AMD has announced the latest solution as part of its ongoing Web/Cloud initiative with the launch of the new AMD Opteron 3200 series processor.Dedicated web hosting customers seeking enterprise-class reliability have a new choice that delivers great value with up to 38% better price performance and up to 19% less power per core than the competition, as well as ECC memory and server reliability features at a low price-point; fast hardware payback – in as few as seven months hosting fees can cover hardware costs – up to 14% quicker than with the competition; efficient economics for the cloud with twice the core density per rack, AMD claimed.The AMD Opteron 3000 series platform is targeted to the dense, power efficient 1P web hosting/web server market. Available in either 4- or 8-core CPUs, the AMD Opteron 3200 series processor is shipping in platforms from Micro-Star International (MSI), Tyan, Fujitsu and Dell. Based on the Bulldozer core, the AMD Opteron 3000 Series platform leverages Socket AM3+ and provides customers with the cost savings associated with a desktop-like infrastructure, yet still offers server-class reliability, enterprise-class silicon validation/testing, security features and server OS certification. AMD Opteron 3200 series processor specifications Item Detail Power 45-65W TDP Core frequencies 2.7-3.7GHz with AMD Turbo CORE Technology Core options Quad-core or eight-core Memory support 2x DDR 3 memory channel supporting ECC UDIMM with speed up to 1866MHz Memory capacity Up to 32GB Cache 16MB for eight-core, 8MB for quad-core L2 Cache - up to 8MB L3 Cache - up to 8MB Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, March 2012

Industrial solid state drives (SSDs) - particularly those that adopt the cheaper MLC flash - are now widely adopted by the embedded industry for major storage applications. But the trend toward miniaturization has been giving SSD development serious problems in terms of data retention, error checking and correcting (ECC) and programming/erase cycle (P/E cycle). Some players have already developed solutions to these technological barriers to enhance product quality and prolong product life.Industrial SSDs have been adopted by different types of embedded machines and equipment, such as industrial PCs, kiosks, POS, automated teller machines and medical devices. InnoDisk Corporation a company with years of profound experience developing and making flash-based storage devices presented during the Digitimes Embedded Technology Forum in February, with company R&D director C.C Wu noting that unlike the ordinary PC environment, embedded machines and equipment usually work under special environments that call for stricter SSD requirements in terms of quality, shock-resistance, dust-proof, performance, reliability, instant response speed, the range of work temperatures (operational in high and low temperatures) and customization."For example, SSD cards for on-board cameras must be able to withstand the bumpiness during rides, as well as a big gap between high and low temperatures; otherwise the recorded images may be lost easily," Wu said. On the other hand, with the fast rise of smartphones, tablet PCs and other mobile devices, the future development of SSDs will continue to follow the main trend in pursuit for stability, low power-consumption and miniaturization. "Products like the world's smallest InnoDisk-developed CF (CompactFlash), CFast, PCIeDOM, mSATA, SATA, SSD, SATA Slim , SATADOM and USB Embedded Disk Card are typical SFF (small form factor) examples," he added.SSD miniaturization is the growing trend for embedded systemsWe can also find proof of SSD's miniaturization trend from the history of the flash chip development. Wu said that historical data shows that flash die nodes shrank fast from 60nm in 2006 to 20nm in 2011, and it is expected to reach 1xnm in 2013. "Flash is becoming smaller and smaller and production is getting cheaper and cheaper - per-GB cost was only US$1 in 2011, but the performance is becoming better and better, enabling good performance of SFF SSD products." He thinks that this is because the most common transmission interface for SFF SSDs on embedded platforms is SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment).He explained that the maximum transmission speed of conventional PATA (Parallel ATA) is only 133MB/s. But SATA I can reach 1.5Gb/s and the latest SATA III can run even as fast as 6Gb/s. The difference between PATA and SATA is huge. The latest SFF SSDs now all adopt the SATA interface. "Take CF cards for mobile storage purposes for example. In order to meet industrial clients' needs, InnoDisk also has CF-SATA versions that keep the original connector but also feature SATA pins in order to minimize shock impact, improve overall reliability, and increase transmission speed," Wu said. And as there are two interfaces in the same slot, designers can have more options.Although the issue of performance can be solved, the shrinking of the size of SSD products is giving rise to serious challenges for data retention, ECC and P/E cycle. "The flash chips currently used in SSDs are divided into two types: single-level cell (SLC) and multi-level cell (MLC)," Wu noted.Wu said that in actual testing, SLC flash is better than MLC in read/write speeds, in P/E cycle (SLC averages 100,000 times and MLC 3,000) and data retention (10 years for SLC and five for MLC). But MLC has double capacity compared to SLC of the same die size from the same technology process, and the former's average price is only one third, and even one fourth in some cases, of the latter's. Therefore many embedded devices that need less P/E cycles (such as POS and kiosks) are starting to adopt MLC chips for storage.MLC is cheaper but quality is less stableBut unlike SLC, MLC is relatively unstable, and it needs more ECC bits to make sure the data is correct. The shrinking of the devices is worsening such a situation. According to research data, 2xnm MLC flash sees error bits reach 25 when its P/E cycle reaches 7,000 times, while 3xnm MLC's error bits reach the same level only after the P/E cycle reaches 3-50,000 times.Further analysis shows that "3xnm MLC's error bits steadily remain at 2-3 before reaching a P/E cycle of 9,000 times, and will rise steadily only after passing that cycle times," Wu said. "As for 2xnm MLC, the error bits start rising sharply ever since the P/E cycle begins."Wu noted that whether it is SLC or MLC flash, when the die node shrinks, the P/E cycle will decrease and the ECC bits rise. "For example, when SLC flash process shrinks from 5X to 2Y, the P/E cycle decreases from 100,000 times to 60,000, and the ECC bits increase from one to 40. When MLC process shrinks from 4X to 2Y, the P/E cycle decreases from 5,000 times to 3,000 and the ECC bits rise from four to 40." Wu stressed that this is proof that when the die node shrinks, the quality of the flash products becomes more unstable. The chances of losing data from error bits during read/write will increase and in turn need more bits to check and correct the data.Wu added, "Data retention will shorten along with the shrinking of the die node." For example, 2X flash data retention is about only half of that at 5X. Moreover, when the P/E cycle increases, or when the flash is under unusually high or low temperatures, it will increase error bits and reduce data retention, shortening the product life.According to research data, "when P/E cycle reaches 3,000 times, average error bits will increase from four to 20 and data retention will shorten from five years to one." As for the temperature factor, when the surrounding temperature exceeds 75 degrees Celsius or falls below zero, the number of error bits will increase fast and data retention will decrease. "As industrial environments often come across temperature ranges between 40 degrees Celsius below zero and 80 degrees above, it is a big challenge for MLC."Technologies for improving MLC qualityIn order to minimize the negative impact on data retention, ECC and P/E cycle during the node shrink and to avoid clients complaining about instability, data loss and reduced performance that might occur in embedded devices that have been in use for some time, InnoDisk has developed related solutions for wear-leveling, ECC engine, read shift retry, randomizer and error handling to enable MLC flash's industrial applications. These solutions improve product quality and life.Take SATA6GHz 500MB/s SSD for example. Its native command queuing (NCQ) can accelerate data transmission between the mainframe and device, and improve the performance of the overall system. SMART (self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology) can monitor the SSD of the device, analyzing and reporting the reliability of all items to prevent problems from arising. As for the TRIM command, it is very helpful for improving the SSD system's performance.Wu pointed out that the typical cell spaces for flash write and erase are different (write is smaller at 4KB, while erase is bigger at 512KB). The process of SSD's data erasure is also different from that of HDD in that a data block that has already been used must be actually wiped before data can be written in it again. If the traditional HDD method of marking related data blocks is used, it will diminish the space for writing in the SSD and reduce its overall performance. "After the operating system deletes data, the TRIM command will notify the SSD's controller chip that the specific data block can be removed. When the system is not busy, the SSD will then move the usable data from that block to the cache and erase the block. This prevents useless data occupying the flash pages." InnoDisk Corporation RD Director, C.C WuPhoto: DigitimesParticipants inquire about InnoDisk's SSD solutionsPhoto: Digitimes

