Collaboration realises onboard data management for ‘data centre on wheels’

Solid state drives from Toshiba Memory Europe will be used in OSR’s Evolver onboard data management, or ‘data centre of wheels’ platform.

The two companies have extended their partnership to provide in-car data centre services as OEM customers are requesting ways of logging, analysing and managing the growing amounts of data.

OSR Enterprises created the Evolver automotive platform for connected, autonomous, shared and electric mobility. This announcement extends the companies’ existing collaboration to enhance live data management and logging in cars, in a vehicle’s data centre, with high-density and low-power solid state drives.

Evolver is described as an artificial intelligence (AI) ‘brain’ for smart, autonomous and securely networked vehicles. The hardware and software platform provides the computing power for the car of the future and operates as a central data hub which stores, processes and analyses real-time data for AI and analytical insights. The data and information are crucial for autonomous driving, customised user experiences and is the foundation for new automotive business models, explains OSR.

One of the elements supporting this capability is an advanced high-density in-car storage. The collaboration with Toshiba Memory Europe. The combination of the technologies ensures that the development cycles of OSR’s OEM customers are shortened, while retaining robustness for a solid development process, claims the company.

Toshiba Memory’s flash technology features high performance, low latency and high-density solid-state drives. Toshiba Memory’s CM5 NVM Express™ (NVMe) is built with its latest 64 layer, three-bit-per-cell enterprise-class TLC (triple-level cell) BiCS Flash, making today’s demanding storage environments possible. This, combined with selectable power modes in Toshiba Memory’s solid state drives (SSDs) which improve the thermal performance and heat dissipation of the system. Additionally, optimal operation and data integrity is provided by its power loss protection technology within the storage components.

OSR Enterprises is a Swiss based automotive Tier 1 supplier with R&D centres in Switzerland and Israel.

Toshiba Memory Europe is the European business of Toshiba Memory Corporation.

https://business.toshiba-memory.com

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Development board helps developers connect for Cloud IoT Core

To help device manufacturers to develop secure IoT products, Microchip Technology introduces the PIC-IoT WG development board for Cloud IoT Core. PIC microcontrollers are used in a wide variety of products, from coffee makers to thermostats and irrigation systems yet as developers migrate next-generation PIC microcontroller-based applications to the cloud, they have to overcome complexities associated with communications protocols, security and hardware compatibility. To accelerate the development of these applications, Microchip has announced an IoT rapid development board for Google Cloud IoT Core that combines a low-power PIC microcontroller, CryptoAuthentication secure element IC and fully certified Wi-Fi network controller. According to Microchip, this provides a simple way to connect and secure PIC microcontroller-based applications, removing the added time, cost and security vulnerabilities that come with large software frameworks and real time operating systems (RTOS). Once connected, Google Cloud IoT Core provides powerful data and analytics to help designers make better, smarter products, explains Microchip.

Microchip Technology has an extended partnership with Google Cloud, which means that the PIC-IoT WG development board enables PIC microcontroller designers to easily add cloud connectivity to next generation products using a free online portal at www.PIC-IoT.com. Once connected, developers can use Microchip’s MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) development tool to develop, debug and customise an application. The board combines smart, connected and secure devices to enable designers to create connected applications. It includes the eXtreme low-power PIC microcontroller with integrated core independent peripherals. Suitable for battery-operated, real-time sensing and control applications, the PIC24FJ128GA705 microcontroller employs the PIC architecture with added memory and advanced analogue integration explains Microchip. It is supported by the latest Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) designed to handle complex applications with less code and decreased power consumption.

There are also secure element to protect the root of trust in hardware. The ATECC608A CryptoAuthentication device provides a trusted and protected identity for each device that can be securely authenticated. It is supplied pre-registered on Google Cloud IoT Core. For Wi-Fi connectivity to Google Cloud, the ATWINC1510 is an industrial-grade, fully certified IEEE 802.11 b/g/n IoT network controller that provides an easy connection to a microcontroller via an SPI, with the designer needing networking protocols expertise.

Google Cloud IoT Core provides a managed service that enables designers to easily and securely connect, manage and ingest data from devices at a global scale. The platform collects, processes and analyses data in real time to enable designers to improve operational efficiency in embedded designs.

