NEWS
Powering progress for 2025 and beyond
Advancing sensor innovation with tailored ASIC technology M
arking a quarter of the way through the century, 2025 is a pivotal year for global manufacturing and sustainability goals, but are we on track to achieve them? Here, Ross Turnbull, director of business development and product engineering at ASIC design and supply specialist Swindon Silicon Systems, investigates current progress and how a better connected, custom IC-driven world may enable future advancement. 2025 has frequently been cited as a landmark year, with several global goals using it as a checkpoint. As the year unfolds, it is worth examining the state of key targets, the hurdles ahead and the technologies driving progress.
The big switch to EVs
One of the most ambitious goals for the next decade is transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs), essential for reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change. Challenges like limited battery range, chain bottlenecks for critical materials like lithium have slowed EV progress. However, despite this, the market continues to grow. According to the ‘Global Electric Vehicle Tracker’, fully electric vehicles accounted for one in seven cars sold worldwide in mid-2024. Growth in the EV sector has been propelled by advancements in battery technology and sensors, enabling features such as tyre pressure monitoring, optimised battery management and assisted braking. Governments have also incentivised EV adoption through investments in charging infrastructure and subsidies. Furthermore, the UK’s 2024 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) mandate, which became law in January 2024, requires all new cars and vans to be zero-emission by 2035.
A greener future
Achieving carbon neutrality is another st
century. The Paris
Agreement However, the at COP28 revealed that the world is off track, with fossil fuel emissions still rising.
Recognising this, the UK government has made strides toward its legally binding target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. At COP29 in Baku, Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to an , Great British Energy Bill outlines, transitioning towards renewable energy is key to achieving this goal.
Smarter manufacturing Central to meeting sustainability targets is the adoption of smarter manufacturing processes. Industry 4.0 has revolutionised production by integrating automation, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Many large corporations have embraced Industry 4.0. For example, BMW now uses AI-controlled robots to automate car While smaller businesses face adoption challenges due to high costs, interest in smart manufacturing is growing. The 2024 ‘State of Smart Manufacturing Report’ by Rockwell Automation revealed that 95 percent of manufacturers have adopted or plan to adopt smart technologies.
Generative AI and machine learning are set to transform robotics, enabling dynamic problem-solving in production lines, reducing sensor-enabled digital twins, virtual replicas of physical systems, are accelerating as
8 FEBRUARY 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
tools for predictive maintenance and system optimisation. AI-powered energy management solutions are also emerging, helping factories reduce their carbon
Making sensors smarter Smart sensors are crucial to achieving sustainability and innovation goals. However, selecting the right hardware for sensor interfaces is essential for high-precision applications.
for advanced sensor applications, offering custom-engineered solutions tailored to ASICs provide precise functionality, from signal conditioning to advanced communication, Furthermore, analogue and digital capabilities can be combined into a single, mixed-signal ASIC design. This integration enables real-time feedback for predictive systems and high-precision data acquisition for autonomous machines.
ASICs also minimise size and complexity by consolidating multiple components into one compact chip. This makes them ideal for space-constrained and embedded applications, ensuring sensors deliver the speed and accuracy required in systems like electric vehicle battery monitoring and automated manufacturing.
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