As memory technology evolves, there is an increasing move towards higher operating frequencies and the use of BGA (ball grid-array) chip packages. This is as true for the DDR/DDR2/DDR3 memory modules commonly found in desktop and laptop computers as it is for the low-power LPDDR/LPDDR2 memory used in mobile computing devices and embedded devices. Proper measurement instruments and detection tools are therefore essential for engineers to carry out signal testing, validation and error detection tasks for high-speed memory, so that detection and modifications can be quickly completed and the product can be brought to market as early as possible.Tektronix technical support manager of T&M sales department David Yang, explained during the Digitimes Embedded Technology Forum held in February that design validation for memory systems must take into account how to work under specific conditions to accurately obtain circuit behavior models and boundary values, rapidly verify signal integrity and timing analyses to uncover problems; it must be able to work with different instruments, probes and jigs; and it must permit testing set ups for embedded systems that are simple and deliver test results quickly.Challenges and industry solutions for DDR/DDR2/DDR3 measurement and validationThe challenges for memory testing lie in: 1) Signal access and detection: reliability and ease of use for connections, bandwidth and signal integrity, while remaining financially viable; 2) Can isolate the triggering or post-processing of read/write burst modes; 3) Complies with JEDEC standards for consistency of testing, such as for parameter timing, amplitude measurements, Vref/Vih/Vil voltage and derating measurements; 4) Ability to verify and compute statistics for test results; 5) Effective reporting and archiving; and 5) Advanced analytical capabilities required for circuit characteristics and troubleshooting.Tektronix provides fast and precise solutions for DDR/DDR2/DDR3 measurement instruments. This includes DSA sampling oscilloscopes for verifying signal paths and characteristics; DPO/DSA real-time oscilloscopes and associated software for analog and electrical property troubleshooting; TLA logic analyzers for digital signal validation and troubleshooting; support for Nexus and FuturePlus memory chip jigs; and testing jigs, probes and clamping plates for DRAM memory chips.Sampling oscilloscopes assist with the measurement of signal path characteristics and the validation of circuit boardsOn the signal characteristic and circuit validation front, Yang pointed out that Tektronix's DSA8200 Sampling Oscilloscope can be used for measurement and validation in a broad range of applications including DDR 266/333/400MHz, DDR2 400/533/667/800/1066MHz, and DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600/1867MHz. For high-frequency DDR/DDR2/DDR3 memory that is placed on a DIMM module or soldered on to the motherboard, is can aid the calculation of S parameters for TDR (timeout detection and recovery) and frequency scattering interference, as well as the detection of signal pathway characteristics and signal loss during transmission.Yang highlights Tektronix DSA8200 Sampling OscilloscopeAnother challenge is how to quantify signal integrity, for example in terms of impedance measurement, signal insertion, return loss and frequency domain crosstalk. In combination with TDR and S-parameter generation software, the DSA8200 Sampling Oscilloscope can measure and sample the frequencies up to 70GHz with minimal noise interference, allowing improvements in terms of the effects of impedance and making measurements more precise, as well as allowing the recording of signal information for one million high-frequency measurement points. The DSA8200 can also simulate channel effects under jitter timing or noise interference conditions, as well as automating the various steps of the measurement procedure to minimize errors and reduce testing time, shortening the time needed to complete the entire analysis to just a few minutes.In terms of analog validation and debugging of DDR, Tektronix also offers detection and measurement software for the DSA70000 real-time oscilloscope, allowing measurement and validation of DDR/DDR2/DDR3. For example, accessing and detecting signals requires a reliable, yet easy to use type of physical connection, such that the various types of measurement point for memory measurement have frequency generation performance that demands the highest levels of signal integrity, as well as sufficiently quick response signals.In terms of signal acquisition, it can automatically trigger and capture DQ and DQS signals for DDR, in order to isolate read/write signals; it also automatically sets up voltage levels and data transfer rates, allowing even signals captured over a sustained period to be presented in high resolution.Software features for DDR analysis (DDRA) include automatic set up, read/write burst mode testing, and JEDEC-compliant pass/fail testing modes. It is also equipped with powerful DPOJET analytical tools for jitter, eye diagrams and timing. This makes it possible to perform tests including timing, amplitude, histogram plots, measurement plots, advancing timing jitter, eye diagrams and pass/fail tests; it also offers a wide range of display and graphical options, as well as a report generator.Analog/digital and mixed signal measurement and validationHigher data transfer rates have made signal access and measurement methods more complex in a variety of ways, including decreases in signal boundary values, higher signal fidelity requirements, smaller physical dimensions for components and distances between pins of less than 20mm; all these issues create measurement points that are difficult or even impossible to measure. There are already a number of different measurement methods for standard computer DIMMs, but the majority of embedded systems solder memory directly on to the PCB. As DDR2/DDR3 invariably uses BGA packages that are extremely difficult to tap and measure separately, the BGA socket can instead be soldered on the measurement IC, with a Nexus DDR intermediate board connected in between so that the signal can be tapped off and measured. It supports x4/x8 and x16 modes for DDR2/DDR3, and the onboard BGA socket can be directly installed on the memory IC to be tested.P7500 Series TriMode Probes, 020-2954-xx extension socket cables, 4GHz TriMode copper micro coaxial measurement cables and P75TLRST measurement cables supporting up to 20GHz can be used for analog signals. Yang also cited a number of example implementations of BGA signal measurement.For validation of mixed analog and digital signals, the P6780 automatic differential logic probe can be added, allowing 16-channel signal testing plus one clock channel with 2.5GHz bandwidth and low capacitive delays of just 0.5pf. The P6717 single-ended logic probe also supports 16-channel signal testing plus one clock channel with 350MHz bandwidth mixed analog/digital signals. Adding the iCapture probe and MSO70000 software makes analog/digital signal and mixed signal measurement possible with only a single analog measuring cable connected.Digital design and validationYang noted that digital validation and debugging involves additional observation requirements, such as for data flow in/out of the memory, multiple channels, full-channel pulse and timing management, and data flow in/out of the processor and CPU. The hardware can also assist with determining bus-level or system-level errors, protocol sequencing and timing, startup memory initialization and system power source time counting, DRAM register settings, refresh operations, and time correlations for other system bus or oscilloscope waveforms. The Tektronix TLA7000 family of memory chip jigs and probes provides signal measurement solutions for DDR 266/333/400MHz, DDR2 400/533/667/800/1066MHz and DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600/1867MHz.In terms of DDR2/DDR3 data access, the measurement instruments have ample performance to cope with all DDR signal measurement requirements, reserving frequency components and time segments, keeping signal reflection to a minimum, and achieving lower probe capacitive load than any competing company at just 0.5pF. The test jig for the Tektronix NEXVu DIMM probe for logic analyzers can also be used for enhanced-JEDEC design DIMMs and DIMM interposers, and can be paired with a BGA memory interposer, such that it can directly connect with and measure BGA signals underneath the memory chip. MagniVu logic analyzers also support clock signals at a minimum of just 20ps, equivalent to resolving power at 50GHz.Tektronix's TLA7000 series logic analyzers support 64Mb full duplex signal measurement at 1.4Gb/s data and 1.4GHz clock, as well as full duplex 128Mb signal measurement recording at 2.8Gb/s data and 1.4GHz clock, with recording samples of up to 128K in length; includes triggers, 16 types of IF-THEN-ELSE trigger mechanism, 24-character set identification, 136-channel modules, and the use of P68xx and P69xx probes, as well as logic analyzers for measuring such as the TLA7016 and TLA7012. It also provides enhanced analytical software tools such as Sample Point Finder (SPF) and Protocol Violation Tool. Combined with the Nexus and FuturePlus memory measurement jigs, it constitutes the world's