EDITOR’S REVIEW ELECTRONICA 2014
FIFTY YEARS OF INNOVATION IN ACTION
involvement in an “Internet of Secure Things” Initiative. Speaking about the initiative, Alan
Grau, CEO of Icon Labs said: “Security features must be considered early in the design process to ensure the device is protected from the advanced cyber- threats they will be facing now as well as attacks that will be created in the future. These are the steps to make your things fit into the Internet of Secure Things.” In a recent report by Gartner, it was
Electronica 2014 achieved an outstanding result with more than 73,000 visitors from over 80 countries and 2,737 exhibitors from 50 countries. Michelle Winny, Editor of Electronics went along to the show to find out about some of the current, hottest industry trends
I
f the fiftieth anniversary event of Electronica, the renowned trade fair for
electronic components, systems and applications held in Munich in November can be used as barometer to gauge the current conditions and confidence for business in the electronics and industrial sectors then the outlook could be expected to be one of optimism and anticipation for growth. There was good indication that the industry is showing positivity towards the level and consistency of growth over the past year, and there was clearly a very positive buzz in the air that reflected the prosperity of the show. Fortunately for the electronics industry its very nature holds innovation and progress at its core. One company at the show reflecting both progress and innovation, who came all the way from Canada was GaN Systems Inc, a leading developer of gallium nitride power switching semiconductors. The company is one of a number of manufacturers offering its devices to contestants entering a design competition launched by Google and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The competition, know as “the Little Box
Challenge” is an open competition with a $1 million prize for the team who can
10 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 | ELECTRONICS
build the smallest, highest power density kW-scale inverter – at least 50W per cubic inch. Size-wise, the goal for competitors is to shrink an inverter from the size of a picnic cooler down to something smaller than a laptop computer.
THE LITTLE BOX CHALLENGE GaN Systems advises, instigators of the Little Box Challenge, IEEE and Google, felt wide bandgap semiconductors, including Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) which allow higher power densities, may be useful to contestants and invited device manufacturers to submit a linked webpage describing their technology. Teams have already registered to take
part and have until July 22, 2015 to submit a technical approach and testing application. Up to eighteen finalists will be invited to bring their inverters for testing in October next year at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the winner will be announced in January 2016. The Internet of Things was a also a key
theme at Electronica, To help deliver a premise for secure connectivity, Icon Labs, a provider of embedded networking and security technology, announced its
Figure 1: Electronica 2014
highlighted that, “Digital security leaders should collaborate with software and system developers to ensure security is intrinsic in architecture and approach. They must also incorporate the management and operational requirements for the embedded software and system security design, including security policy enforcement, access control policies, virtualisation techniques, application security testing, quality assurance and areas for development.” These capabilities provide the foundational requirements for the Internet of Secure Things. Panasonic Automotive & Industrial Systems also announced its entry into the WiFi market spurred by the growing demand for device connectivity. The company unveiled three different
Wi-Fi module series and announced plans to introduce additional combo Wi-Fi modules with different wireless technologies and multi-frequency options. Honeywell showcased two new products
it introduced this year, its Anisotropic Magnetoresistive (AMR) Sensor ICs, Nanopower Series and new additions to its Basic Board Mount Pressure Sensors – Basic Compensated, Unamplified Board Mount Pressure Sensors. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO of
Messe München, summed up the show with: "Electronica has shown that the world is increasingly moving together. We need global platforms such as this to make this possible." Kurt Sievers, Chairman of the Electronica Advisory Board, EVP and General Manager Automotive, NXP Semiconductors, added: "Global connectivity and therefore the issue of security are the themes that will be relevant in the future. By giving customers the opportunity to develop applications that we might not even have thought about at the moment, the electronics industry is driving this success forward."
/ ELECTRONICS
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