Johan Paulsson

The 6 Technology Trends Affecting the Security Sector in 2021

Johan Paulsson, CTO, Axis

Communications talks about key security trends of 2021.

It’s useful when looking forward to first look backward: hindsight has a wonderful way of providing context for future-gazing activity. And when looking back over the past year, one insight could understandably be that attempting to predict the future is a futile activity.

While the COVID-19 pandemic had taken hold in Asia before the end of 2019, few would have predicted the enormous impact it would have across the world throughout 2020. Within a short space of time, our way of life, working practices and business operations were upended. Travel restrictions, social distancing rules, increased hygiene requirements and the pressure placed on health services all affected our business and the security sector.

In dealing with the impact on our own business and workforce – with employee health and safety at the forefront – we also saw new use cases emerge for our technology and solutions, in addition to new ways of working, that will continue into 2021 and beyond.

Technological advancement continues, however, and as we have seen in recent years, rather than heralding the emergence of completely new technologies, the trends we see for 2021 are shaped by how and why technologies are used, and the associated implications.

Trust remains at the top of the agenda we've mentioned trust in previous trend posts, and it’s become even more critical. Many factors contribute to maintaining trust, and the technology sector is under more scrutiny now than ever before. Customers and end-users are demanding transparency around how tech is used and how data is managed, especially with increased surveillance. This, together with the need to maintain privacy, will be a key challenge.

Johan Paulsson

CTO|Axis Communications

Renewed discussions around trust will directly impact how organizations in all sectors actively demonstrate why they are trustworthy. Due to its nature, the security sector will be under even more pressure to double down on its efforts in this area.

• The world goes horizontal

Recent years have seen applications and services largely designed for specific environments, whether server-based, in the cloud or at the edge. Driven by a desire to achieve optimal performance, scalability, and flexibility, along with the benefits of accessing and using data at any time and from anywhere, the next year will see momentum towards horizontal integration between environments. Increasingly intelligent applications and services will be deployed across all three instances – server, cloud and edge – employing the best capabilities of each, improving solution performance and efficiency. For example, edge analytics in a surveillance camera will potentially message an operator with an alert, the operator then accessing the live video feed through a cloud-based application to verify and respond.

This shift to a ‘horizontal’ approach will increase the speed and accuracy of security and surveillance – moving from reactive to proactive, manual to automated – while also reducing bandwidth, energy and cost.

• Cybersecurity: the continual trend

Such horizontal integration will only increase the focus on robust cyber security – a chain, after all, is only as strong as its weakest link – and the constant evolution of the threat landscape cement its relevance year after year. Due to the potential for high financial returns and disruption of critical infrastructure, new capabilities, tactics and threats will continue to emerge and require constant vigilance.

AI will be employed by cybercriminals as much as in any sector, strengthening their ability to find and exploit vulnerabilities. Deep fakes will become even more sophisticated and realistic, potentially calling into doubt video surveillance evidence. As a result, further developments in methods to verify content, devices and applications to maintain trust in their authenticity will be required.

Advancements in cybercrime will also extend to tried-andtrue methods such as phishing lures which will become more difficult to spot. As a result, employees will be even more susceptible to these types of attacks and constant education and reminders of best cybersecurity practices will, as ever, be needed.

Traditionally, cybersecurity has been based on a ‘perimeter’ model, where the network is protected by a single, hopefully, an impenetrable wall made up of firewalls, VPNs/VLANs, airgaps, software-defined networks and other technologies. But this model is challenged, and a single breach can result in the entire network being compromised.

The move to zero trust networks will therefore accelerate, where the security profile for each device and application is independently evaluated. Trust will be delivered through deviceto-device and/or application-to-application communication through signed firmware, software updates, secure boot, encrypted data/video, and secure identity. It may seem like an indictment of the age we live in, but the only way to trust the security of anything is to trust nothing.

• The reality of AI: developing the good, addressing the bad and anticipating the ugly

We’ve been talking about AI for so long that some might question its validity as a trend. But with Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) now broadly available in surveillance technology, the implications of its use will be a factor in 2021.

We now have concrete examples of various use cases for AI in surveillance, but as we have seen in other sectors (e.g. autonomous vehicle crashes) the positive impact of AI can be outweighed by the attention given to specific failures. Narratives tend to focus on the errors of automation, and this will no doubt also be the case in the surveillance sector.

However, this shouldn’t act as a deterrent and we must not lose sight of the positive potential use cases of Machine Learning and Deep Learning in surveillance. For example, using these capabilities in edge devices can assist in identifying objects and reducing false positives. As a result, security experts can move to a proactive, event-based way of working, rather than continuous manual monitoring.

• Low- and no-contact technologies come to the fore Regulations, rules and consumer habits established during this year will become common-place in 2021. Technology will support how these are monitored and enforced, driven by hygiene concerns and social distancing. As a result, the implementation of low- or no-contact technologies, especially in areas such as access control, will increase. Also, surveillance solutions with people-counting capabilities will become the norm, to ensure adherence to social distancing regulations.

• Sustainability reimagined

One concern during the pandemic has been that the focus on the environment and sustainability has been reduced. Several major environmental incidents have brought these discussions to the forefront, and it is expected that in 2021 sustainability regains its position as a primary area of concern. The materials used in products and their length of life remain two of the most impactful areas upon which the surveillance sector can drive environmental benefits. While significant steps have been made in reducing the use of plastics and PVC in products, and in increasing the level that recycled and recyclable materials are used, more progress can be made.

Alongside the materials used in products, how long they last will be a critical decision-making factor for customers. Far better for the environment and economy to specify a highquality product with a long anticipated lifetime, than one which requires replacement after a few short years.

• The only constant is change

Predictions must be taken with a grain of salt, and the events of 2020 singlehandedly demonstrated the risks of trying to accurately predict upcoming events. However, the trends outlined above are, we believe, broad enough to apply even in the context of a turbulent environment. What will continue to be true is that periods of uncertainty underscore the need for agility and an open approach to problem-solving, whatever the future holds.

A Digital Transformation Journey With The Enablers!

- Nitisha Dubey

Akash Bhat

Chief Executive Officer, Allied Worldwide

Prashanth GJ

CEO, TechnoBind

Satish Kumar V

CEO, EverestIMS Technologies

Saurabh Saxena

Country Director – India, Micro Focus

Senthil Arumugam

Founder, Caleido Xenia Pvt. Ltd

Surendra Singh

Senior Director & Country Manager- Forcepoint

Vikas Bhonsle

CEO, Crayon Software Experts India

Digital Transformation is changing the landscapes of every industry. Various industries and leading companies are adopting digitally-front approaches to stay viable in the market. But as the word, Digital Transformation strategies not just need a holistic approach but right motive and models. We have reached in that era, where transactions, bookings, finding individual’s information or sending letters is only a button ahead. From designers to solution providers and service-front companies bringing the best solution for their customers is no less than a challenge. Hence, in this story, I try to figure out what actually is digital transformation for India and the benefits, why companies should adopt digital strategies and solutions and the solutions these companies are providing to help in their respective customers digital journey. In this multiple-input story, Nitisha from BisInfotech has interacted with Akash Bhat-Chief Executive Officer, Allied Worldwide;

Senthil Arumugam, Founder, Caleido Xenia Pvt. Ltd; Vikas Bhonsle, CEO, Crayon Software Experts India, Satish Kumar V, CEO, EverestIMS Technologies; Surendra Singh Senior Director & Country Manager- Forcepoint; Saurabh Saxena, Country Director – India, Micro Focus; Prashanth G J, CEO, TechnoBind

to help better understand the true value and potential of Digital Transformation.