leading DDR3 measurement solution.Putting together measurement solutions for mainstream, low-power and graphics memoryYang listed a variety of measurement and validation solutions for different memory applications. For testing ordinary DDR, DDR3 and DDR3 DIMM memory modules, the TLA7102 Portable or TLA7016 Benchtop logic analyzer unit can be used; for DDR, this may be paired with the TLA7AA4 probe, while the TLA7BB4 probe can be used for DDR2/DDR3. On the test clamp/fixing jig front, the Nexus Technology NEXVu and the FuturePlus System DDR Support are recommended. In terms of probes, Tektronix midbus probes or Nexus & FuturePlus socket intermediate boards and DIMM test jigs can be used for DDR and DDR2, while the P6960HCD (>1500MT/s) or NEXPRB1XL(< 1500MT/s) should be used for DDR3.When looking at oscilloscopes. DPO/DSA70404B, MSO70404 or higher models should be used for the measurement and validation of LP DDR/LPDDR2 and DDR chips; DPO/DSA70604B, MSO70604 or even higher end units should be used for DDR3; and DPO/DSA70804B, MSO70804 or even higher end models should be used for GDDR3 and DDR3. P7300 or P7500 differential probes may be used, while analytical software tools such as DDR Analysis (DDRA), Advanced Search & Mark (ASM), and DPOJET Jitter/Eye Analysis (DJA) can be selected. For bus command triggering or capturing with iCapture, an MSO70404 or even higher-end oscilloscope should be used for LPDDR/LPDDR2 or DDR, while a MSO70604 or even higher-end oscilloscope should be used for DDR2, and a MSO70804 or even higher-end unit should be used for DDR3 and GDDR3.Yang summed up the world's best DDR validation and measurement solutions in the following terms. Tektronix provides comprehensive support for validation, signal characteristics and complete measurements with a range of tools for everything from DDR/DDR2/DDR3 and LP DDR/DDR2 to GDDR3; collaboration with partners like Nexus and FuturePlus enables Tektronix to offer complete protocol testing and probe support. In terms of measurement performance, Tektronix supports TriMode Probing, as well as automated set up testing and pass/fail determinations for JEDEC standards, providing complete services for the industry from analog signals to digital circuit validation.Tektronix technical support manager of T&M sales department David YangPhoto: DigitimesTektronix offers comprehensive measurement and validation solutions and services that have earned the interest and admiration of its customersPhoto: Digitimes

With the consumer market changing faster and faster, the focus of electronic products has been gradually shifting from computing speeds and functionalities to design of the appearances, especially in an age where smartphones and tablet PCs are storming the market and becoming an integral part of many people's life. The fashion-factor of product appearance is now an important consideration when consumers decide whether they will make a purchase or not.The conventional injection molding technology that is commonly used in the production of many components can only control the mold at temperatures around a preset level. The result is, when removed from the mold after being formed, the finished product's glossiness is rather unsatisfactory. Its welding lines are also rather obvious. Against this backdrop, many companies have started investing in the more advanced Rapid Heat Cycle Molding (RHCM) process, hoping to reduce the time needed for post-molding processing, to minimize the damage to the environment, and to raise the efficiency of the production lines.Among the many companies, Taiwan-based Mitac Precision Technology Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Getac Technology Corporation, stands out with the most mature technology and has earned recognition from many domestic first-tier OEM/ODM players. Of all IT industry players, it boasts the most mature RHCM technology and widest range of applications.Dr. Peter Chu, Senior Manager of Mitac Precision Technology's Core Technology Development Center, pointed out: "RHCM is a temperature controllable molding technology. It can control the mold temperature at a high level and then inject plastic materials into the mold cavity. And then in an extremely short time, it can reduce the mold temperature to a preset low level before the product is removed. The technology can not only improve plastic products' surface gloss, but also solve the welding line problem. Compared to conventional injection molding, the technology can do better in completely transferring the pattern from the surface of the mold."The RHCM process can apply to both crystalline plastics and amorphous plastic materials. It can improve molding cycle times as well as avoiding the post-molding shrinkage problem. It is not just ready for mass production, but also able to produce parts with attractive appearances, ideal toughness and temperature resistance. It is ideal particularly for products whose plastic materials contain glass fiber. There will be no filler exposure on the surface and coating quality can also be improved. So far the technology has been mostly applied to parts for such products as notebooks, tablet PCs and LCD TVs. An example is the popular chiclet keyboard.Mitac Precision Technology: The industry leader with years of RHCM experienceMitac Precision Technology has accumulated seven years of experience in RHCM. The company has been in the industry for 12 years since its establishment in 1999. It was merged with Getac Technology in 2007. The company is one of the few chassis component specialists in the industry with world-class design and manufacturing capabilities. It has extensive experience in servicing global first-tier clients including well-known brand customers and first-tier OEM/ODM players worldwide. The company's major businesses currently are chassis component prototype, mold designing, tooling, plastic injection, metal stamping, painting, printing and back-end assembly. It is able to provide turnkey solutions covering processes from initial molding to volume production. Product applications cover all 4C categories - consumer electronics products, computer products, communications products and car electronics products. Depending on clients' demand, the company can produce comprehensive customized products enabled by its complete design strengths, rapid manufacturing capabilities and efficient services.Although many companies have started adopting RHCM processes, both their yield rates and quality still lag far behind Mitac Precision Technology's. The key factor is that the RHCM process is very complex. Apart from the ability to manufacture tooling, a company must also be able to acquire materials needed for the process. It must also own controllers that can precisely control the high and low temperatures, which along with the use of heating technology, can complete the production of notebook or smartphone chassis within a few seconds in order to satisfy demand from the consumer market.Dr. Chu added: "The RHCM process has many different heating methods to choose from, such as electric heating. To implement our environmentally friendly goal, our product manufacturing uses steam heating, which has the least impact to the environment and is reusable."The crucial factor allowing Mitac Precision Technology to lead its fellow competitors is the early establishment of an advanced technology development center focusing on research and development of advanced technology that can be adopted by its production lines. It has allowed the company to accumulate a rich and extensive experience with product quality far superior than that of its peers.To strengthen Mitac Precision Technology's leadership in RHCM, the company's advanced technology development center has close partnerships with material suppliers. They jointly research and develop materials that are most suitable for RHCM in terms of raising production yield rates and product quality. The center has also started researching bio-based materials for RHCM. It is developing PLA materials extracted from plants and PA materials mixed with high proportions of fiberglass. These can effectively reduce the use of oil and allow the company to fulfill its corporate responsibility of protecting the environment.Commitment to environmental protection: R&D on bio-based materialsMitac Precision Technology has been developing two types of bio-based material, one of them being Bio-Sourced Material Polylactic Acid (PLA), a material derived from nature and at the same time an environmentally friendly plastic material that can naturally decompose. Since PLA is mainly derived from plants, it can gradually reduce the industry's dependence on petrochemical plastics, and achieve carbon neutral to fulfill the corporate responsibility for carbon reductions. Through appropriate modification processes, PLA can reach UL-94 V-0 and become heat resistant, and highly rigid. With Mitac Precision Technology's RHCM technology, the material will allow a large number of plastic products to be also environmentally friendly.The other type is Polyamide (PA), one of the most commonly used industrial plastic materials. It has a good balance of properties and good processability. It has a high softening temperature, a low friction coefficient and good chemical resistance. Compared to other plastic materials, PA can be mixed with high proportions of glass fiber to make thinner and tougher products, and reduce the use of plastic to achieve carbon reduction. With the RHCM process, the problem of fiber exposure can be completely solved, making it particularly good for manufacturing chassis for such products as notebooks.Lastly, Dr. Chu stressed: "Combing the RHCM process technology with bio-based materials will allow a company to produce parts with higher added values. They are more environmentally friendly and without the need of spray painting, they already have high-gloss and smooth surfaces. Furthermore, the use of plastic materials can be reduced." Therefore, in terms of breakthroughs both in the RHCM process and research and development of bio-based materials, Mitac Precision Technology is far ahead of its fellow competitors and is also exemplary to other Taiwan players in the quest for technological differentiations and innovations.An automotive air-con system panel made using RHCM etchingAn RHCM keyboard with a high-gloss surfaceThe RHCM process

