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collision protection and advanced Assistive Cruise Control, the system can be configured to operate at 4 GHz with a range of up to 120 metres, or at lower ranges with precision reaching up to four centimetres. Multiple radars can be fused forming a 360° surround view of the car environment. PurpleBox forms one node within the architecture of software- defined vehicles, a strategic focus for NXP, now further strengthened by the acquisition of TTTech Auto.
Philip Day, sales director, explained how NXP is extending its radar and AI capabilities into areas such as drone detection, agricultural monitoring, two- wheeler safety, and predictive maintenance. These applications leverage edge-based 77GHz radar solutions for detecting objects, monitoring movement, and enhancing situational awareness in outdoor environments, while indoor applications leverage edge AI and other sensor solutions across industrial control, predictive maintenance, and safety monitoring, with edge-based solutions for detecting motor imbalance, robotic arm movement, and human presence in operational zones. “We’re taking the safety learning from automotive, and we’re shifting that into industrial,” Day noted. “Everything is moving into safety.”
Advantest: Flexible semiconductor testing for a new generation of innovators
Advantest showcased its V93000 EXA Scale tester – an advanced, highly adaptable platform designed to meet the evolving needs of semiconductor testing across a broad spectrum of device types and production volumes. “It’s a platform that can reconfigure depending on the type of device you need to test,” said Stuart Ainslie, senior director of business development at Advantest Europe GmbH.
With support for multiple test heads and scalable pin counts, the EXA Scale system enables detailed testing from engineering samples to medium-volume production. Originally launched two years ago, the EXA Scale tester builds on the legacy of the V93000 series, significantly expanding channel density and boosting data throughput from 1.6 to 5 Gbps. It’s engineered to support the rising power demands of AI-enabled devices and integrates optical interfaces to streamline data management.
Advantest has also been working closely with one of its new group companies, Salland Engineering B.V., a European service provider that enables UK-based fabless companies to access test development and execution locally before scaling to OSATs in Asia. By cultivating relationships with startups and
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universal devices – now fast enough to handle frequency-domain measurements as well as classic timing tasks.”
The team chose to focus on accessible equipment rather than high-end, specialist tools, anticipating a diverse audience. Their new MXO5 oscilloscope, designed for power electronics, was among the featured models, alongside handheld variants and compact VNAs. Visitor engagement was strong, with interest focusing on oscilloscope capabilities, particularly serial bus decoding and FFT functionality.
SMEs, Advantest is investing in the next wave of semiconductor leaders. “The SMEs we’re working with now could well be the NVIDIAs of the next 10 to 15 years,” Ainslie said. “The EXA Scale platform is built to support that journey.”
SMD Semiconductor: Powering precision at Microelectronics UK SMD Semiconductor highlighted its deep expertise in analogue/mixed-signal design and high-efficiency power systems, with CTO Chieu Yin Chia presenting a range of motion control and power converter prototypes. The company’s capabilities span chip-level design, board architecture and system optimisation, offering clients tailored solutions from concept to certification. Based in Malaysia, SMD operates as a design-focused partner, supporting ODM-level integration without direct manufacturing.
Their latest demonstrations highlighted ambitions to embed gallium nitride (GaN) components into next-gen motor drives and converters, targeting faster switching, improved efficiency, and compact designs. As Chia explained: “Ultimately, we want to integrate compound semiconductor technologies into these devices. They enable the performance and size improvements we’re aiming for.”
With current projects at TRL 3 and built on commercial components, SMD is exploring a transition toward proprietary GaN-based systems, reflecting its capabilities in chip-level design and system integration.
Cadence: From EDA to system-level innovation
Cadence underscored its intelligent system design strategy, which encompasses the breadth of technology from core electronic design automation (EDA) to solutions for system-level design.
John Heighton, sales group director
for North & Central EMEA, described how Cadence is supporting customers across the entire design stack, from chip-level architecture to complete system design and validation.
As part of its expansion into system- level design, Cadence is introducing new platforms aimed at accelerating complex development through improved integration, AI-enhanced productivity, and faster time- to-market.
Heighton emphasized that Cadence continues to broaden its approach to partner strategically at multiple levels with its customers to navigate increasing design complexity across advanced process nodes. Supporting the breadth of solutions, from EDA to system design, Cadence said that it is leading the way with its agentic AI tools. These advanced solutions are designed to significantly reduce system- on-chip (SoC) engineering time by several months, allowing engineers to create high-performance and efficient designs at an impressive speed. Committed to transforming the semiconductor landscape, Cadence said that it integrates AI across various design domains, empowering both experienced professionals and newcomers to drive innovation and enhance productivity.
Rohde & Schwarz: Practical test equipment for everyday engineering
Rohde & Schwarz presented a broad selection of general-purpose test instruments tailored to education, research, industrial and automotive environments. Joel Jessop, regional sales engineer, explained the rationale behind the product mix: oscilloscopes, signal generators, spectrum analysers and power supplies – all mid- range tools suited to real-world labs. “Pretty much every electronics lab will use oscilloscopes,” Joel Jessop said. “They’re
cybersecurity at the silicon level SCI Semiconductor made a compelling case for rethinking cybersecurity from the ground up. CEO Haydn Povey presented SCI’s architecture built on CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions), a technology originally developed through DARPA and the University of Cambridge. He said SCI protects against all known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), adding: “And all the ones you don’t know about. We’re trying to rewrite the rules of cybersecurity.”
SCI’s approach embeds security directly into the instruction set architecture, extending RISC-V with CHERI to eliminate entire classes of vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows and use-after-free errors. The company’s hardware enforces memory safety and software compartmentalisation, making it significantly harder for attackers to escalate exploits. With validation from Microsoft, Google and the UK’s NCSC, SCI’s platform has withstood two years of red-team testing.
Among the technologies on display was ICENI, SCI’s first processor implementation of CHERI, which is currently running on FPGAs. It’s expected to complete its design and enter silicon fabrication this November. A full launch is planned for embedded world 2026, where ICENI will be positioned alongside major players in secure embedded design. Target applications span critical infrastructure, automotive, defence and smart energy – sectors where resilience is paramount., “Every time we add another layer of software, we add another attack surface,” Povey said. “We have to take a different view.”
Microelectronics UK returns to Excel, London on 29–30 September 2026, while its US counterpart, Microelectronics USA, will take place in Austin, Texas on 22–23 April 2026.
https://microelectronicsuk.com/ Components in Electronics October 2025 33
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