Digital Transformation in India

India has found all possible way to become an emblem for the world with its digital front approaches. From last few years, we have seen a lot of developments and news stating digital growth. According to a report, digital transformation in many sectors like manufacturing, education, healthcare, as well as government services and labor markets has the potential to create $10-$150 billion incremental economic value by 2025. India has been an early adopter of Digital technologies despite being a late entrant to the digital party. Prashanth GJ while explaining the value of digital transformation says digital transformation is a very important step for every business in today's world. It is impossible to avoid technology as it is growing and expanding into every industry. When it comes to Digital Transformation, India is building a powerful edge. Surendra Singh also feels the same; he says that the digital transformation is changing the Indian market in a big way with the adoption of new technology that is driving "Digital India". Companies in the government as well as enterprise sector have seen acceleration in digital transformation during the COVID pandemic. To maintain business continuity, people started working remotely. Organizations started focusing on new cloud-based technologies to secure their communication and data.

Saurabh Saxena observed that India is witnessing this trend with larger enterprises, which are increasingly operating across multi-cloud environments, where large enterprises plan to increase their multi-cloud spending up from 42% to 49% by 2023. India will become one of the largest digitized countries in the world. With our presence in India, we have focused on encouraging technology and innovation to help enable and empower customers to traverse the digitization journey. Demonetization was the biggest revolution for digital transformation in India. Akash Bhat explained it and said, demonetization had mixed reactions, it did accelerate India's journey on digital platforms with many end-users adapting and moving from physical to digital payments. Also, the introduction of Aadhar and e-KYC would have been much slower if not for the acceleration in this area. Street vendors are now on digital platforms and traditional professionals like tour guides can use translating tools to interact with their customers while also accepting digital payments.

Covid 19 and Digital Transformation

Not only India, but all over the world is facing the socioeconomic stern of the pandemic. It has not only impacted human’s body but also has made us disturbed. Economy rate is going down day by day and because of that reason our GDP rate has plunged historically. But in this disastrous situation, digitalization is only a hope of living. People are striving to create new opportunities with technology. “Technology has been a job creator when traditional jobs are at risk. Digital platforms have created entirely new skills that have resulted in different jobs. Businesses have now been able to reach out further to markets that were traditionally difficult to penetrate due to cultural differences or simply a lack of infrastructure. Digital technology has enabled more people to work from home, highlighted productive areas, and also helped identify areas that cause a lack of productivity”, says Akash Bhat.

Complementing digital approaches, Senthil Arumugam says, Digital Transformation can also help with mobilizing critical application platforms to handle health & hygiene mandates. Adoption of newer touchless and contactless technology products should be mandatory.

Vikash Bhonsle shares the value of cloud, he says, cloud is helping to democratize the technology adoption in the market. Industry 4.0, or deep technology, can help across the technologies. With cloud, a lot of technologies are easily available and in an easily consumable form, as cloud is the foundation of all technologies. Digitalization is the reason for extensive transformations across several elements of businesses, opening them up to substantial opportunities. Digital Transformation is the way for the industry to go ahead. Satish Kumar V has served many solutions to numerous customers during this period. Service providers who need their efficacy to be at par all the time have turned to his company time and again. Enterprises that need to perform rapid upgrades with minimal onsite personnel due to increased workload are all turning to the Infraon Suite to help them stay competitive and effective. Remote workers who need to ensure that their enterprises’ IT Infrastructure is up and running at full peak see us as their go-to company. He sees a realignment of businesses as they rearrange their operations and structures to continue doing business in a post COVID era.

Digitalisation has helped us in many ways, we cannot run a business or any work without it. Companies that embraced digital transformation have performed better during the pandemic and expect a faster rebound. Surendra explains,

digital transformation is driving change across the world, creating new opportunities to boost business productivity, while cutting the costs of infrastructure and operations. Increasingly distributed organizations are re-architecting their networks and security to move their most valuable data and applications to the cloud, in order to give their users a much richer, faster, and less expensive access than ever before. Enabling remote sites and off-network users to securely connect direct-to-cloud is the new challenge facing enterprises and government agencies.

Before the world was hit by the pandemic, many organizations had already begun undergoing digital transformation projects to various degrees. According to Gartner’s forecast in 2019, IT spending in India was already expected to grow 6.6% to reach $94 billion in 2020, from $88.5 billion in 2019, driven by spending in software. This was led by banking, financial services, media, insurance, and e-commerce sectors.

Saurabh says, the world is changing fundamentally and rapidly, and digital transformation is playing an increasingly important role in how organizations address that change. From demographic shifts to development in technological capabilities, there is an opportunity to digitally deliver services to customers in ways that did not exist before. The pandemic has become an extraordinary catalyst for change. Today, most enterprises, products, and services are on a digital delivery model or require digital reinforcements to remain competitive in the market.

While focusing on the positive side of this pandemic, Prashanth says that the pandemic has led to the starting of a whole new digital era and has broadened the horizon for the virtual sphere. The digital transformation could be a strong lever in organizations’ response to the current crisis and give them an opportunity to re-align their business/operating models to the rapidly changing business landscape. However, digital transformation is not just about upgrading to a new software program, it is about making sure any new adoptions will work for your organization long-term.

Challenges & Future Scope

The sudden growth of technology accelerated by Covid19 led to some businesses going bust as they could not adapt or were not yet ready for this change, shared Akash. He said, there is certainly a need for businesses and governments to adapt. Many traditional businesses are still not digitally equipped. This may lead to them not having access to workers with the right skills and face challenging business environments. Workers who have not started lateral skilling have almost no protection as they do not have the skills or flexibility in current labor markets to adapt. To overcome these challenges, businesses have to adopt technology and upgrade their training programs to equip their workers with relevant skills. Businesses must also consider programs including internships and apprenticeships to train future workers with the relevant sets of skills.

Digital transformation solutions need to become more affordable for essential enterprises. Industries today are racing against time to provide the much-needed acceleration that can beat the demand curve. Cultural adaptation and willingness for adoption of newer technologies also challenge the DX movement. However, our mobile centric world is already rooting for a unidirectional mandate of DX, a point of no return, to stay and define more advanced futuristic paths for humanity, says Senthil.

Satish emphasized the need of digital transformation. He says, if we don’t recognize digital transformation as topdown initiative supported at all layers of the organization, then many enterprises will find themselves trudging a lonely road or being left far behind. Organizations need to rapidly transform their processes and practices to incorporate deep technology driven change within their organizational design. They will have to make significant investments now in specific technology and/or cloud driven products which will bear rich dividends in the future. It will be transform or perish. Digital transformation is an ongoing process for organisations looking to modify their business processes and supporting IT systems to take advantage of what digital technologies have to offer.

Surendra feels that the implication is that for digital transformation strategies to be effective, they need to be comprehensive and reach out across the supporting infrastructure. More than that, they need to be designed to take full advantage of new, distributed, ways of working as well as the growing dominance of cloud computing and use of other digital technologies. Digital transformation brings re-adjustments in the way an organization uses its applications and data, therefore technologies supporting the same should be adaptive in nature. Security solutions that handhold digital initiatives should be hybrid in nature to cover the transformation smoothly.

2020 has leapfrogged us into a decade of delivery for the promise of technology. Digital transformation is not a new endeavor for business, though prior attempts have often failed to realize its full potential. Per a report by IDC, despite a global pandemic, DX investment is expected to approach

$6.8 trillion by 2023, as companies build on existing strategies and investments, becoming digital-at-scale future enterprises. Technological leadership will require sustained digital investments, and rapid business process innovation to thrive in the digital supremacy era. The world is becoming digitally driven. It has never been more critical for us to embrace advanced technologies to empower customers, transform businesses and create newer opportunities, explained Saurabh.

Digital transformation is shaping the businesses globally and across India. It’s a great step to adopt digital transformation as there are many benefits of digital transformation like it transforms customer experience, gives more data-based insights, Greater Collaboration Across Departments and improves agility and innovation, concludes Prashanth.

Expectations from the Government

Government had started a program ‘digital India’ to make India a digitalized country and somehow it is becoming successful. The government wants India to have a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Now, a common person is also stress free because they have mobile and in that also it has different kinds of applications which makes our life easier. Digital India was launched in 2015 and although many steps were taken to accelerate it, the government needs to focus and hasten efforts improving infrastructure for digital transformation. Public offices need to be better equipped to handle digital queries. Many government apps are used symbolically rather than efficiently. The government must bring in lateral skilling for itself and its entire staff. Also, companies must be given sops for being fully digital if the government wants to see acceleration in Digital transformation, says Akash.