Despite significant supply chain disruptions over the last year, Fusion, the 3rd largest independent distributor of electronic components, registered substantial growth and expansion throughout its organization. Achieving record revenue of $275 million in 2011, the double-digit sales increase is attributed to new customers and infrastructure investments. This includes enhancements in customer-focused programs and systems, namely its proprietary Requirements Management System (RMS), which provides broader sourcing capabilities, heightened efficiency and faster turnaround times.Growth came across all product categories, most notably: memory, passive components, storage devices, and processors. Geographically, Fusion grew in all global markets with Europe registering the largest increase. To address its continuing growth, Fusion established a new warehouse/quality hub in Amsterdam, grew its global workforce by over 20 percent and increased its secured line of credit to $55 million.Fusion also invested in new anti-counterfeit equipment in its Hong Kong and U.S. Screening and Analysis Laboratories. Additionally, Fusion COO, Paul Romano was recently elected President of IDEA."We continue to invest in resources that deliver value to our customers," commented Peter Le Saffre, President and CEO of Fusion. "And, we are very gratified that our efforts are helping them achieve their goals for success."As part of the RMS system, Fusion's Global Sales and Purchasing Teams have access to all transactional history and current global market pricing to assist customers. A customized labeling scheme allowing for faster receipt, delivery and tracking of product shipments has been installed in all warehouses. To learn more, visit www.FusionTrade.com.

Although Taiwan has achieved good results in the embedded device and machine tools manufacturing industries, there has never been a domestically-produced SoC. This has left consumer ICs as the only substitute, causing a raft of problems for product development and design. DMP has therefore independently developed the Vortex86 series of products based on the specification requirements of firms in these sectors and incorporating features from the many SoC products currently on the market. The goal of this is to help Taiwan-based embedded device and machine tool manufacturing companies to carry out more development work with smaller investments, as well as to achieve greater competitiveness in the marketplace.During the Digitimes Embedded Technology Forum in February, Chen Kunzhi, product manager at DMP, explained that the Taiwan-based embedded device and machine tool manufacturing companies have made considerable progress in product development over the last decade or more, and have won the approval from businesses in a number of nations in Europe and North America. With urgent demand from factories in China for automated equipment, exports have seen large growth and Taiwan is now in third place in the global market behind only Germany and Japan, although it has ambitions of taking second place, said Chen.Despite the huge size of the output value of the industry, Taiwan-based companies in this sector have not had a single SoC chip of their own for a long period. Virtually all of them simply take chips from the consumer market for use in the industrial control sector. Chen believes that this will inevitably cause problems down the line in terms of product design, quality and interface integration. This is basically why DMP is making such an effort to develop its own SoC product to cater for demand from the embedded industrial control industry.Following many years of work and investment, DMP has finally developed a truly Taiwan SoC that can be used in embedded systems and machine tools: the Vortex86 series. The design concept for this SoC product was to take the various fragmented ICs on the motherboard - like the CPU, south bridge, north bridge and BIOS - and integrate them on a single chip, Chen said, while noting that the advantage of doing this is that the volume of the device can be massively reduced, making it suitable for a variety of different applications, as well as reducing power consumption and cost.The range currently includes the Vortex86 SX, the first x86 SoC with power consumption of less than 1.5W; the Vortex86 DX, the first x86 SoC to integrate PWM functionality; and the Vortex86 MX+, the first x86 SoC with an integrated GPU. This diverse range enables companies to choose the SoC best suited to their particularly application sector and CPU clock speed requirements.Integrating the features of a range of SoC products tailored to the needs of embedded device and machine tool manufacturing companiesFor example, DMP has designed three different products - the DX2, MX and MX+ - for the embedded/thin client/HMI application markets; while the SX and DX models are also able to meet the requirements of companies working on embedded control applications. DMP is also catering for the booming HMI/motion control market, as Chen explained, "We plan to build on the DX2 chip and improve its CPU clock speed using 40nm processes, increasing by a significant margin to 1.5GHz, in order to meet the requirements of firms in this sector in terms of the speed and value for money of SoC requirements." These products are currently scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2012.Manufacturers of embedded form factor products currently on the market all have their own different specifications and types of product, for example the DIMM PC/X-board, ISA half-size SBC, PC/104 series, ETX, EPIC, Qseven, SUMIT, or 2.5-inch/3.5-inch SBC. To quote Chen, "Once we pulled them together and integrated them, we realized that many of the required specifications are in fact commonplace in the industry, such as ISA/PCI/PCIe extension bus, SATA/IDE storage devices, VGA/LCD/HDMI displays and COMs/USBs/LAN/I2C/GPIO/SPI/HAD input/output interfaces."For this reason, DMP not only integrated all these specifications into its chip, but also brought together specification requirements garnered from a whole range of companies in the industrial control sector. Among these requirements were small size, fan-free, low power consumption, sufficiently long product life cycle, and the ability to continue to operate normally across an ultra-wide temperature range from -40°C to +80°C; these attributes dictate the standards by which the products were developed.The use of these standards offer significant benefits to DMP's clients. Taking the ultra-long life cycle requirement as an example, Many customers in the industrial control device sector will sign 8-12 year contracts from the outset when they buy products. If the SoC in their product doesn't have a sufficiently long life cycle, they will find themselves facing a lack of supplies for subsequent maintenance work. The inability to update and maintain products is a major concern for such companies.Features of the Vortex86 seriesThe DMP Vortex86 range has one other unique feature that marks it out from other SoC companies: a high degree of compatibility with the x86 instruction set that gives it powerful support capabilities in terms of software development. Moreover, a wealth of software tools and development resources for the x86 architecture can already be obtained on the market. It will be extremely simple for companies to carry out consolidation, integration and maintenance in the future. Chen emphasized that while ARM architecture continues to gain traction in the market, the x86 architecture has already been evolving in the marketplace for close to twenty years and will continue to have the upper hand for the foreseeable future. Chen explained that the company is also planning to launch SoC products known as the EX range that are consistent with the power consumption and pricing of ARM architecture.Taking the Vortex86 DX2 as an example, the SoC chip is based on the company's Vortex86 MX, but extends its feature set with functions including SATA, ADC, motor/motion controllers and full duplex SPI and ISA. This is the first x86 SoC that integrates ADC and motor/motion controllers. Besides providing support for a variety of operating systems including Windows XP, Windows CE, Ubuntu, Debian, FreeBSD, QNX and DOS; drivers for LAN, IDE/SATA, audio and 2D GPUs; and C# example code including GPIO, PWM, 8051, redundancy, WatchDog, ADC and servo motors; it also minimizes peripheral circuits and reduces heat dissipation. It makes use of a 31mm×31mm and 1mm ball pitch design method that is not only more convenient in terms of PCB layout and manufacturing, but also reduces product costs for manufacturers, making products more competitive. The Vortex86 DX2 could be described as the ideal x86 platform for developing motion control.An