Smart Cities

Infineon Technology claims that its latest AIROC devices are the industry’s first 1×1 Wi-Fi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.2 combo SoC for the IoT, enterprise and industrial applications, and the first 2×2 Wi-Fi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.2 combo SoC for multimedia, consumer and automotive applications.

The Wi-Fi 6/6E devices operate in the 2.4, 5.0 and the new, greenfield 6.0GHz spectrum for minimal latency. Intended uses are for high quality video and audio streaming applications like gaming consoles, augment reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), smart speakers, media-streaming devices and automotive infotainment as well as applications that require an instant response, such as security systems and industrial automation.

The Bluetooth 5.2 technology enables high quality audio with LC3 and enable new Bluetooth Low Energy audio use cases such as audio sharing and audio broadcast. The low power wake-on-Bluetooth Low Energy mode allows the host CPU to conserve power while the Bluetooth core autonomously ‘listens’ for incoming connection requests.  Infineon’s unique Smart Coex maximises Wi-Fi throughput when used concurrently with Bluetooth, and optimises the device for multimedia use cases.

The AIROC Wi-Fi 6/6E-certified devices double the wireless coverage range, compared with Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 4 and deliver 40 per cent more coverage than typical Wi-Fi 6/6E solutions, says Infineon. The robust connection enhances interference mitigation while the low latency and co-existence of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth improve multimedia streaming and gaming responsiveness in overlapping network environments, reports Infineon.

Multi-layer security protections with secured boot, firmware authentication and encryption, and lifecycle management, introduce a higher level of security for IoT applications.

The AIROC Wi-Fi 6 / 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 combo is currently sampling to select customers.

It will be on display at Infineon’s virtual Embedded Solutions Conference 2021 (1 – 5 March): www.infineon.com/embeddedworld

NXP has introduced the i.MX 9 applications processors, which integrate dedicated neural processing units (NPUs) to accelerate machine learning (ML).

The i.MX 9 series is NXP’s first implementation of the Arm Ethos U-65 microNPU, which makes it possible to build low cost, highly efficient AI in embedded devices. They also implement NXP’s Energy Flex architecture which can be used by developers to optimise energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint while extending battery life, says the company.

The i.MX 9 series is intended to expand machine learning capabilities at the edge for performance-intensive systems which require low power connectivity and machine learning acceleration options. Typical uses will be factory and process automation, transportation, robotics and industry 4.0, together with machine learning with time sensitive networking (TSN) technology, they will enhance performance graphics, vision and enable emerging technologies.

Specific i.MX 9 applications processors will also enable advanced machine learning, including multi object, multi-face recognition with inference in milliseconds and voice based system which will recognise natural language and accents. There will also be sequence analysis for gesture recognition and processors will be able to detect anomalies in industrial systems for predictive maintenance and in synthetic sensors for smart homes and other IoT applications.

The first families in this series will be built in 16/12nm FinFET process technology with specific low power optimisation. The i.MX 9’s Energy Flex architecture combines heterogeneous domain processing (independent applications processor and real-time domains with a separate low power, multimedia domain), design techniques, and process technology to maximise performance efficiency, explains NXP.

For example, low power audio use cases can be powered by the real time domain, where audio can run when the rest of the processor is switched off. The real time domain is also suited to industrial applications such as the CAN network which requires a fast boot (less than 100 milliseconds).

Also included in the i.MX 9 processors is the EdgeLock secure enclave. This is a self-managed, autonomous on-die security IP in the SoC architecture. It simplifies the implementation of complex security with autonomous management of security functions, including silicon root of trust, run-time attestation, trust provisioning and SoC secure boot enforcement. There are also crypto services for advanced attack resistance and to simplifying security certifications. The EdgeLock secure enclave intelligently tracks power transitions when end-user applications are running on the device to help prevent new attack surfaces from emerging.

For edge to the cloud security, specific members of the i.MX 9 series will be Microsoft Azure Sphere-certified.

The i.MX9 application processors will find applications in smart homes, smart cities and public safety systems, fleet management, farming and agriculture, consumer audio, healthcare and energy applications where low power connectivity and machine learning acceleration options are necessary.

http://www.nxp.com