We would like to see more digital transformation initiatives that help prop the economy up and deliver broad-based benefits to the public at large. Smart cities, speed of doing business, ease of doing business with supporting infrastructure are what we would look for from the Government of India, shared Satish.

Prashanth has same expectations from the government. He says, we would like to see more digital transformation initiatives that can help to boost the economy. The government should come up with more digital projects in such a way that every sector should get an opportunity to initiate it.

Senthil wants acceleration of Digital India movement for increased automation; remote working becoming a new norm possibility with government subsidies as well, Citizens becoming the center of mobility solutions expanse, more localized indigenous applications and platforms for governance. Talking about government initiative, Surendra says, the government is working on digital transformation initiatives with a setup that is focused on critical remote infrastructure. The government should also adopt frameworks such as CARTA (Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment) or focus on the principle of zero trust with NIST Frameworks 800-207.

Vikas seems satisfied with the government initiative as he says that the Indian government has already kept digitisation in its forefront of all the projects.

In recent years, the Indian government has proven determined to leverage technology for progress. The Indian appetite for innovation coupled with the ability to merge digital with our unique local conditions has led to widespread adoption of technology across strata in the country. The digital backbone of this country continues to develop with the government still at the center of that transformation. Government initiatives such as Digital India, Aadhaar, and GST have played an integral role in laying the foundation for a digital future, mentioned Saurabh.

Year 2019-2020 for Business

Allied Worldwide: During pandemic, Allied Worldwide has provided a lot of flexibility on its contracts to ensure its customers can adapt to the pandemic just like the company is adapting. There was an initial drop in revenue but then it picked up again as customers appreciated its partnership. After that Allied Worldwide being able to build on this and offer further flexible solutions through the remote work offerings.

Caleido Xenia Pvt. Ltd: Caleido off to a good start but thrown off pace for a short while by the onset of COVID-19 which later on turned to be a blessing in disguise for the company. It saw this as an opportunity and picked up pace to further modify and design its new age suite of solutions to include more elements that can offer a safer contactless experience for end users.

EverestIMS Technologies: Since it provide products and solutions that specifically relate to IT Infra, Service Quality, Compliance and Uptime amongst others, it did see a distinctly wider funnel and some significant closures.

TechnoBind: The last FY was very good. TechnoBind grew by an impressive 40% YoY, thanks to the approach it take in engaging with the partners. This year too, while COVID has had its impact the company is still seeing a growth over last FY.

CONCLUSION

Digital Transformation has played a huge role in our day to day life. We have seen drastic changes in last few years and also expecting to see more transformation in upcoming year. Although, 2019-2020 was not quite well in terms of business, but if we see digital India condition, it showcased tremendous transformation. Covid 19 has accelerated digital transformation and it has proven helpful for IT companies. The companies, which are following digital transformation from 2019 or early 2020 will get profit in upcoming years. Artificial Intelligence is going to be more helpful and advanced in coming time. Either, we talk about health or education, everywhere digitalization is the only source of communication. For India manufacturing sector 2019-20 was tough, but as the government is focusing on “Vocal for Local", this sector must increase strategic investments in technology to not just recover from the impact of the pandemic, but also become a key driver of the Indian vision of a $5 trillion economy by 2025. As we are in 2021, we are expecting to see some more updation in digitalization.

UPCOMING PROJECTS Allied Worldwide

Allied Worldwide has a great solution in the Agritech space which is a combination of sensors, device management software and data analytics. In addition to recording all relevant data, it enables: its deployments come infused with innovation and dexterity that help its customers, large and small navigate the choppy

► Report creation in real-time ► Combining KPIs without coding ► Customized drill-down of data ► Easy filters for end-users

We have created a contactless thermal sensor which addresses the need of the hour, staying safe during the pandemic: ► Single IoT based dashboard to track attendance, geolocation, and temperature ► Compliance Management Integration ► Contactless ► Wireless

Caleido

Caleido Xenia – a patent pending Connected Hospitality solution built around ‘vowels of infrastructure’ concept – adopts the very principles of digital transformation in India, to steer hotel enterprises on the path to a more sustainable world cause and yet become profitable through its Cloud based SaaS platforms that assures superior user experience, workforce productivity gains and revenue monetization with incentivized stay for conserving the environment.

EverestIMS

EverestIMS is working closely with e-commerce firms who help keep the wheels of the economy rolling, BFSI, government and defence, large enterprises and telecoms amongst others. All ► Fully automatic

waters of digital transformation.

Micro Focus

Micro Focus has a strategic plan and execution model, highlighting the importance of engaging with customers endto-end, the key role of SaaS and Subscription models, and delivering key outcomes focused on the needs of the market.

TechnoBind

Transformation projects are an ongoing phenomenon. While it had hit a speed bump with the onset of COVID as customers were focusing on the business continuity parts of their business it is slowly seeing the projects starting back as well now in H2.

- NILOY BANERJEE

Connected Cars in India – The Technology Amusement is Key!

What’s driving the connected cars market? Automobile makers are leaning towards more integrated technologies as the demand for smart cars driving the market. Long days are gone when connectivity was just an initial approach for automobile makers. The automotive industry is today undergoing a massive transformation, where automakers are no longer hardware makers but are evolving into tech companies. The drive towards a new software and hardware approach integrating more sensors and electronics seems to craft the automotive industry. This change for connected cars is visionary and the possible transformation lies under the hands of tech companies. Today, Automakers searching for connected cars future are associating with Tech giants to explore new opportunities to drive innovations across the sector.

Technology To Take Responsibility For Connected Cars

Though, the initial quarters of 2020 were seen dormant because of the pandemic and also last year went nimble because of India’s vision of BS-VI gearing on the roads. The cost has seen a major factor but the demand for automobile companies were seen desirable. Today every new car especially the midsegment and high-end cars launched in India has the ability to be interactive, intuitive and connected. This change and transformation lay new opportunities for the tech companies especially the semiconductor companies. Semiconductor manufacturers are working to improve devices for better invehicle networking like Ethernet, to boost processing power, and to perfect vehicle power management. Integrating more of these devices into larger-scale systems-on-chip (SoCs) will significantly improve not only performance but also reduce costs.

Trends Tapped for Connected Cars in 2020

5G and the rush for IoT were exorbitant. Though there were other tech trends which have happened to shape the evolution of connected cars in 2020. Below listing few for better understanding.

- Operating system – The crave for new OS is all futurizing the car’s dashboards. • Telematics - GPS receiver and a basic cellphone to report a vehicle’s location and to signal an accident. Other features are things like remote door unlocking and emergency service. • 5G – The next-gen power of Internet inside your car is promising as global Auto-Makers helms with telecom providers to explore the opportunities with 5G. • Data Monetization – Shared mobility, powertrain electrification, car autonomy, vehicle connectivity are driving data monetization for future. • Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) – The in-vehicle experience is the key. Hence automakers are integrating a range of human-machine interface technologies (HMIs) including voice controls, interior-facing cameras, touch-sensitive surfaces and smarter, personalized platforms.

These above trends are not just barred to Cars or Automobiles but the trends are equally shaping boats, trucks, and aircrafts as well. Also, few other technology trends include augmented/ virtual/mixed reality, in-car commerce, biometrics, V2X, IoT platforms, blockchain, cybersecurity, etc.

How is Indian Market for Connected Cars?

India is undergoing a ‘Digital Revolution’. The penetration of technology is defining the length and breadth of the country. As technology becomes cheaper and amuses the people, India is well with it. Another significant reason has been the power of purchasing in the market. People are ready to spend more to opt for a connected car than to anything else. Given the trends, Indian car manufacturers are tapping these trends and are willing to cater the same in the market. Indian automotive industry is getting the privilege of indigenous innovation hubs and the easy availability of technology. With global tech companies today established in India, it has made a ‘gist journey approach’ for carmakers in India. Meanwhile, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com the India Connected Car market is anticipated to register a CAGR of about 20% during the forecast period (2020-2025). Though the complete potential of connected cars has not been explored in India, the future seems promising. The latest example sets the success of companies like MG Motor India and KIA Motors.