integrated CPU module and motion control card allow more tasks to be completed with a smaller investmentThe Vortex86 DX2 also has a very friendly BIOS user interface design; for platforms without VGA out, it can also be set up to direct information for display on other platforms via the COM port, Chen added. The Vortex86 DX2 also includes redundancy and MTBF (mean time between failure) calculation mechanisms designed to improve the overall usability of the system for certain key applications. Not only can it automatically switch from the primary system to the secondary system within 1ms of the occurrence of events such as WDT0, WDT1, system restart, external system failures, manual switching, and illegal code; it can also automatically generate warning messages on video or audio devices when the MTBF is about to expire, in order to remind the user to carry out prompt replacement or maintenance. As Chen Kunzhi explained, "This is very helpful in preventing unexpected situations from occurring in a system."These features make the Vortex86 DX2 extremely well suited to use in motion control platforms for machine tools. In conventional machine tool designs, the CPU module and motion control card are two separate systems than run independently, while other elements such as the PCI Express, ISA, SATA, ADC and GPU are mostly fitted on the PC/embedded board, and the servo motor controller is handled through a separate motor/motion controller. In the Vortex86 DX2, however, these elements are integrated into a single chip, reducing the power consumption and space taken up by the components. It also makes it easy for manufacturers to carry out low-cost/high-performance or middle-layer device setup. The Vortex86 DX2 supports all this. Chen emphasized that this means that manufacturers can complete more tasks with a smaller investment.Chen also explained that the Vortex86 DX2 SoC is already admired by manufacturers in the embedded and machine tool industries for its low power consumption, long-term supply guarantee, ease of design and manufacture, high degree of integration, powerful software support, simple hardware setup via the BIOS, provision of redundancy functionality for greater usability, and extremely wide range of normal operating temperatures. Chen also hopes that DMP will be able to work together to create new markets and applications with even more manufacturers with ambitions to develop products for this sector.Chen Kunzhi, Product Manager, DMPPhoto: DigitimesDMP shows off the powerful features of its Vortex86 DX2 SoC to participants at the Digitimes Embedded Technology ForumPhoto: Digitimes

The features of USB 3.0 - such as rapid data transfer rates, and backward compatibility with USB 2.0/1.1 devices that users do not need to adjust to - has led to uptake rates rising rapidly from 20-30% last year to 80-90% in a short space of time. However, there are limitations to the interface breaking into the industrial control sector, such as the lack of a performance boost for existing USB 2.0 devices and the three-meter effective data transmission range. To this end, VIA (VIA Labs), the global leader in USB 3.0 technology, has focused on launching USB2Expressway and other technologies, in order to reduce equipment costs and simplify complex installations, so as to achieve the goal of improving system equipment performance.In the past, virtually every peripheral device for PCs used a different interface with its own distinct specifications. These interfaces were not only incompatible with each other, but also required users to invest a great deal of time and energy in installing and configuring drivers before the devices could be used, making them difficult to manage and inconvenient to use; moreover, businesses might squander enormous amounts of manpower and time costs as a result. As its name would suggest, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface was intended to solve the problems of different versions of specifications and the various issues associated with the various interfaces by creating a consistent industry standard for electronic device data transmission interfaces.As David Hsu, product marketing associate VP at VIA Labs, noted during the Digitimes Embedded Technology Forum in February, USB specifications quickly made their presence felt in a variety of ICT products, including keyboards, mice, speakers, storage devices, video devices, all-in-one printer/scanner/copiers and industrial control equipment, largely because of their convenience in terms of ease of use, and of plug & play and hot pluggable functionality. Besides being a data transfer interface, a lot of devices even use it as a power socket. Hsu believes that in terms of market uptake, the USB specification could be described as the most successful application interface invention in human history.USB 3.0 is the major trend going forwardIT technology has continued to evolve year after year since the launch of USB, and as a result, specifications from earlier years are no longer up to the task. Improving specifications is therefore an essential requirement to cope with the operations of today's systems and devices. This is another reason why USB 3.0 has emerged, Hsu explained. As data transfer rates for USB 3.0 are more than ten times faster than USB 2.0, and it also allows two-way transfer, it delivers a marked increase in performance. It is also backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1 devices and requires no changes as far as the user's habits are concerned. These advantages have enabled USB 3.0 uptake to soar in a very short space of time. USB 3.0 uptake rates were only 20-30% last year, but are likely to hit 80-90% this year, noted Hsu.Major ICT hardware manufacturers such as Intel, AMD and Nvidia have already started offering products with USB 3.0 interface specifications, and Microsoft's next generation Windows 8 will also follow suite by supporting built in USB 3.0 drivers. For the industrial control sector, in contrast to USB 2.0, USB 3.0 provides ultra-high bandwidth of up to 5Gbps, hot pluggable and plug & play functionality and support for hub structures that integrate multiple port connections, so that a single computer can simultaneously control many devices. For this reasons, manufacturers have already begun to adopt it.Challenges of bringing USB 3.0 to the industrial control sectorThe high performance of USB 3.0 is very helpful to factories or users in terms of increasing productivity. For example, since the launch of USB 2.0 in 1998, a 16MB SD memory card in those days was the same size as a 16GB card today, a thousand-fold increase in capacity. Data of this size would take 8 minutes 53 seconds to transfer at the 30MB per second transfer rate for USB 2.0; At the 300MB per second transfer rate for USB 3.0, the transfer takes just 53 seconds. For factory control devices that make extensive use of USB interfaces, production capacity and operational efficiency can be increased by a factor of ten. This is very beneficial in terms of making a factory more competitive, noted Hsu.However, before USB 3.0 can truly make its mark in the industrial control sector, there are a number of difficulties and problems that must be overcome, so it is unlikely that it will replace USB 2.0 overnight. Hsu explained that the main reason is that USB 3.0 solutions and customized designs are still pretty complex, and it's not yet at the mature stage where it can support a wide range of applications. The industrial control sector has also yet to fully master the design capabilities for USB 3.0 technologies, so the industry has produced only a handful of USB 3.0 device controller ICs designed specifically for industrial control or embedded platforms. The upshot of this is that USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 devices will continue to coexist in factories for some time yet.If factories were to switch to a setup using USB 3.0 computers with USB 3.0 hubs, it would still be impossible to improve the performance of existing USB 2.0 devices; in fact, performance would in some cases actually become slower. Hsu explained that when multiple USB 2.0 devices are operating at the same time, they share the single USB 2.0 bandwidth (480Mbps), making it difficult to get the best performance out of the devices (if there are four USB 2.0 devices, each device is only allocated 120Mbps of bandwidth), thereby affecting the overall production capacity of the factory. Moreover, standard USB 3.0 data cables are limited to a length of three meters, so the distance between devices is extremely small. Factories attach a great deal of importance to scale and efficiency, and always require that a certain distance is maintained between the devices being operated and the computer itself, said Hsu. These limitations constitute obstacles to USB 3.0 penetrating the industrial control sector.VIA Labs' solution: USB2Expressway and USB 3.0 AOCVIA has created its new USB2Expressway technology precisely to solve the problems discussed above. USB2Expressway applies VIA's USB 3.0 Enhanced HUB concept and unique, independently-developed U3TT chip technology to the "one to many" control model used in many industrial control sectors, providing ample bandwidth of 480Mbps to every USB 2.0 device connected downstream of the hub. USB 2.0 devices used to only be able to share the bandwidth provided by the USB 2.0, so even when no devices were using the USB 3.0 hub's bandwidth, the connections just sat idle. As Hsu explained, VIA's unique design means that USB 2.0 devices on its USB 3.0 Enhanced