Today billions of devices around the world include "embedded" systems. This number really shows the importance of the EMBEDDED SYSTEM market, integrated systems placed “on board” devices whose task is to manage functions of the apparatus through dedicated software.
The embedded system market is healthy and growing fast. Many market analysts (ETP2006, VDC, IMC Research and others) have estimated its size as about $B4.2B in 2005 with a forecast of $B5.5B for the year 2009.
The reasons why the market is moving towards embedded systems are many: the presence of many “niche markets” and the constant pressure of time-to-market schedules, which come directly from the world of semiconductors with the increasing market trends for new architectures and solutions.
The application of embedded systems is almost unlimited: communication, defence, process and industrial control, car automation, motion control and energy.
In spite of their diversity these applications share some common aspects:
- High integration level required: a tendency deriving from the world of semiconductors where the use of SoC, complete systems on a single integrated device, is preferred.
- Higher processing power: as in the gaming world where new generation chipsets incorporate high graphic processing power and need no other hardware to function, the same thing happens with embedded systems.
- Lower power consumption: the more features present, the more power consumption decreases, in other words, as Watt stated: the performance relationship optimization correspond to “higher performance at lower consumption”.
- More communication resources: an increasing need for a broader range of resources is needed, together with wireless and cable devices that can connect embedded systems together using constantly evolving standards.
- Graphic display support: in common with many industrial applications where a LCD or TFT display is normally used, a good display has become a critical element.
- Lower product costs: a well-known tendency to demand higher performance and integrated functions for low cost products.
The world of electronics is changing and the phenomenon of outsourcing together with lower costs is important aspects of this shift.
In order to respond promptly to these needs, the user has to face complex situations and make careful decisions, which may be critical for the final product, in terms of required skill set and company profitability.
Today, thanks to PRIMA ELECTRONICS, DOTS solutions are available, that is, electronic solutions designed and manufactured according to the customer’s requirements and dependent on the required application but provided at the industrialized level common to standard commercial products.
PRIMA ELECTRONICS DOTS solutions are used in many fields of application such as:
Industrial
Motion Control
Transport
Energy
Defence & Aerospace