THERMAL MANAGEMENT Solutions Increase The Durability Of Mil/Aero Electronics

Electronics for military applications are expected to operate first-time, every time in some of the most hostile and demanding environments. Military programmes are often designed to run over several decades, with hardware likely to be updated several times over the programme's duration. Similarly, most aerospace electronics will be compromised by harsh operating environments; significant amounts of vibration, often extreme variations in operating temperature, as well as the risks of exposure to chemicals, de-icing fluids and the like, will all take their toll unless adequately protected. Commercial and military aerospace applications, too, will typically have multidecade programme lifetimes and the hardware will usually be upgraded several times during its service life. Long term protection of military and aerospace electronics is therefore very important.

Thermal management is key to addressing all concerns regarding the reliability and performance of electronic systems, not just about extending the lifetime in storage or in duty. The development of aerospace and defence electronic systems is driving significant increases in power densities, consequently thermal management has become a significant challenge for suppliers of hardware to this sector. Electrolube can provide a particularly versatile range of products that address these thermal management issues, providing effective heat dissipation and preventing device failure as a result of elevated operational temperatures.

Electrolube is headquartered in the UK and has been manufacturing high-specification, formulated chemical products, including thermal management solutions, conformal coatings and encapsulation resins, for electronics manufacturers since 1941. With in-house manufacturing plants and R&D departments based in the UK, India and China, Electrolube collaborates with each territory very closely, cross-exchanging ideas, to not only create products that meet the needs of local manufacturers, but also solve problems for customers around the world at a pace that is hard to match.

Most electrical components are low powered devices that produce negligible amounts of thermal energy; however, there are also many devices – such as CPUs, power diodes, power transistors and so on – that produce significant amounts of heat and it is important that this heat is removed from the device quickly and efficiently to ensure optimal performance, and to prevent premature component failure. This is somewhat exacerbated by the trend for product miniaturisation and the use of compact, higher powered devices, which place greater demands on thermal management systems.

Heatsinks are commonly deployed to conduct and radiate heat from high power electronic components, the device and heatsink - usually solid substrates - being mechanically bolted together. Ideally, the surfaces of these substrates should be perfectly smooth, but this is not always possible and, as a result, air gaps will be present at the interface. Air is an extremely poor thermal conductor (0.024W/mK), and so the interface between the heat-sink and device will compromise heat transfer efficiency.

To counteract this problem, these air-gaps need to be filled with a material that will produce a significantly improved thermal interface between the two substrates. This material can be a thermal paste, an adhesive, a room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone, thermal-pad, or some other thermally conductive medium. A good tip when introducing

the interface material is to apply the minimum amount of product necessary to fill the air gaps, thus keeping the thermal resistance as low as possible. Applying too much material will increase the thermal resistance of the interface, resulting in a reduction in performance.

In most cases, due to the increased filler content, high thermal conductivity means that the material will generally have a high viscosity. As a result, the possibility of air entrapment needs to be considered when applying the product. A highly viscous material may increase the risk of air entrapment, reducing the thermal conductivity performance; in such cases, a lower viscosity material might be a more appropriate choice.

Before we take a look at the thermal management products available from Electrolube, it is worth considering the various methods used to measure the thermal conductivity when qualifying heat-transfer products. Some techniques only measure the sum of the material’s thermal resistance and the material/ instrument contact resistance. Electrolube uses a version of the heat-flow method that measures both of these values separately. Values quoted using this heat-flow method are closer to the materials ‘true’ thermal conductivity. Alternative methods that do not separate the material’s thermal resistance and the material/instrument contact resistance may look more impressive, but these higher readings are less accurate. Electrolube’s advanced in-house testing equipment ensures that all products reach the market with the reassuring capability to deliver reliability and performance.

Electrolube's thermal product range

Electrolube provides thermal management interface solutions in the form of thermal pastes, gap fillers, RTV silicones, epoxy adhesives, epoxy/polyurethane-based potting compounds and thermal phase change materials.

Thermally conductive pastes consist of thermally conductive fillers in a carrier fluid, the former being a blend of one or more mineral fillers depending on the desired thermal properties, and the latter a silicone or non-silicone based medium. Thermal pastes do not cure and so they offer the best solution there is; the capacity for rework during the life of the component. A thin layer of paste should be applied between the device and the heat-sink to fill the air-gaps and improve the contact. Application can be via stencil printing, screen printing, automatic dispensing equipment, or even using an aerosol spray product such as Electrolube’s 100 percent ozone-friendly HTCA nonsilicone formulation.

Silicone based thermal paste products usually deliver lower oil bleed and evaporation weight loss compared with their non-silicone counterparts, as well as offering a higher upper temperature limit, which can be in excess of 200˚C. However, there are applications where silicones may be unsuitable - when devices are sensitive to silicone contamination, for example. Electrolube’s silicone thermal pastes include the HTS, HTSP and HTSX. HTS is the standard product, offering an operational temperature range of -50°C to +200°C and a thermal conductivity of 0.90W/mK, while HTSP is a higher conductivity version (3.0W/mK) for critical applications requiring a high level of thermal transfer performance. HTSX is a silicone thermal interface material (TIM), which has been developed to perform in far more extreme conditions than its sister product HTS. HTSX offers an exceptionally wide operating temperature range, has a thermal conductivity of (1.58W/mK) and has been developed to perform in the harshest and most extreme conditions. It also has a much reduced oil bleed than HTS.

Electrolube’s two non-silicone thermal pastes called HTCX and HTCPX - the ‘X’ suffix denoting ‘Xtra’ or higher performing versions of HTC and HTCP - provide increased thermal conductivity (1.35W/mK for HTCX and an impressive 3.40W/mK for HTCPX), lower oilbleed and lower evaporation weight loss. In fact, the ‘Xtra’ versions deliver oil-bleed and evaporation weight loss performances as good as Electrolube’s silicone-based pastes.

Other heat transfer methods include Electrolube’s silicone thermal gap pads GP300 and GP500, which are supplied in 200 x 200 mm, in thicknesses of 0.5 and 1 mm, and can be cut to size if required for ease of application. They are highly thermally conductive but have a higher thermal resistance when compared with thermal pastes due to the thickness of the gap pad versus the very low thickness achievable with a thermal paste. With a broad operating temperature range of -50°C - 150°C, GP500 features a thermal conductivity value of 5 W/mK and has a low thermal resistance value. GP300 has a value of 3 W/mK and a slightly higher operating temperature range of -50°C - 160°C. Both options are best suited to applications where the pressure of the contact surface is high, ensuring that the material fills all the air pockets in the interface.

The specially designed thermal interface material, Surface Cure Thermal Paste (SCTP), is an ideal choice for high performance applications such as those found in the military or aerospace industries. With extremely high thermal stability, even through

extensive thermal cycling, and high resistance to pump out and thermal shock, SCTP is an excellent choice in applications which undergo wide shifts in temperature. As a surface cure material, only the exposed surfaces cure creating a skin while the main bulk of material remains soft enabling rework of components if required.

Electrolube’s single part, dispensable thermally conductive putty, TCP400, is a unique formulation that can be used on vertical surfaces. With high heat transfer performance, TCP400 is very soft and exerts low stress on components. TCP400 is a low modulus elastomer with excellent pump out resistance and minimal oil bleed. It also requires no pre-mixing, so it can be used as supplied, making it ideal for automated applications for simple processing.

For certain applications it may be desirable to use a product that cures into a solid, which may or may not require bonding two surfaces together. Electrolube offers two types of product that fall into this category: TBS and TCOR.

TBS (Thermal Bonding System) is a two-part, high strength epoxy adhesive designed to bond a heat sink to the component. In addition to the mineral fillers, the adhesive contains small glass beads of controlled diameter: these allow for a set thickness (equal to the diameter of the beads) to be achieved in order to provide optimal performance. TCOR is Electrolube’s neutral cure, silicone RTV product with an oxime cure. This has a thermal conductivity of (1.80 W/mK) with improved bond-strength properties.