HUB can now use the up-to-5Gbps of USB 3.0 bandwidth. This makes it possible for every USB 2.0 device on the hub to access the full 480Mbps, markedly boosting device performance.The three-meter limitation for USB 3.0 signal transfer distances can also be extended by the V0510 high-speed optical receiver developed by VIA. When applied to a USB 3.0 active optical cable (AOC), the technology massively increases transfer distances to as much as 100-300 meters. The main reason we used optical fiber rather than active signal boosters is that optical fiber uses light as a medium, and so is not easily affected by the electromagnetic (EM) interference that would otherwise weaken the signal. Optical fiber also gives out no EM radiation of its own, making USB 3.0 more suitable for use in medical imaging, broadcast TV, digital sign boards, retail applications, and other applications where interference is particularly unwelcome.Hsu explained that VIA's exclusive USB2Expressway dedicated bandwidth technology not only simultaneously supports multiple USB 2.0 devices, but also provides each port with full and dedicated bandwidth, something that is extremely helpful for improving the overall operating performance of a system. Hsu noted that test data shows that when only a single USB 2.0 device is connected, both standard and USB2Expressway technologies give data transfer rates of around 35MB/s; when the number of devices connected is gradually increased to four, USB 2.0 devices connected via USB2Expressway on average still achieve the same level of performance, while the transfer rate for ordinary connections falls to around 10MB/s. Consequently, businesses don't need to spend large sums of replacing existing USB 2.0 devices in their factories, while complex installation and set up tasks can also be simplified. Users only need to replace their hubs.VIA Labs is headquartered in Taipei and has worked to further the industry ecosystem for USB 3.0 products since its inception in 2008. VIA is not only the first company in the world to have a full product line covering USB 3.0 hosts, hubs and devices, but has also maintained a longstanding and productive relationship with USB-IF and Microsoft, the two USB giants of USB standard formulation. The company has very strong logic and firmware development teams, and all the core technologies, components, digital circuits and software drivers for its host products were independently developed. Hsu explained that in the space of just a couple of years, VIA has developed four USB 3.0 product lines and successfully shipped them all. Not only does VIA provide USB 3.0 mass production solutions and complete product lines for well-known firms including Buffalo, Microsoft, Acer, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and D-link, but the USB-IF organization even designated VIA hub products for use in the creation of Interop Trees and Backward Compatibility Trees.David Hsu, Product Marketing Associate VP at VIA LabsPhoto: DigitimesVIA Labs' explaining the advantages of its USB2Expressway technology to participants at the Digitimes Embedded Technology Forum in FebruaryPhoto: Digitimes

The new-generation UEFI firmware architecture offers an integrated environment to accelerate firmware development. Its functions not only cover legacy BIOS, but also improve boot-up performance, system security, cloud connection and intelligent technology support. The modularized firmware architecture and the up-to-date codes can greatly save the time for developing firmware to meet system developers' demand for multiple products in small volumes and diverse specifications.During the Digitimes Embedded Technology Forum in February, US-based Phoenix Technologies senior director of engineering, Terry Chen, stressed that Phoenix's competitive edge lies in the fact that it offers excellent firmware architectures and perfect development environments. Phoenix's UEFI firmware product, Phoenix SecureCore Technology (SCT) supports multiple embedded computing platforms, including embedded modules, motherboards, graphics cards and systems for vertically-integrated markets of industrial, networking, retail, medical, energy, military and gambling applications. For firmware development tools, Phoenix offers integrated development environment, development tool kits and professional debugging devices that form the best total solutions for clients' firmware development. A look at Phoenix's SCT firmware architecture chart reveals that the Foundation (Green H) is formed by the EFI-developed EDK1 with patches and EDK2. Above it is the Phoenix-architected Kernel. The next is the Executive layer where Phoenix adopts a clear modularized design. Different combinations of processors, chipsets and operating systems, as well as different system makers' firmware specifications, can be accommodated by modularized changes and partial upgrades.The System layer (UEFI protocols) at the top covers Common PEIM (Common Pre-EFI Initialization Modules) and DXE (Driver eXecution Environment). For the UEFI user interface and applications, it offers: Quick Book Technology, Leading Boot Manager Technology and Parametric Build for Maximum Configurability.Phoenix's technological strengths come from more than 30 years of experience in the BIOS field. Its Phoenix SCT meets the latest UEFI standards. Its modularized architecture and clear code tree can increase the reusability of the firmware's kernel, as well as accelerating the development of firmware projects to allow products to hit market shelves sooner.New features from Phoenix SCT 2.2Chen noted the major features of Phoenix SCT 2.2: support for the Windows 8 operating system; improvements to boot performance; better system integration; optimized user interface; wider support for peripherals; enhanced server management; compliance with the NIST SP800-147 BIOS Protection Guidelines; and support for common industry specifications such as UEFI 2.3.1, TCG 1.2/2.0, ACPI 4.0/5.0 and SMBIOS 2.7.He further pointed out its new features. First, the hardware IRQ (interrupt request) replaces the SMI (system management interrupt) of the legacy USB simulation function. Because there is no need to define the SMI, it will be easy for transplantation and offer wider support for USB devices already available on the market. Second, it supports a wide range of USB 3.0 xHCI controller chips. Third, it features Crisis Recovery for USB2/USB3.0 peripherals. Fourth, it improves compatibility with peripheral drivers through USB driver simulation and recognition of the SCSI instruction set. Phoenix SCT adds new boot devices/run-levels: first, UEFI boot driving the SCSI device directly from the legacy One-time PROM (OPROM), with maximum capacity of each boot partition reaching 2.2 TeraBytes; second, embedded system boot for the SD card, SD I/O interface port and CF ATA memory card; third, UEFI LAN boot from the network interface card; and fourth, legacy SA OPROM from the motherboard; and fifth, OPROM boot from additional interface cards. For other support, it redesigns the entire firmware code, clearing all confusing and clumsy platform codes to offer a simplified architecture for platform transplantation. It automatically indicates CMOS information and generates related codes during the building process.Phoenix SCT 2.2 also supports WinHost64 to execute 64-bit applications under the 64-bit Windows environment. And the design of the kernel simplifies the code, with capability of supporting prototypes of new versions of architecture. As for debugging, it features SBCS (single-byte character set) or DBCS (double-byte character set) Port 80 Enhanced PostCode output during driver input.Finally, the enhanced Milestone Task will easily achieve modularized customization without any previous versions being overwritten or fallen into disuse. In terms of embedded functions, it offers ATX power supply simulation to simulate legacy AT power supply hardware switch functions. It also supports multiple Serial I/O chips, two-phase password input, headless function without video, and recoverable errors.Planning for next-generation Phoenix SCT 3Chen pointed out that the ultimate aim of the next-generation Phoenix SCT3 is to have EDKII continue the performance and stability of Phoenix SCT2 products, with compatibility with x86 and ARM platforms to satisfy the needs of the cross-platform generation. At the same time, through the Hybrid Build System it will support both SCT 2.x and EDK2 architectures, as well as hybrid development environments to assist clients' smooth transition from SCT 2.x to SCT 3.0.He said that SCT 3 will be designed to meet the needs of the ARM, server, storage, embedded and tablet markets to optimize the boot-up time, ROM space and UEFI firmware functions.An integrated toolkit supporting burn, edit, R&D, debug and manufacturingChen introduced Phoenix's Tool Development Kits (TDK), which allows for fast cross-platform BIOS development. It gathers Flash Tools, BIOS Edit, RD Utility, QA Tool and MFG Tool into one single user interface to enable easier learning and customization. With it, unique firmware tools can be developed according to specific manufacturing and debugging needs.TDK adopts standard C language and open source API. It can also accommodate customized codes independently developed by OEM firms. For API, it offers binary-code operations, fast memory burns, read and write of files and disks, Control Panel input/output, BIOS communication, hardware access, milestones, debugging, BIOS library services, SVN access, security programming, and a C language library. It supports DOS, Windows, EFI Shell and Linux operating systems. TDK provides a single- interface development environment based on an open source, which facilitates the development of native execution, quick implementation, easy customization and fast debugging to reduce the R&D cost. Fifth-generation firmware kernel architecture offers accelerated project-base developmentChen concluded by noting that Phoenix CoreArchitect 5 (PAC5) works with all versions of Microsoft Visual Studio. One single toolkit can take control of the entire development process, making use of an interface design of intuitive icons to provide an easy and comprehensive firmware development and debugging environment. With a mouse-over pull-down menu, one can examine each and every module and development guideline for the entire project, and can also customize the setup in line with one's specific needs to accelerate the firmware development. PCA5 also supports EDK 2.3.1, BLDK (Intel Boot Loader Development Kit) and Phoenix SCT BIOS, offering a comprehensive firmware development debugging environment for the entire process, from Edit, Configure, Build, Flash, to Debug.Phoenix Technologies senior director of engineering, Terry ChenPhoto: DigitimesPhoenix demonstrates its SecureCore Technology at the DTF 2012 embedded technology forumPhoto: Digitimes

