems integrator, iMedtac, deployed ADLINK products to build surgical imaging systems and mobile medical carts to address some of the challenges facing healthcare providers.iMedtac's solutions are widely used by large medical institutions, both at home and abroad, mainly for two reasons: they closely match hospital needs and can be up and running in no time, ready-to-use by medical care teams.ChallengesEnable faster and safer surgeriesDoctors operating on patients need to view pre-surgery images stored in an archive along with images captured during surgery. When medical imaging devices are located throughout the operating room, doctors must look up and around to find the information they need, which can distract them and slow down the surgery.Reduce medical device-related infectionsPreventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is a top priority in the healthcare industry, and perhaps even more so with the rise in infectious diseases throughout the world. HAIs can occur when the medical device itself becomes contaminated and serves as a means of transmission of microorganisms directly or indirectly from an infected individual to a patient.2 SolutionsAn integrated view of medical images increases efficiency and safetyAn imaging platform developed by iMedtac allows doctors to view multiple medical images from one display built with ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AK/KL medical panel computers. Further addressing patient safety and healthcare efficiency, the solution eliminates the need for doctors to physically press a key with their hand or foot by incorporating gesture recognition.By implementing contactless switching from one image to another, the platform helps reduce the risk of infection and the time needed to clean the operating room, thereby shortening the operating room turnover time.Hygienic design prevents the spread of infectionA mobile medical cart designed for hospitals facilitates safe, contactless doctor-patient communication and medical data access by combining gesture recognition and video conferencing. Built by iMedtac, the cart integrates medical images (e.g., electrocardiogram, ultrasound, and Horus Scope) with information from hospital information systems (HIS) and/or picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). The solution increases the portability and usability of medical devices for both intensive care units (ICUs) and remote healthcare settings.Medical-Grade ComputersiMedtac's surgical imaging systems and mobile medical carts are respectively based on ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AL/KL medical panel computers that are medically-certified products, suitable for use in operating rooms and ICUs. According to iMedtac, even with gesture control, there are still situations when users need to physically enter commands via the touch panel. This is why iMedtac selected ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AL/KL medical panel computers with hygienic-design features.These ADLINK computers allow for easy cleaning by medical care teams after use, prevent bacterial growth in cracks, and shorten operating room turnover time. The hygienic design includes a screwless, fully-sealed housing, edge-to-edge touch panel (no frame), on-screen buttons (no physical buttons), antibacterial surface coating, and IP54 protection.Integrating ADLINK Panel ComputersiMedtac reduces its medical system integration efforts by starting with a standard architecture and then customizing the remaining portion (approximately 30%) to satisfy particular customer needs. ADLINK panel computers fully support this development model, providing high levels of flexibility and functionality. This includes a 4K or full HD display, customizable touch control, and laminated with anti-glare coated safety glass and optical bonding to present clear medical images. ADLINK-based solutions also provide an isolated I/O interface, expansion slots, and network ports to accommodate connection to wide-ranging devices to facilitate system integration.ADLINK's medical-grade panel computers are IEC/EN-60601-1 and IEC/EN-60601-1-2 certified. These certifications protect the safety of those operating the medical devices and prevent the devices from interfering with one another in operating rooms and ICUs, which help ensure the safety of the operating room staff and patients.Smart Healthcare SolutionsADLINK and iMedtac are committed to collaborating and bringing smart healthcare solutions with a fresh perspective to the healthcare industry. For information about ADLINK medical-grade panel computers, please visit the website.An imaging platform developed by iMedtac allows doctors to view multiple medical images from one display built with ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AK/KL medical panel computersADLINK panel computers fully support this development model, providing high levels of flexibility and functionality

Amiccom released 2.4GHz direct-sequence spread-spectrum wireless chip in June 2020, named A7157, which supports FSK and DSSS modulation operation modes.In FSK mode, A7157 is a high-speed (4Mbps) RF transceiver chip. The operation is fully compatible with A7190 and A7196. The maximum PA output power can be up to 17Bm.Via SPI interface user can control the operation mode and access to the built-in 512 Bytes TXFIFO and RXFIFO.When the DSSS modulation operation is enabled, the supported maximum data rate is 133.3kbps, the spread spectrum function can enhance the anti-interference ability of the A7157 and greatly increase the distance of wireless transmission.A7157 features 4Mbps mode high-speed transmission, 30 times DSSS function, built-in high-power PA and 512 Bytes TX/RX FIFO packets. Customers can configure the best transmission mode according to system application requirements. Suitable applications include Baby Monitor in the 2.4GHz frequency band, wireless audio and video transmission, high-fidelity wireless speakers, home security and drone. Using FSK modulation, 15 channels can be used. In addition, AMICCOM provides reference design modules, customers can quickly complete product designs and shorten the design cycle. The reference design module can meet the EMC specifications of the US FCC part 15.247 and the European ETSI EN300-440.In the RF performance, the reference design of the A7157 operates with DSSS 133.3kbps, 17dBm TX Power and RX sensitivity of -100dBm. Link Budget can reach 117dB. In addition, the built-in RSSI of the A7157 can help software engineers to select a clean channel for high-speed transmission (4Mbps) and a built-in Multi-CRC to enhance the packet error detection capability. The Auto Calibration mechanism inside the chip can overcome the semiconductor process variation and can work stably in various environments.In data processing, A7157 provides packet error detection (FEC and CRC), Auto ACK and Auto Resend mechanisms to reduce the burden of software development, the packet content also supports hardware AES128 encryption and decryption. Enhancing the confidentiality of data can reduce the complexity of MCU operation for data processing. The power management of A7157 supports Sleep, Idle mode and TWOR mode (Wake up by Radio Timer). The TWOR function provides A7157 automatic wake-up to extend battery life. In Sleep mode, the current consumption of A7157 is only 5.3uA. Overall, the built-in functions of A7157 can effectively reduce the development complexity and development cost.Supply and packagingA7157 is available in a QFN5x5 32L package, and is now available from Amiccom and its authorized distributors. Welcome to request IC samples and development kits and start development work. Amiccom 's FAE team also provides RF test tools for mass production of modules. Please contact Amiccom Electronics for details.