For certain types of heat generating circuitry such as power supplies, it may be beneficial to encapsulate the device in a heat-sink enclosure using a thermally conductive potting compound. Electrolube produces a variety of two-part encapsulation products based on epoxy and polyurethane technologies. The company’s flagship thermally conductive encapsulation product. ER2074, is a highly-filled epoxy resin possessing high thermal conductivity (1.26 W/mK), but as a result is high in viscosity (16,700cPs). ER2183 is a lower viscosity version of ER2074 (5,000cPs). The reduced filler content required to achieve this viscosity has little effect on the thermal conductivity performance: ER2183 is 70 percent lower in viscosity, but only exhibits a 13 percent decrease in thermal conductivity as a result (1.1 W/mK).

UR5097 is a polyurethane potting compound that possesses a similar viscosity to ER2183 (6,000cPs) and good thermal conductivity (0.65W/mK); however, it also has the added benefit of UL94V0 certification - particularly useful for applications requiring a thermally conductive, flame retardant resin.

Also, Electrolube’s primary and secondary conformal coating protection systems, include products based on acrylic, urethane, silicone, epoxy and 2K formulations, offering enhanced protection against certain specified environmental conditions (high humidity, condensation risk, high operating temperatures, etc.). Electrolube’s award winning coating, UVCL, is q highly effective ultra-fast drying conformal coating product. UVCL became an instant success due to its versatility in different application processes and excellent resistance to ‘thermal shock’ cycling, moisture vapour, salt-spray, solvent and fluid exposure, and condensing environments. UVCL meets IPCCC-830 requirements and is UL94 V-0 rated. The coating is highly flexible and cures in seconds with conveyorised UV lamps or within 3 days at ambient temperatures and humidity to ensure cure even in shadowed areas. With a 12-month shelf life, the single-component, low-viscosity UVCL provides superior ‘sharp-edge’ coverage than other materials with common selective coating methods.

Electrolube developed the 2K conformal coatings series by way of providing a solution to common problems faced by manufacturers with performance issues of current coatings in extremely harsh environments. The 2K series of coatings is significantly different in its protective capabilities due to its capacity for greater coating thickness and enhanced edge coverage. 2K coatings are VOC-free, fast-curing, high performance two-part conformal coatings that provide a solvent-free alternative to both UV and silicone materials, require less capital investment than UV materials and improve on the performance of most silicones in harsh environments. The majority of coatings in the 2K range are hydrophobic, giving excellent protection against water immersion, salt mist and humidity, making them ideally suited for mil/aero electronics. Electrolube’s 2K range of materials also provides sharp edge coverage and protective thickness and is unrivalled by other liquid applied conformal coatings. The materials have been developed specifically for thick film applications and engineered to optimise this performance advantage, whilst mitigating many of the issues associated with thick coatings, such as cracking during thermal shock testing and solder-joint lifetime degradation, especially for very sensitive devices such as BGA packages. The extreme protection provided by the increased thickness and superior coverage will be valued by many Military and Aerospace suppliers struggling with increased demands from OEMs for improved condensation resistance and even powered up sea-water immersion conditions.

Electrolube’s steadfast commitment to health and safety and reducing environmental impact has been widely recognised globally with accreditations from the Quality Management System - ISO 9001, the Environmental Management System - ISO 14001, the Occupational Health & Safety Management System - ISO 45001, the Automotive standard – IATF 16949 and the Aviation, Space and Defence standard – prEN 9100. Relevant systems and product formulations are fully compliant with industry standards, including MIL-STD 810 (environmental), US MIL-1-46058C, IPC-CC-830B, IEC61086, UL746 (conformal coating) and British Ministry of Defence DEFSTAN 59/47 Issue 4.

The recent revision and expansion of Electrolube’s thermal product range highlights the company’s dedication to providing high performance products of exceptional quality for mil/aero applications. And if no off-the-shelf product meets the needs of a particular application, depending upon volumes, the technical team will formulate one that does. This commitment ensures that customers have the products for today’s needs, as well as the technologies of tomorrow.

(The article is an original piece written by Electrolube.)

Technovators

Ankit Sharma

economies, how is your company addressing these challenges.

Pollution is one of the most common reasons for global climate change. The air quality in north India is expected to deteriorate further from November to February due to several factors such as stubble burning, festive fireworks, and low wind speed conditions which lead to an uptick in vehicular and industrial pollution. Airific Systems Pvt Ltd has tied up with major companies to provide ESPs (electronic static precipitators) for this problem to our clients. The name of the product we are promoting at the moment is called UVHEAL™ SAFEAIR. UVHEAL™ SAFEAIR is an in-duct disinfectant for continuous air supply for central air conditioning systems. The modular design of UVHeal SafeAir, allows you to get the best solution for your requirements. Each and every system is designed using CFO (computational fluid dynamics), and designed on the basis of exposure time, and UV dosage required to disinfect a particular pathogen. Air disinfection takes place through the air being forced by natural convection into the irradiated region of a UV disinfection device. The air then passes through the UV rays from the germicidal lamps within the UVHEAL™ SAFEAIR system. The UV rays render the airborne microorganisms, such as viruses, Director|Airific Systems

The condition of air worsening day by day is nowhere less harmful than covid19 pandemic. According to Air Quality Index capital pollution in the capital has broken all records. So, considering such issues, there are numbers of companies which makes air purifier and other equipments so that we can stay at home with all precautions and safety. Airific Systems Pvt Ltd is one of them, it has recently launched UVHeal SafeAir, which provides provides a range of Industrial Ultraviolet Disinfection Systems that prevent the spread of airborne bacteria, viruses and mold within public areas. Public places like airports, hotels, corporate offices, hospitals, movie theatres, etc. not only thousands of people on a daily basis but also several airborne microorganisms. Nitisha from BisInfotech talks with Ankit

We Want to Make India about its products and specialty. Here are the excerpts;

Safer Place to Work or Live in

Q.Pollution is becoming a growing snag for developing

Sharma, Director, Airific Systems

bacteria, yeasts and fungi, inactive by disrupting their cellular membranes and by damaging their DNA or RNA.

Q.Please explain a bit about your company and its unique offerings.

Airific Systems Pvt. Ltd. is an innovative tech start-up – from the promoters of Advant IT Park Pvt Ltd. The company has been involved with several energy-saving assignments and has been rigorously experimenting with the ultraviolet disinfection system for a while now. The company, in collaboration with IOTomation Ecotech Pvt. Ltd., designs and develops innovative and intelligent building and energy management solutions. The company strives to create a safer, efficient, and more productive community for all. We have developed special software based on computational fluid dynamics and using simulation tools to get the highest efficient design with the highest desired efficiency to work on customer solutions.UVHeal safe Air uses UVGI technology to disinfect the air in the centralized Air Conditioning / HVAC systems. The product once installed is said to kill viruses of airborne diseases such as covid-19 and other harmful microorganisms and bacteria’s which in turn keeps the health of the occupants safe.

Q.As you know, Delhi faces a massive pollution issue every year. So, what kinds of services you may provide for improving the situation?

We all are aware it’s a time of festive the season, so the air pollution is at its peak in North India. A major reason for this is the stubble burning in the agrarian states of Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana, parts of Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh. So we provide services like UV Heal Safe Air. Also, in the current scenario, the majority of firms are steadily resuming operations, we cater to the likes of everyone who is looking to create a healthy atmosphere in their organizations. Be it hospitals, hotels, malls, large commercial complexes, public places. UV Heal Safe Air can easily be installed in the HVAC systems of any property without any modifications.

Q.Technology’s role to escalate human lifestyle and its ecosystem?

Technology is very powerful and nothing is as good as technology at improving life. Technology can affect the human lifestyle and its ecosystem both ways. New technology always changes our life very much and takes it to a new level. It is like a new way of thinking or doing the normal things differently, better, and much faster with less hassle and at a much easy way out.