The development of processors has entered the generation of the "heterogeneous multi-core processor", in which the integration of different types of processors (such as GPU, DSP, general processors, etc.) in the same chip, is not only delivering strong compute-performance, but also bringing about several innovative changes in functionality and the control of embedded system products, according to AMD. However, during the transition, if R&D personnel continue to approach development following the working habits established for single-core processor designs, the effects that can be enhanced by adopting multi-core architectures will ultimately be quite limited.The situation is similar to that of the internal combustion engine which was rapidly applied in many different types of vehicles such as cars, trucks and motorcycles following its invention in the early 19th century, while in the 1990s, due to environmental protection and energy conservation concerns, the gasoline-electric hybrid internal combustion engine was invented. Starting from the advent of the first integrated-circuit-based embedded computer in the 1960s, a diverse range of applications has emerged which can now be seen everywhere from enterprise-based PCs, vehicles, industrial machines, and medical equipment, down to daily-use devices such as handsets, tablet PCs and TV set-top boxes (STBs). By 2011, integrated circuits had evolved into heterogeneous multi-core processors to satisfy demand for applications such as real-time video recording, 3D graphics and human-computer voice/physical interactivity, all of which involve complex or high-volume compute-workloads.The term "heterogeneous multi-core processor" refers to the integration of different types of processors (such as GPU, DSP, general processors, etc.) into the same chip with a structure designed to allow the internal processors to share the same main memory. AMD corporate, Vice President of Worldwide Business Management and Channel Marketing, David J Kenyon pointed out that, limited by physical conditions such as semiconductor manufacturing processes, power consumption and architecture complexity, traditional single-core processor architectures and the pursuit for higher clock frequencies to enhance performance have already reached their limit; therefore, makers have started to consider multi-core processor architectures by integrating multiple processing units into a chip to resolve performance bottleneck issues.Development of homogeneous multi-core processors facing bottleneckWhen makers designed multi-core processors in the past, most designs were based on homogeneous multi-core processor architectures, the advantage of which is that the design allows the operating system to assign workloads to any of the processing units at any time. However, although design-architectures in this category can deliver faster compute-performance compared to a traditional single-core processor, eventually performance gains become limited by power consumption and cannot be expanded further. In addition, the performance of homogeneous multi-core processor architectures is also deeply affected by whether software and/or individual workloads can be written to support multi-threading, which puts limits on future expandability." Based on the estimated development curve of homogeneous multi-core architectures, which is expected to gradually slow down in the end phase, current designs have already reached a plateau wherein performance gains are coming in smaller increments.In view of this trend, AMD has unveiled its latest-generation AMD Fusion accelerated processing unit (APU), which integrates a standard x86 technology-based multi-core central processing unit (CPU) with a graphics processing unit (GPU) offering system-level programmability via a DirectCompute graphics processor application interface and Open Computing Language (OpenCL) in a single chip. The design speeds up the efficiency of data transmission processes between cores, while assisting equipment makers looking to transition into the heterogeneous multi-core processor industry from a homogeneous multi-core processor environment."Not only are we helping to expand industry standards, we are also targeting applications including high-level frameworks, mid-range video/image/mathematic/science/physical computations and different types of compile and debug tools to make improvements." said Kenyon, who also pointed out that, "In the future, if equipment needs to process work with high-level logic and complex calculations, this can be handled by the CPU, while the GPU can be specifically responsible for resolving single high-density workloads that are related to graphics."Development of heterogeneous multi-core processors to spur new revolution in the industryIn addition to strong compute-performance, AMD's Fusion APU architecture also delivers several innovative changes in the functions and control of embedded products. "Due to the appearance of the heterogeneous multi-core processor, many software and hardware environments, as well as open standards, which are supported by such systems, have received overall improvements, allowing ideas that used to be unfeasible due to lack of compute support, to begin to be realized."Such ideas include the playback of high-definition quality movies, real-time voice recognition, human body interaction and gesture control, 2D to more realistic 3D image conversion, and high-volume real-time information transfers, said Kenyon, adding that "No matter if it's in handsets, entertainment, audio-visual, medical, consumer shopping, industrial equipment, military weapons or any other industry, the revolutionary effects of heterogeneous multi-core processors can already be seen."Kenyon believes that, "As demand for richer content continues to increase, heterogeneous multi-core processors are currently the only viable path for equipment players." By offering a powerful and efficient integrated processor as well as support for data parallelism, AMD's heterogeneous multi-core processor architecture can be quickly expanded to feature several hundreds of powerful compute engines to provide system acceleration. This is in contrast to homogeneous multi-core processor designs which are limited by their number of cores."Because heterogeneous multi-core architectures are still in the earliest stages of development, there is still considerable room for performance improvements targeting certain applications" said Kenyon. During the process of improvement, the only limitation will be the programming models used. But if R&D personnel continue to follow working habits and models for single-core processor architectures, any improvements will be quite limited.To assist partners to nurture a new culture and develop the ability to code faster and faster code, AMD has established the AMD Developer Central website (http://developer.amd.com/) targeting R&D personnel related to OpenCL and AMD Fusion APU-based products. In addition to providing tools such as software development kits (SDK), AMD gDEBugger, AMD APP KernelAnalyzer, AMD CodeAnalyst Performance Analyzer, x86 Open64 Compiler Suite and AMD APP Profiler, the website also has resources such as related topic forums, seminars, technical documents, components/libraries and example source code to allow interested parties to interact with others.Kenyon said, "We hope that this ecosystem of software, tools, and partner solutions will help the industry to simplify the creation, development and deployment of heterogeneous multi-core processor-based products."AMD's promise to partners for heterogeneous multi-core processorsAMD's accelerated parallel processing (APP) technology has already been broadly adopted in industries such as general networking, video-conferencing, medical imaging, smart signals, video surveillance, notebooks, national defense technology and green high-performance computing (green HPC). Kenyon pointed out, "Currently, typical application examples such as radiation tracking, scientific simulation, seismic wave imaging and real-time planetary models, have been the first to leverage AMD Fusion APU SDK and OpenCL tools to develop software that take advantage of the processing ability of GPUs to accelerate