Around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the strict lockdowns which governments have imposed to try to control the spread of infection, have brought short-term upheaval to every aspect of people's lives.But looking ahead at the months and years to follow once the immediate crisis has passed, which changes in ordinary life are likely to endure? And how does a memory IC manufacturer such as Winbond ensure that it is ready to meet the changed requirements of electronics device OEMs?Winbond has worked hard to adapt its strategic product and technology plans in the light of the changed circumstances that it is now forecasting. This is the company's broad assessment of how the post-Covid world is going to shape up, and of the demands that this will place on suppliers to the memory IC market.Home working and home entertainment will become the new normalWhen governments imposed pandemic lockdowns, citizens were told that those who could work from home, should work from home. Companies scrambled to put in place new systems and processes which would allow for all or most workers to work from home.What was originally intended to be a short-term fix has turned out to be an efficient way of working. To most people's surprise, home working is one of the few positive changes to emerge from the pandemic. It turns out that people like it, and so do companies - it is a win-win. People save the time that they would otherwise have spent commuting, so have more time to spend with their families, or on leisure activities.And companies are now exploring the scope to save money on the provision of work spaces, particularly for office staff. They are also keen to make savings on business travel. Workers have discovered that they can achieve on video conference calls made on platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Skype almost as much as they could in a face-to-face meeting, but without the cost, time and energy involved in business travel.For the sake both of people and of the organisations which employ them, home working is here to stay. And this means that there will be a surge in demand for the technologies which enable computing and communications equipment to work efficiently and effectively. Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and Wi-Fi 6 routers will be particularly popular to meet the home worker's need for high internet bandwidth. We will also see higher demand for computing equipment for home use. As so often before, predictions of the death of the PC are set to be proved wrong. We also expect to see strong growth in the market for the peripheral devices which make home working more comfortable or efficient, and for high-performance smartphones.Many home computing and communications devices depend on robust NOR or NAND Flash for boot code storage. Winbond's investment in developing QspiNAND Flash technology is important in this context: the QspiNAND Flash devices are lower-cost alternatives to conventional NOR Flash for storing code bigger than 512Mbits. The QspiNAND Flash products provide high-speed Read and Write performance sufficient for Code Shadowing operation, and have a small package size and low pin count, enabling OEMs to reduce the size and cost of the board. Board and cost savings are also a benefit of low pin-count HyperRAM memory devices for use in space-constrained computing peripherals such as wireless headsets or True Wireless earbuds.Another lockdown phenomenon which looks set to continue post-Covid is the use of advanced technology for home entertainment. Streaming video services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are now even more popular than before. But another effect that Winbond forecasts is the emergence of demand for 8K TVs for the ultimate home cinema experience. Here, Winbond's Low-Power DDR3 (LPDDR3) DRAM products are the ideal choice: in the T-CON module in an 8K TV, a single LPDDR3 replaces multiple alternative components to offer a substantial space and cost saving.Societies will accept greater intrusion into private lives in the name of disease preventionAccepted practice will differ from country to country. But the general trend that we can already see around the world is that citizens will grant permission to the authorities to acquire and keep data about their movement and their contact with actually or potentially infected people, provided that this intrusion into privacy is required to limit the spread of Covid-19 or other infectious diseases.This trend has already led to the use of smartphone radio technologies and apps to work out who has been close to known infected people. In future, we can expect to see greater deployment of potentially even more intrusive technologies, such as IP cameras in public places, and camera drones monitoring compliance with social distancing regulations in public spaces.But while citizens might accept the acquisition and use of personal data for strictly medical purposes, they will not accept misuse or mishandling of the data. This looks set to boost demand for proven security components which can protect electronics devices such as cameras from tampering or hacking attack.Security and encryption are commonly regarded as functions to be implemented in a high-end digital system such as a microcontroller, Secure Element or microprocessor. But system designs in which boot code and/or personal data are stored in an external memory also need to take account of security requirements. Winbond anticipated this requirement for secure code storage with the development of its TrustME family of Secure Flash Memory products. The latest TrustME memory product, the W77Q is "Security by Design" to prevent IoT devices from remote software attack. The W77Q provides hardware root-of-trust and secure, encrypted data-storage and data-transfer capabilities. By ensuring robust, end-to-end security in IoT devices it enables:* Secure code updates, including over-the-air updates, via an end-to-end secure channel between an update authority and the W77Q even when the host processor or SoC has been compromised.