Q.How do you define your company differently from others?

I don’t hesitate to say that there are other players in the market for quite some time now, but every service was designed and created to cater to a limited base of audience. That’s a harsh fact! Way before this idea of UV Heal UVHealSafeAir’ – India’s Most Advanced UVHealSafeAir’ – an ultra-modern UV-Based HVAC Air Disinfectant’ for indoor quality of air, also to Make the Air Virus-Free. We always thought that there is a need to spread awareness about the indoor air quality, so while doing our market research, we found that a huge number of consumers are still unaware of the impurities they intake in their daily life. In some cases, the digital presence was there, but all they needed was a catalyst that can boost their operations. We as a partner are acting like a catalyst that triggers their entire marketing and operational processes.

Q.How was the year 2019-20 in terms of business?

We are highly motivated with the customer’s response. We work with IT companies /Schools/Hospitals / shopping malls, Banquet Halls/ restaurants etc. We are expecting to receive 100 CR revenue by next year.

Q.Key clients and strategies to foster your sales in the indigenous market?

Current financial year we will focus in India Market, although we are getting a lot of interest, and are also currently working in other countries.

Q.What are your future plans and what will be your ahead marketing strategy?

We are planning to position UVHEAL SAFEAIR , one of the leading Duct based safe air solution provider brand in India. We will focus on 360 marketing strategy to create awareness about SAFE INDOOR AIR to make Indian safer place to work or live in.

My only plan is to make https://www.uvhealsafeair.com a platform that is easily accessible to every user who is looking for disinfecting of virus or for indoor quality of air. We are doing all the technological advancements to achieve that. I am focusing on just one fact that anyone who is looking for a safe and healthy environment shall think only of UV Heal.

Q.Impact of covid19 and how do you cope up with such issues?

COVID-19 has been tough on everyone personally and professionally. But, if you see with every crisis, new businesses emerge, and go on to do big things! I guess I'm holding on to that glimmer of light, and hoping that the situation resolves soon!

Q.Any key products you want to highlight, features and specs?

Through many iterations, and long hours spent in the office and at our manufacturing facilities, we have finally come up with what we believe as the perfect technology to deal with the issues that we see today. There are two ends to this product, and without one joining the other, the process of getting the correct solution to our clients fails. The first component is obviously getting the right hardware setup. It was very important to realize that we must design a system that we can mass produce. One whose production can be scaled up several notches if required, and in that capacity we were able to create a modular design that requires very little customization that allows us to provide quick delivery times to our customers, and reduces the overall cost as well. The second component is software. It is one thing placing a UV lamp in a duct and hoping that you kill the pathogens present in the duct, for that I might not have even needed to create this product! But, to get the right output, it is very important that each and every system is designed on the basis of each and every location. We have developed a software that takes in various input parameters in a 3D format, and on the basis of these input parameters, we are able to determine the number of lamps required to achieve 99% disinfection of certain viruses, bacteria etc in the air. The software also creates an intensity map, and portrays the kill percentage of various types of pathogens present in the air

at different locations!

Technovators

Ganesh Gopalan

Solution and how is it going to help defence industry?

AI-based Speech Recognition technology is a necessity and is quickly making its way in becoming part of modern warfare. We believe AI has the potential to transform and improve the communication systems and will help strengthen Indian Armed forces. Many government agencies globally are today considering Artificial Intelligence to improve “Communication Intelligence” Understanding linguistic nuances such as phoneme and dialects is a challenge especially when it comes to international languages. Our end-to-end voice translation system uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Machine Translation and Speech-to-Text and is designed to help armed forces, intelligence agencies and local law enforcement authorities in improving communication systems. We are committed to doing whatever we can to help our country, government and ministries to leverage Conversational AI technologies. We have a reputation for building ASR and NLP engines from the scratch which has proven accuracy and efficiency better than the contemporaries. We are working on creating pre-trained speech models and NLP libraries for specific use cases for defence forces and many more sectors. CEO and Co-founder|Gnani.ai

Artificial intelligence has a wide range of advancement. From computer science to making smart building everything is only one step away. It has not only made our life easier but also provided vast enhancement to tech industry. Gnani AI, a well-known start-up company has a team of highly passionate Technologists, Solution Experts, and Speech Engineers working on new-age technologies like ASR, NLP, and AI to build Conversational AI machinery for enterprises globally. During an exclusive interaction with Nitisha from BisInfotech, Ganesh

Gopalan, CEO and Co-founder

Gnani.ai shares future plans and the value of artificial intelligence

AI can Help Companies to Achieve End-to-end Automation

QThe idea behind the launch of Integrated Speech

in upcoming future.

QWhich sectors are your pivotal focus and Indian market strategies?

We work across various sectors such as BFSI, Telecom, e-commerce, FMCG, Defence, Aviation, Manufacturing and many more. We are a Samsung venture-invested company and probably the only start-up in the Conversational AI space to have built in-house Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) engines for multiple global languages. We have our own Proprietary Speech Technology, trained from scratch. Today, our speech engines have been benchmarked to be the most accurate in the industry, beating global competitors for many languages

QHas Covid 19 impacted your industry? How do you plan to cope up with such situations?

The current uncertain environment with its unique focus on contactless solutions has led to an acceleration of the acceptance of technology solutions. Customers are now clear that change is inevitable and moving towards adopting new technologies. We are also creating specific technology products based on speech recognition, Voice Biometrics and Omnichannel Analytics for the opportunities that are being created due to the new environment across various sectors and demographics.

QApart from India, which market are you looking for in the future?

The Conversational AI market is booming at both global and regional levels as well. The BFSI and e-commerce sector has seen tremendous adoption of AI and we see the similar demand and growth coming from healthcare, defence and FMCG sector as well. At Gnani we have been working with global players and clientele and are not geo-centric. US is an important market for us and we have already seen some great response and traction coming from that market. We will see us focusing a lot more on the SEA and US market in the year 2021.

QWhat kind of challenges do you see in your respective industry?

The lack of awareness of Conversational AI acts as a key restraining factor in the market. The quality and use of data, accessing the right skills, integrating with other agencies, building trust (internally and externally), managing organizational change, or simply getting the right digital infrastructure are some of the components that should be in place to even begin advancing AI.

projects?

We plan to leverage new - age digital marketing practices to create awareness and education among our target audience. We believe Conversational AI can help companies achieve end-to-end automation whilst maintaining a great CX at less than 1/3 of their OPEX. In that regard, we’re optimistic about spreading a word on the capabilities speech technologies can bring to the table via healthy mix of TTL, BTL and organic channels.

QLastly major trends you see catapulting and dominating the technology innovation in coming time?

We will see a lot of push on AI and unmanned capabilities in the future and believe there will be a lot more focus on bringing in AI interventions. From a technology perspective, we are seeing many sectors and verticals across markets starting to embrace the power of artificial intelligence. We need to understand that AI offers benefits that would create newer opportunities and is powerful enough to transform organizations, industries and even countries.

Our prediction in the next 5 years is we’ll witness at least 50% automation of back- office processes (like customer service)

QPlease share future marketing plans and upcoming

through AI technologies.

Smart Meter Market Analysis – A Bullish Year Ahead!

Design of a smart meter depends on the requirements of the utility company as well as the customer. In fact, deployment of smart meters needs proper selection and implementation of a communication network satisfying the security standards of smart grid communication. Advantages of smart meters include control over consumption and cost, accurate billing, innovative pricing models and environmental benefits

The Dominance of China

The Chinese dominance will be prominently visible in the smart meters market. Reports state that 56.2% of the total shipments of smart meters will be seen in China. China has long dominating the renewable specifically the solar market. With new intelligent energy demand grows the ancillary and other associated technology will also rise. The country continued the replacement cycle on an eighth-yearly basis.