compute-performance."AMD Fusion APUs not only effectively combine low-power x86 cores via parallel processing, the built-in AMD Radeon discrete GPU also features extraordinary parallel processing performance. Furthermore, components can be combined and utilized in a variety of ways to meet the demands of different applications.As an example, US-based Emerson leveraged the power and flexibility of AMD's programmable APUs as part of an upgrade to the company's network of sensors and detectors from wired to wireless to achieve its goal of increasing management effectiveness. The company aimed to recalculate the required time for 100 nodes to reduce the time to below one minute. "The company used AMD's G series APU as a basis for the new platform and adopted TMT's parallel processing software to resolve the problem." When the project completed, the company was able to finish the calculation for 250 nodes in just 14 seconds.Currently, AMD has many partners in the software, motherboard or system industries, such as TMT, Sage, Viosoft, ArcSoft, Brown Deer, Caps, PolyCore and Zircom. Kenyon said, "Heterogeneous multi-core processors are the trend of the future and are bound to trigger a new wave of innovations and applications. To that end, AMD promises to continue to follow open standards such as OpenCL in order to provide partners with services to simplify development, while assisting them in effectively leveraging advanced parallel architectures and unleashing the full potential of integrated CPU/GPU designs, ultimately providing embedded device platform developers with superior performance and better implementations.David J Kenyon, AMD Corporate, vice president of worldwide business management and channel marketingPhoto: DigitimesPicture: AMD introducing the latest embedded systems with heterogeneous multi-core processor solutionsPhoto: Digitimes

The cloud computing wave stirred up by strong demand for tablet PCs and smartphones will also spread to the Internet of Things (IoT) in the future, creating new business opportunities that everyone will crave a share of. But many small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs), particularly those from the embedded industry, will find it unaffordable to build up their own private cloud architecture because of limitations in terms of operational scale, funding and human resources. Leading embedded platform developer Advantech, eyeing such business opportunities, has launched its industrial cloud services to address the market. With the services, embedded devices that are difficult to manage because of their scattered locations - such as digital signage and monitors - can be controlled, switched on and off, installed and upgraded through cloud computing. This can improve efficiency and lower maintenance cost.Industrial cloud enhances intelligent use of embedded devicesSpeaking at the recent "Embedded Forum" (part of the Digitimes Technology Forum - DTF series) Advantech Embedded Core Group project manager, CL Chiang noted that in 2010 Advantech already realized cloud computing would be the direction of future industrial development, but that no solutions specifically designed for embedded/industrial systems were readily available on the market. Therefore Advantech decided to work toward this direction by developing industrial cloud services to help its business partners construct their own industrial cloud. He identified the industrial cloud elements as follows: identification; manageability; interconnectivity; security protection; intelligent system; vertical applications; and biz model & services.Chiang also outlined Advantech's vision for embedded cloud computing. Under the existing embedded systems, an intelligent system with Internet connectivity and intelligent computing capabilities can be formed through industrial cloud build-in. The integration of the existing IoT and industrial cloud can turn connected devices worldwide into intelligent systems. The combination of the IoT and industrial cloud will give birth to "Smart Earth."Focusing on developing intelligent platforms industrial cloudChiang pointed out that the focus of Advantech since inception was on the development of intelligent platforms, such as computers on modules, embedded single board computers (SBCs), multiple I/O extension SBCs, industrial motherboards, and slot SBCs. Another direction was to provide assistance for developing industrial cloud services, and for the segment it has so far launched Industrial Cloud Center, Embedded Apps, Cloud Pro Guidebook and CloudBuilder.Cloud Pro Guidebook mainly offers detailed step-by-step instructions and in-depth analyses that, together with industry-specific cloud applications, embedded industry players can follow to quickly and correctly set up their own private clouds. There are three steps: first, Intelligent Devices; second, Network Performance and Security Protection; and third, Design for Industry, On-Demand Software and Embedded App.CloudBuilder was the main focus of the speech. Advantech has designed the One-Click Installation to Industrial Clouds, which can be applied to embedded systems for a wide array of purposes ranging from the medical, gaming, POS, vehicle, machine automation, factory automation, signage, military, marine to transportation.Embedded cloud applications to construct last mile of industrial cloudChiang then introduced members of Advantech's Embedded App series, each of which targets different industrial environments. Remote Monitoring is for surveillance purposes; Remote Desktop offers intelligent remote control; Remote On/Off allows the switching on and off of devices remotely; System Protection protects and licenses cloud software; and System Recovery restores cloud systems.He went on to introduce a medical cloud application: a bed-side management system for hospitals. This system has an interactive LCD display installed beside the patient's bed. When making their rounds, doctors can click on buttons on the display's screen to review freshly completed diagnoses and explain them to the patient. After the doctors have left, the patient can pick up the remote control to play games, watch TV and movies, surf the Internet or make telephone calls to friends and relatives via the system. It provides professional assistance to medical personnel, as well as better and more comfortable hospital stay for patients.Another example cited is a monitoring cloud: a police roadside monitoring system. The roadside monitoring system developed by Advantech employs a region-by-region management interface to allow personnel at the control center to operate all on the computer screen: they can switch between different regions, conduct necessary control and make sure each monitoring system is working normally. When there is perpetration or malfunction, technicians can be dispatched to conduct on-site repair. Some regional police stations have realized the benefits of industrial cloud services. They have adopted Advantech's cloud monitoring system and also employed the company for help in future maintenance work.Demonstration of industrial cloud applicationsChiang noted that the Advantech-developed SUSIAccess retains the flexible features of the company's previous SUSI API software suites and integrates central monitoring functions. The SUSIAccess menu displays big icons for Remote Monitoring, Remote- On/Off, Remote Desktop, System Recovery and System Protection. System control personnel can also implement various API (application programming interface) functions to facilitate full remote control and access to the applications. In the future, there is also a chance that mobile devices, such as smartphones, can be employed to check for any system anomalies.He also demonstrated the features of CloudBuilder, such as One-Click Installation, and Notification Center that can detect latest versions and download upgrades once Industrial Cloud Center is installed. Advantech can customize cloud services to meet clients' specific needs, such as Notification Center, Hardware Monitoring, Booting Manager, Smart Battery, SQflash Tools (flash burn tools) through back-end computers, tablet PCs and smartphones.All product lines support intelligent managementChiang mentioned that since March 2011 Advantech has equipped all its product lines with intelligent management chips. Business partners only need the Advantech-provided Embedded App of Remote Monitoring to enable a close monitoring of its devices. When Advantech releases new versions of drivers and firmware, the system will automatically tell the client. At the end of 2011, Advantech announced the ClopudBuilder solution for constructing an industrial cloud in three steps. The free CloudBuilder software is easy to install, maintain and use. Users only need to follow the instructions displayed on the screen and can complete the installation in three minutes.The next step of Avantech's cloud service development is to extend the services to more different sectors, such as intelligent medicare, POS kiosks, on-board computers, security surveillance and the IoT. It will release relevant APIs to allow more system developers to participate in the development of cloud service projects. It will also let Taiwan's embedded industry seize business opportunities from this wave of cloud computing revolution, and achieve sustainable development.Advantech embedded software manager Chiang Chin-lingPhoto: DigitimesParticipants show keen interest in Advantech's industrial cloud that explores the potential and huge business opportunities of the Internet of Things.Photo: Digitimes