* Secure boot and root-of-trust* Authenticated and encrypted data transfer between the Flash device and the host* Execute-in-Place (XiP) of boot and application code* System resilience, featured by the key security functions of protection, detection and recoveryDRAM development also puts Winbond in prime position to meet the emerging needs of manufacturers of IP cameras and camera drones for surveillance and people tracking. As in 8K TVs, so in these video devices the latest LPDDR3 DRAM will provide the high bandwidth which high-resolution video systems require, while offering easier integration into end product designs than the LPDDR4 or LPDDR5 generations of DRAM technology.Robots and AI will replace human workers at an accelerating paceThe Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vulnerable some companies are to the suspension of operations when workers become unavailable. In future, companies will be looking to implement more resilient systems which rely less on the physical presence of human workers in a specific location.In addition, by reducing the number of human workers required to operate on any given site, organisations will make it easier to maintain social distancing in the workplace.This trend for the adoption of robotics, backed by increasingly sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies, will lead to rapid growth in demand for fast microprocessors (MPUs) and graphics processors (GPUs). The sophisticated and complex software which these devices execute will in turn drive the market for high-density, high-bandwidth code storage devices.Winbond's long-range strategic planning enabled it to detect this emerging requirement before the current market conditions caused interest in AI and robotics to flourish. One result was the development of its OctalNAND Flash memory.The first OctalNAND Flash device, the 1Gbit W35N01JW, sets a new benchmark for the Read performance of NAND Flash technology: a maximum Continuous Read throughput of 240Mbytes/s, three times faster than Winbond's earlier high-performance W25N-JW QspiNAND Flash family, and almost 10 times faster than general QspiNAND Flash products on the market.At this level of performance, OctalNAND Flash can replace Octal NOR Flash with limited loss of Read performance, and at a lower cost-per-bit at densities higher than 512Mbits. Winbond's OctalNAND Flash is thus an ideal replacement for Octal NOR Flash for storing large code bases, such as those of robots and other systems which take advantage of the capabilities of AI and machine learning.Anticipating the memory requirements arising from mega-trendsWhile the world's focus in 2020 is rightly on the immediate medical emergency of Covid-19, it is right to be looking forward to the changes in business practices and technology operations which the pandemic is likely to cause. By carefully analysing market requirements and understanding end user behaviour, Winbond puts itself in an excellent position to develop the memory products which will help its customers succeed in a post-Covid world. From QspiNAND Flash to TrustME Secure Flash memory to LPDDR DRAM, Winbond has memory products which are ready for the future, whatever it might bring.(Note: Johnson Chen is executive sales director at Winbond Electronics.)Three mega-trends for a post-Covid world

Hong Kong's reputation as a "free" global trading center and as the world's biggest exporter is at risk of being damaged with Beijing moving to abolish the "one country, two systems" framework. The city has been allowed to operate independently from the rest of the China and have certain democratic freedoms, which was a stipulation under which Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.In response, many countries are agreeing that Hong Kong is no longer highly autonomous and should be treated equally to the rest of the China. The U.S., for instance, wants to impose high tariffs on Hong Kong imports and restrict the export of sensitive American technology. BBC states that the additional tariffs imposed would include those introduced as part of the US-China trade war.Under the "one country, two systems" framework, the city allowed countries to re-export goods freely and with less restrictions, making it an essential trading hub for global companies. Hong Kong currently accounts for almost 19% of the world's export of electronic circuit components. In 2019 alone, $134.5 billion worth of these components were exported through its port.With Hong Kong, a shipping giant, being such a critical part of global supply chains, disruptions could occur, including:*Trade deals being negatively impacted*Hong Kong assigning their own additional tariffs*New restrictions and regulations put in place that make it harder for foreign companies to conduct operations seamlessly*The implementation of economic sanctionsPaul Romano, COO at Fusion Worldwide states, "This situation brings uncertainty, and when there's uncertainty there's the risk for massive supply chain disruptions. With Hong Kong accounting for such a large share of the export of electronic components, many global businesses should prepare for potential hiccups to their operations."Because of the potential repercussions, global companies are considering paring existing operations in Hong Kong back or in some cases shifting operations out of Hong Kong. According to The New York Times, countries, such as Singapore, India