European Market

Agiging infrastructures are pivotal areas for the energy industry to quickly look into. Then follows the advancement of technologies which is set to influx the energy market. These are the major reasons help developing the distribution models, the smart grid (with the smart grid technology at the core) that allows generators, suppliers and consumers to be integrated by intelligent control, monitoring and communication of energy consumption. Italy and France has been the frontier TechSci Research has published a new report “Global Medical Imaging Monitor Market By Device, By Panel Size, By Type, By Display Color, By Purpose, By Technology, By Application, By Modality, By Resolution, By Grade, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025”.Global medical imaging monitor market was valued at USD 2.07 billion in 2019 by witnessing a growing CAGR of around 10% to reach USD 3.06 billion in 2025 on account of increasing geriatric population suffering in advancing their distribution and energy models. Italy and France holds 59% of the region’s shipments, followed by the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Europe is known to lead the second wave of metering market, with Italy and Sweden to replace existing meters, and with Finland and Denmark expected to follow suit in 2022 states Reportlinker.com.

North America

North American market is known to drive the new build market and replacement market. North American smart meter market growth is led by smaller utilities rolling out smart metering and higher replacement rates for the existing base with second generation metering, all likely to drive growth in the future.

Impact of COVID-19 and APAC Market

Japan dominated the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market, while India, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong are expected to catalyse market growth. UAE and Saudi Arabia will continue to be the hotspots in the Middle East, while Uzbekistan and Russia will be other key markets as roll outs continue in the CIS region. Fuelled further by the COVID-19 outbreak, the laggards in smart metering such as Africa and South America are not expected to have any significant upsurge until the mid-term, though there is for long-term potential for recovery. Slowdown of smart meter installations and smart grid projects as a repercussion of COVID-19, has disrupted the growth of the market in the short term, because of lockdowns, supply chain bottlenecks, logistics, new tender, and proposal delays, and restrictions and safety measures related to social distancing in field works. Regulatory requirements in developing regions for the implementation of smart metering transition are also expected

North America Predicted to Lead Medical Imaging Monitor Market

to be maintained in the medium-to-long term. from various chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, renal disorders, among others. This has drastically increased the patient pool and the need to effectively diagnose and treat these diseases, which in turn is expected to drive the market during the forecast period. Additionally, the increasing adoption of hybrid operating room technologies is further expected to create lucrative growth opportunities over the next few years. The growing adoption of minimally invasive treatment procedures is anticipated to fuel the market through 2025.

India Becomes an Innovation Hub in South East Asia, Says Report

The report ‘Innovation in South and South East Asia’ revealed that 64% of the 235 leading innovators are Indian organizations, reinforcing India’s position as a regional research and innovation hub. Governments and academic institutions in the region are pivotal to enabling innovation. They constitute 57% of the top innovators in the report.

Jeff Roy, President, IP Group, Clarivate, said, “South and South East Asia are of the most dynamic and diverse regions in the world and innovation are key to their future growth. At Clarivate, we believe that human ingenuity, through innovation, can change the world. We focus on better serving innovation hubs and helping our customers and partners around the world to more effectively operate in fast-growing regions and hubs when it comes to Intellectual Property. As a trusted partner to academic institutions, government organizations, non-profits and corporations in the region and worldwide, we will continue to support our customers to deliver life-changing innovations.” Science, technology and innovation are at the forefront of South and South East Asian countries’ national agendas. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (2016 to 2025) and ASEAN IPR Action Plan (2016 to 2025) show why and how science, technology and intellectual property (IP) can contribute to national and regional socio-economic development goals. In the quest towards digital resiliency, 51 percent of companies in India will accelerate their investment in cloud and edge technologies over the next 12-18 months. This survey was conducted on the side-lines of the company’s flagship enterprise and government customer event in India – Technology Horoscope 2021. “As we adapt to new realities, the rules of business are being rewritten with new technologies, engagement models and customer expectations. The coming year will demand organizations to balance the speed of digital transformation with the pragmatism need to run the business and manage costs as the survey findings underline. Micro Focus is uniquely positioned to help customers run and transform and achieve overall business resilience. By combining customer-centric innovation with open and cloud-based solutions, we can help protect current and future IT investments helping customers At a national level, the Indian government has identified innovation as a priority, with initiatives such as Innovate India, a platform for showcasing innovation. The concerted policy push by governments and new initiatives from IP offices in the region to encourage IP investment and make IP protection more affordable are encouraging a culture of innovation and IP.

South and South East Asian innovators identified in the report saw their inventions rise by 10% year on year between 2014

Investments in Cloud and Edge Technologies may Rise in 2021

and 2018. bridge existing and emerging technologies, said Genefa Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer, Micro Focus.

“At, Micro Focus, we focus on helping customers adapt and succeed in the digital economy as a critical market need and a cornerstone of our vision. With a broad portfolio, backed by robust analytics intellectual property that delivers the insights, efficiencies, and automation necessary to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, Micro Focus helps customers attain the four critical outcomes of digital transformation: to accelerate application delivery, simplify IT transformation, strengthen cyber resilience, and analyze in time to act. Micro Focus is committed to delivering High Tech, Low Drama to its customers,” said Saurabh Saxena, Country Director – India, Micro Focus. Micro Focus along with IDC presented the theme – “DX Quantum Leap” to discuss the brave new world and key trends by the analysis acquired by research and surveys conducted across the globe. During the event, Micro Focus announced its customer promise as High Tech, Low Drama for enabling a quantum leap in the digital transformation of customers.

Infineon Unveils EiceDRIVER™ X3 Compact

Infineon Technologies has recently added a new generation to its EiceDRIVER™ 1ED Compact isolated gate driver family: the X3 Compact (1ED31xx) family.

Features:

• This gate driver provides separate output options together with active shutdown and short circuit clamping in DSO-8 300 mil package. • The active Miller clamp option is best suited for silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET 0 V turn off.

Applications:

Industrial drives,solar systems, EV charging, uninterruptible power supplies, commercial air conditioning as well as other applications.

Availability:

Available Now

ST Compact L7983 3V-60V DC/DC Converters

STMicroelectronics has introduced L7983, a compact, 3V-60V, 300mA synchronous DC/DC buck converter with extra flexibility.

Features: Applications: Availability:

• L7983 is a compact, 3V-60V, 300mA synchronous DC/ To satisfy noise-sensitive Three L7983 variants are DC buck converter. applications and maximize available, comprising the • Flexible, dynamic-mode selection. efficiency at light load. L7983PU33R with 3.3V fixed • Special ST Innovations engineered into the L7983. output voltage, L7983PU50R • Control of the low-side power MOSFET to provide a with 5.0V fixed output voltage, low-noise mode (LNM). and L7983PUR with adjustable output voltage. An associated evaluation board is available for each.

Renesas R-Car V3U ASIL D System on Chip

Renesas Electronics Corporation has unveiled the R-Car V3U – a best-in-class ASIL D system on chip (SoC) for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD) systems.

Features:

• Delivering a ground breaking 60 TOPS with low power consumption for deep learning processing • Up to 96,000 DMIPS. • R-Car V3U is built for the performance, safety, and scalability (up and down) demands

Applications:

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD) systems.

Availability:

Available Now

Vishay Industry’s First 4-Quadrant Silicon PIN Photodiode

Vishay Intertechnology has introduced the industry’s first 4-quadrant silicon PIN photodiode in a standard surface-mount package, qualified for automotive applications.

Features:

• Combining high photosensitivity with low 0.1 % crosstalk. • Virtually no tolerance between its segments. • Features four monolithic PIN photodiodes — each with an active area of 1.6 mm² — integrated into a single 4.72 mm by 4.72 mm by 0.8 mm top-view, surface-mount package.

Applications:

The Vishay Semiconductors K857PE enables a variety of sensor and control applications for the automotive, consumer, and industrial markets.

Availability:

Available Now

Microchip Adds 64 Mbit Parallel SuperFlash Memory

Microchip Technology has added a radiation-tolerant, 64 Megabit (Mbit) parallel-interface SuperFlash memory device with un-rivaled Total Ionizing Dose (TID) tolerance for maximum reliability and robustness in the harsh radiation environment of space missions.

