Smart Cities

Infineon and Alibaba Cloud Sign MoU on Internet of Things (IoT)

Thu, Aug 02, 2018

Munich, Germany, and Shanghai, China – 2 August 2018 – Infineon Technologies AG and Alibaba Cloud Computing Company (Alibaba Cloud) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint promotion of IoT applications within the fields of smart life and smart industry. Infineon and Alibaba will thus facilitate the digital upgrade of Chinese enterprises and cities.

As an active promoter and practitioner of Industry 4.0, Infineon will rely on its own core technology and service advantages in the field of IoT to collaborate with Alibaba Cloud on its IoT operating system, AliOS Things, and provide technical services. Additionally, with the acceleration of the IoT application process, new requirements are also placed on system security. As part of this collaboration, the two parties will further explore the planning, implementation and security standards of the IoT, enabling SMEs and individuals to deploy and access Alibaba Cloud in a low-cost, highly reliable manner. This will enable the participants to share in the development dividend of the IoT, while protecting them from losses caused by security risks. The two companies also plan to collaborate on e-commerce channels.

Based on this, both parties will make use of Alibaba Cloud’s integration capabilities and successful experiences in IoT and work together to create advanced and secure IoT solutions. This will help upgrade and transform the smart digitalization of SMEs, allowing them to manage the entire production process through digital means.

“The construction and improvement of the IoT ecosystem requires gathering the advantageous resources and power of all parties,” said Wei Ku, Vice President of Alibaba Group and General Manager of Alibaba Cloud IoT. “This partnership combines Alibaba Cloud’s capabilities in operating systems with Infineon’s semiconductor technology solutions. We believe that this will effectively promote the deployment of IoT in smart industries.”

“As the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, Infineon is committed to combining our advanced IoT semiconductor solutions with local experience,” said Andreas Urschitz, President of the Power Management & Multimarket Division at Infineon, “This partnership with Alibaba marks our efforts in this field.”

“Sustainable growth in mainland China is one of Infineon’s most important development strategies, and is also our long-term goal in the Chinese market,” said David Poon, Vice President of Power Management & Multimarket, Infineon Greater China. “We are very pleased to work with leading companies like Alibaba Cloud, and to join in creating an IoT service platform that meets the needs of the local market, helps companies achieve digitalization, and provides a driving engine for innovation and the development of smart cities in China.”

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2G cellular module offers upgrade path to 3G, LTE or LPWA

Mon, Jul 30, 2018

A quad-band GSM/GPRS cellular module, the u‑blox SARA-G450, has optimised power consumption for IoT applications, says u-blox.

The SARA-G450 2G cellular module for machine to machine (M2M) applications, such as utility metering and tracking systems is in the established SARA form factor. The module lets product developers migrate their products to 3G, LTE, or LPWA technology to meet a broad range of environmental and technological requirements.

2G cellular technology offers reliable performance for mobile applications and broad geographical coverage. It has been the technology of choice for machine type connectivity such as fleet management, metering and tracking. While some regions are currently phasing out their 2G network infrastructure, 2G continues to be a viable and popular option for M2M solutions in regions still lacking NB-IoT and LTE Cat M1 networks or where coverage is ‘spotty’. The SARA-G450 targets cost and space-sensitive applications in these markets, says u-blox.

It is pin-compatible with the entire u-blox cellular range, enabling designers to use a single platform and PCB design for designs intended for a variety of air interface technologies, including  2G, 3G, LPWA (LTE Cat M1 and NB1), and high speed LTE. According to u-blox, this also means that product developers can anticipate future upgrades of their applications to move to LTE Cat M1 and NB1 connectivity as soon as they become available in their target markets.

SARA-G450 is a standard grade quad-band GSM/GPRS module that is power-optimised for IoT applications. It can combine with a variety of best-in-class u‑blox GNSS or Bluetooth modules for solutions that integrate positioning, short range and cellular communication. An embedded internet suite facilitates the development of a range of M2M devices.

u‑blox provides positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets, to allow people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. The company portfolio includes chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of product supporting data services.

http://www.u-blox.com

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SiTime and Intel collaborate on MEMS timing for 5G

Mon, Jul 30, 2018

MEMS timing specialist, SiTime is collaborating with Intel, working together on integrating timing solutions for Intel’s 5G multi-mode radio modems. The collaboration will also apply to Intel LTE, millimeter-wave wireless, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS solutions.

5G is expected to transform communications, with new levels of connectivity. Areas from smart cities and intelligent wind farms, to agriculture and hospitals, the Internet of Things and connected infrastructures will generate zettabytes of data from an estimated 50 billion devices, says SiTime.

To realise this transformation, networks must become faster, more agile, and much denser, utilising more equipment. Systems will be deployed closer to connected devices and in uncontrolled locations such as on streetlight, traffic lights, rooftops, stadiums, and parking garages. In these settings, 5G devices will be subject to environmental stressors such as vibration, high temperature, and rapid temperature changes.

SiTime’s MEMS timing solutions enhance system performance in the presence of stressors such as vibration, high temperature, and rapid thermal transients, which can disrupt the timing signal and result in network reliability issues, lower data throughput, and connectivity drops. SiTime is to provide its MEMS solutions, with patented MEMS timing technology, to Intel’s 5G modem business, to meet the performance requirements of emerging 5G radio modem platforms.

SiTime’s transformative MEMS timing solutions have proven to offer up to 20 times better robustness, reliability, and performance in the presence of such stressors, and are crucial to the successful deployment of 5G, reports SiTime.

“Our collaboration with SiTime on MEMS-based silicon timing solutions will help our customers build leading 5G platforms to best take advantage of the increased performance and capacity that the 5G NR standard brings,” said Dr. Cormac Conroy, corporate vice president and general manager of the Communication and Devices Group at Intel. The project will address all areas, he contines: “Intel’s modem technology and our collaboration with SiTime is helping to enable new mobile and consumer experiences, and enterprise and industrial use cases.”

“Intel is already building 5G’s future and has the scale to meet 5G’s scope,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO at SiTime. “Our collaboration enables SiTime to align our MEMS timing solutions roadmap with Intel’s 5G platforms,” he added, described the partnership as “potent” for future growth and one that enables successful deployment of 5G.

http://www.sitime.com

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Advantech claims five-port switch is smallest available

Thu, Jul 26, 2018

Believed to be the smallest Ethernet switch, the Advantech EKI-2525LI is a five-port Ethernet switch, which is just 80mm high.

The supplier of industrial communications devices offers the EKI-2525LI Ethernet switch for applications where space is a critical issue for users.

The EKI-2525LI is an unmanaged five-port Ethernet switch in a small enclosure which fits in the palm of a hand. The compact form factor makes it suitable for use in environments with limited space, such as electronic control panels, cabinets, and high density industrial plants.

Compact devices such as PLCs typically have a height of only 100mm. Conventional Ethernet switches however, are usually taller than this, resulting in a waste of space, points out Advantech. The EKI-2525LI overcomes this and can be fitted into a rack-mount cabinet to maximise space utilisation and provide a simple and immediate upgrade for industrial IoT (IIoT) applications.

The EKI-2525I can be fitted into any already-wired electronic cabinets, racks or shelves where extra connectivity and communication services are requires but where space is limited. The EKI-25251 is therefore a means to provide key infrastructure upgrades.

In additionally the EKI-2525LI can serve as an embedded device in any working equipment, such as kiosk, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and CNC machines, ensuring smooth data transmission between embedded devices and promoting seamless information communication, advocates Advantech.

The EKI-2525LI five-port Ethernet switch is now available to order.

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http://www.advantech.com

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