The PIC-IoT WG development board is supported by the MPLAB X integrated development environment (IDE) and MCC rapid prototyping tool and is compatible with more than 450 MikroElektronika Click boards to expand sensors and actuator options.

http://www.microchip.com

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Microprocessor adds Linux distribution to accelerate IoT innovation

As part of its commitment to 10-year industrial-grade supply, STMicroelectronics has introduced the STM32MP1 microprocessor series with Linux distribution. According to STMicro, the multi-core STM32MP1 architecture is particularly suited to open-source software-based applications in real-time and power-constrained sub-systems

It also reduces development time using OpenSTLinux mainlined, open-source Linux distribution and the established STM32Cube ecosystem

STMicro has applied its Arm Cortex expertise to expand the capabilities of its STM32 microcontroller to applications which require more performance, resources and large open-source software. The STM32MP1 multi-core microprocessor series has compute and graphics support combined with power-efficient real-time control to support developers of industrial, consumer, smart home, health and wellness applications.

The STM32MP1 series microprocessor uses the STM32-family ecosystem from ST and its partners, including tools and technical support.

“The STM32MP1 brings the strength of the STM32 experience to applications that need MPU compute and graphics support, combined with power efficient real-time control and high feature integration,” said Ricardo De Sa Earp, general manager of STMicroelectronics’ microcontroller division. “Our commitment to consolidating open-source Linux software and microcontroller development support, combined with the longevity that consumer-oriented alternatives cannot equal, establish solid confidence in STM32MP1 for embedded MPU projects,” he adds.

Designers can use the STM32MP1 microprocessor series to develop a range of applications using the STM32 heterogeneous architecture that combines Arm Cortex-A and Cortex-M cores. The architecture performs fast processing and real-time tasks on a single chip, always achieving the greatest power efficiency, says STMicro. For example, by stopping Cortex-A7 execution and running only from the more efficient Cortex-M4, power can typically be reduced to 25 per cent. From this mode, going to standby further cuts power by 2.5k times – while still supporting the resumption of Linux execution in one to three seconds, depending on the application.

The STM32MP1 embeds a 3D graphics processor unit (GPU) to support human machine interface (HMI) displays. It also supports a wide range of external DDR SDRAM and flash memories. The large set of peripherals can be seamlessly allocated either to Cortex-A / Linux or Cortex-M / real-time activities. The STM32MP1 series is available in a range of BGA packages to minimise PCB cost and use the smallest board space.

The release of OpenSTLinux distribution has already been reviewed and accepted by the Linux community: Linux Foundation, Yocto project and Linaro. The distribution contains all the essential building blocks for running software on the application-processor cores.

Enhanced STM32Cube tools, upgraded from the STM32Cube package for Cortex-M microcontrollers, accelerate microprocessor development using Arm Cortex-A-core MPUs.

Two evaluation boards (STM32MP157A-EV1 and STM32MP157C-EV1) and two Discovery kits (STM32MP157A-DK1 and STM32MP157C-DK2) will be available through distribution channels in April.

http://www.st.com

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u-blox adds Script option to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity software

For easy and interactive development of embedded applications, u-blox has developed u-connectScript and added it to the u-connectXpress software series.

The extended software series is claimed to further simplify wireless Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi device development, enabling embedded script applications in the module, and reducing complexity and time to market.

The software series manages the wireless connectivity ‘behind the scenes’ and scripting support increases development efficiency and brings the wireless technology to companies that are new to the IoT, says u-blox.

u-connectXpress was introduced more than 15 years ago and lets developers configure device connectivity without having to write and test complex code. u-blox has added to the software series so that it now comprises over 130 standard and u-blox-specific AT commands

u‑connectScript has been added to further speed up embedded device development, says u-blox. It is based on the JavaScript programming language, which has been widely adopted, and which has a short learning curve. u‑connectScript uses simple syntax to allow device developers to quickly embed Bluetooth applications right onto the module without requiring extensive experience in embedded systems programming. Developers write their applications using u-blox’s integrated development environment (IDE) or a text editor of their choice.

u-connectScript efficiently manages data flows between wireless and physical interfaces. This ensures power consumption and performance of the resulting application remains on a par with traditionally developed embedded applications; u-blox argues that this is contrary to other script solutions available in the market.

Security is fundamental and is handled behind the scenes when using any member of the u‑connect software series. Secure Boot ensures that devices only boot up in the presence of original certified software. u‑connect additionally ensures a high level of link and data security with support for Wi‑Fi enterprise security (e.g. EAP-TLS), IP end-to-end security (e.g. TLS) and LE secure connections for Bluetooth.

Applications developed for u-connectXpress or u-connectScript can be re-used across the entire product line and are forward compatible with new product generations.

u-connectXpress is available across the u-blox Short Range product portfolio. u-connectScript will be available on selected product variants, starting with the NINA-B3 module.

https://www.u-blox.com

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