and Japan, are becoming much more enticing investment locations. Singapore especially may be the big beneficiary of this situation.Fusion Worldwide, for instance, is moving inventory out of Hong Kong and into warehouses in other geographies to ensure reduced risk of market disruptions caused by the current changes in Hong Kong. Romano continues, "In order to maintain flexibility, we have repositioned our inventory to ensure that we aren't caught in a shutdown or freeze of product en route to a customer."Though some may be skeptical of potential ramifications, it is important to be aware of the situation in the event that tensions between China and other countries continue to escalate. Over-reaction could make the situation worse, but not preparing for the worst could be detrimental.With Hong Kong presenting increased risk, companies within the U.S. and Europe must now consider how to continue operating within the city.As tensions rise in Hong Kong, so does the possibility for supply chain disruptions

The world's population is aging. According to American Association of Retired Persons, 22% of the world's population will be 60 and older by 2050. At the same time, developers are making use of new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and big data analytics to design all types of systems to raise the quality and efficiency of healthcare. With the increase in both supply and demand, smartization is becoming an important trend for the healthcare industry. According to Jason Miao, business development manager, iMedtac, medical devices play a critical role on patient health and safety so system developers must have professional knowledge in both healthcare and technology to be able to build optimized medical systems. For this reason, iMedtac not only employs a team of technology and medical professionals but also partners with ADLINK, which has accumulated extensive experience in medical devices, to introduce complete smart solutions to suit hospital needs.Founded in 2016, iMedtac focuses on developing smart medical devices targeting medical treatment and healthcare. Going forward, it plans to expand its offerings to include health promotion products for use by the general public. As opposed to most other smart medical device providers, iMedtac starts with developing more technologically challenging products and then expands toward more straightforward healthcare and health promotion devices. Miao explains that iMedtac is able to implement the distinct product planning strategy thanks to its team with extensive industrial PC experience and medical background. Not only does the team have no problem communicating with medical professionals to fully grasp their needs, it can even think from the user's perspective and thereby actively propose suited solutions.Citing an integrated operation room solution iMedtac developed for a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan as an example, Miao points out that when doctors operate on a patient, they need to monitor the patient's ultrasound, CT scan or other medical images in real time to ensure a smooth and safe surgery. Imaging devices are generally mounted individually at different locations in the operating room (OR). Doctors often have to look up to find the image they need. To help improve efficiency, iMedtac has purpose-built a platform for the hospital, onto which all images are streamed and integrated. Surgical assistants can quickly switch to the image the surgeon needs to look at.Aside from the surgical image streaming system, iMedtac has also designed a surgical safety check system to help medical care teams keep track of surgical inventory count and surgical procedure checklist. As time and instrument control is a crucial part of OR management, iMedtac's solution can help medical care teams stay on top of tight OR schedules, thereby avoiding delays while enhancing patient safety and OR management efficiency.iMedtac's solutions are widely used by large medical institutions both at home and abroad as they closely match hospital needs and they can quickly be developed and ready-to-use by medical care teams. These features enabling iMedtac's solutions to be highly praised by hospitals are the result of close collaborations between iMedtac and ADLINK. According to Miao, iMedtac builds its solutions on the foundation of a 60% to 70% standardized architecture and customizes the remaining portion to suit specific customer needs, thereby speeding up the development cycle. ADLINK provides critical support for the 30% to 40% customization portion with its professionalism in smart medical devices.Having accumulated extensive experience in developing medical devices, ADLINK has a large portfolio of medical-grade products and is therefore in a good position to help iMedtac address user needs and design optimized systems. iMedtac's surgical image streaming system mentioned above is based on ADLINK's MLC 8-21 medical panel computer. Furthermore, iMedtac's medical cart for epidemic prevention uses ADLINK's compact MLC Lite. Both these products are enthusiastically embraced by customers.In light of the important smartization trend of the healthcare industry, iMedtac is picking up pace in its development efforts toward this sector. Going forward, it plans to expand its footprint to Southeast Asian markets. Leveraging ADLINK's global presence and service network in Southeast Asia, iMedtac and ADLINK will continue to engage in close collaboration to bring smart healthcare solutions with a fresh perspective to the market.According to iMedtac business development manager Chung-Sheng Miao, iMedtac's medical cart for epidemic prevention based on ADLINK's medical panel computer is enthusiastically embraced by customers