Features: Applications:

• Microchip’s space-ready microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors Charge smart phones, (MPUs) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that provide tablets, laptops, and other the building blocks for this scalable development model. personal electronic devices • Radiation-tolerant up to 50 kilorad (krad) TID. without cables • Even while the Flash is still biased and operating. • They cannot afford any loss of code execution that could lead to severe defects and system loss.

Availability:

Available Now

TDK MDF1005 Series of Noise Suppression Filters

TDK Corporation has launched the MDF1005 series of noise suppression filters for in-vehicle PoC. The products in the MDF1005 series have good DC superimposition characteristics with impedance within the PoC high-frequency band, between 700 MHz and 2.4 GHz.

Features:

• The series is also optimal for the isolation of communication interfaces and noise control. • Despite its small size, 1.0 millimeter long and 0.5 millimeters wide, the products in the series. • Deliver 1000 ohms or greater impedance with the rated current of 400 mA in environments reaching 1250C.

Applications:

ADAS circuits, BUS lines, telematics units, and more. Mass production will begin in December 2020.

Toshiba 5A 2ch H-Bridge Motor Drivers

Availability:

Available Now

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") has unveiled two brushed DC motor driver ICs, “TB9054FTG” in a wettable flank VQFN package and “TB9053FTG” in a power QFN package, for use in automotive applications, including electronic throttles.

Features:

• Built-in 2ch H-bridge driver • The output driver circuit is configured by DMOS FET with low on-resistance, realizing a 5A 2ch H-bridge driver. A 10A 1ch drive in parallel mode is also possible. • SPI communication

Applications:

Automotive applications such as throttle valves, various engine valves, retractable door mirrors, and body systems, including electric door latches

Availability:

Samples of TB9054FTG are available now, with mass production scheduled for March 2022. Samples of TB9053FTG will be ready in February 2021, with mass production scheduled for May 2022.

Advanced Energy New Lighting Power and Control System

Advanced Energy has unveiled its newest lighting and power control system for indoor, vertical and greenhouse farming.

Features:

• Utilizing AE’s system, customers reduce their power conversion costs by as much as 50 percent, significantly lower installation and operating costs, and increase the quality of crop yield.

Applications:

Indoor, vertical and greenhouse farming.

Availability:

Available Now

Vicor Appoints VP of Corporate Marketing and Channel Strategy STMicroelectronics Targets to Become Carbon Neutral by 2027

Vicor Corporation has STMicroelectronics hired David Krakauer has declared its as Vice President of goal to become Corporate Marketing carbon neutral by and Channel Strategy. 2027, the earliest Krakauer will oversee date anticipated for all marketing activities any semiconductor including corporate company globally. branding, promotion, ST’s comprehensive roadmap to carbon neutrality includes and communications, as well as channel marketing and two specific targets: compliance with the 1.5°C scenarios sales enablement. defined at the Paris COP21 by 2025, which implies a 50% Vicor Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, reduction of direct and indirect emissions compared to 2018, Phil Davies commented, “David brings extensive experience and the sourcing of 100% renewable energy by 2027. in driving profitable revenue growth through novel marketing ST’s action plan will reduce: strategies and practices. We are pleased to bring David on • Its direct emissions of greenhouse gases (scope 1), mainly board as Vicor continues to build its brand in high-growth through investment in equipment to burn the gases remaining markets as the high-performance power module company.” after manufacturing; Prior to joining Vicor, Mr. Krakauer was responsible for corporate • Its overall energy consumption (scope 2); marketing and customer experience at Analog Devices where • Its emissions from product transportation, business travel, he also held prior roles managing successful product lines. and employee commuting (scope 3); Mr. Krakauer has a BSEE and MSEE from the Massachusetts • Remaining emissions through the identification and Institute of Technology as well as an MBA from the MIT Sloan implementation of the most credible and relevant carbon School of Management. avoidance and sequestration programs.

Infineon Recognized with CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honoree

Infineon Technologies has been named a CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honoree in the "Smart Cities" category for the smart entrance counter solution. The solution enables accurate, anonymous and contactless people counting using a single XENSIV 60 GHz radar and integrated software.

A traffic light system informs whether entry to the location is allowed. At a time when social distancing is imperative to help slow down the spread of COVID-19, the radar-based entrance counter provides an effective way to manage room occupancy and traffic in the commercial, office and public spaces.

“We are honored to be named an Innovation Awards Honoree by CES, one of the world’s most important consumer shows. This award is recognition of our mission to make life easier, safer and greener,” said Maher Matta, Senior Vice President, Power and Sensor Systems at Infineon Technologies Americas. “From the beginning of the pandemic, we aimed to create an innovative solution that enables businesses to keep operations running safely, while at the same time protecting personal data. By using radar instead of a camera, our smart entrance counter solution achieves both of these objectives.”

The smart entrance counter solution will be showcased on Infineon’s exhibitor platform during the all-digital CES 2021 on January 12-13, along with other solutions designed for nextgeneration smart consumer devices.

With a focus on smart and connected devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications, power semiconductors to efficiently handle the energy needs of electronic systems and audio ICs that delivers exceptional audio quality, Infineon’s exhibitor platform centres around technologies that enhance consumer experiences to link the real and the digital world.

Also, Infineon’s MERUS Class D Audio amplifier and driver ICs and modules support applications from 20 W to 2000 W or more per channel. Featuring multilevel amplification technology, Infineon audio devices lower power consumption, reduce interference and practically eliminate out-of-band noise.

High-efficiency translates to exceptional portable audio sound, reduced heat generation for multi-channel solutions performance and design freedom for systems in any form factor, from great-sounding smart phones to professional amplifiers.

Microchip Adds 64 Mbit Parallel SuperFlash MeitY Opens Tenders for Bidding for 1 Million Memory NavIC Chips

Microchip Littelfuse has expanded an additional 23 new ratings in the PolySwitchLow Rho SMD series of PPTC devices. The new ratings are available with a lower resistance of 1mOhm, hold currents from 0.75 A to 9.0 A, a maximum voltage from 6.0 V to 24 V all in surface mountable sizes from 0402 to 2920. These additions make the Low Rho SMD series the broadest PPTC portfolio currently available on the market. The PolySwitch Low Rho SMD Resettable PPTCs provide robust overcurrent protection for electronics applications where ultralow internal resistance, ultra-low voltage drop and automatic resettable protection are desired. Typical markets and applications for the Low Rho Resettable PPTCs include: • Consumer electronics Technology has Indian Ministry of Electronics added a radiation- and IT has opened the tolerant, 64 Megabit high-stakes bidding to (Mbit) parallel- submit the tenders for 1 interface SuperFlash million integrated NavIC memory device and GPS receivers by with un-rivaled Total January 11. Proposals can Ionizing Dose (TID) tolerance for maximum reliability and be submitted for the design, manufacturing, supply, and robustness in the harsh radiation environment of space missions. maintenance of the receivers. It is an ideal companion to Microchip’s space-ready The request for proposal (RFP) was floated by MeitY on microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs) and Field November 30, to not only provide impetus to India’s indigenous Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that provide the building positioning technology NavIC, but also strengthen signal blocks for this scalable development model. availability and position accuracy all over the country. Radiation-tolerant up to 50 kilorad (krad) TID, even while the NavIC, or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, Flash is still biased and operating, the SST38LF6401RT device can provide accurate position information service to users in enables systems to operate in a broad range of space India, as well as the region extending up to 1,500 kilometers applications where they cannot afford any loss of code from its boundary. execution that could lead to severe defects and system loss. In contrast to GPS-only receiver chips, the commercialization It is an ideal companion to Microchip’s SAMRH71 Arm Cortex- of NavIC user receivers will support a range of messaging M7-based radiation-hardened SoC processor and can also facilities. This would also reduce India’s reliance on foreign be used with the company’s RT PolarFire FPGAs to support positioning technology and strengthen its positioning autonomy in-flight system reconfiguration. at critical times of need, as the NavIC system is completely under Indian control.

Littelfuse Extends PolySwitch Low Rho SMD Series

• Mobile and wearables • Servers and computing equipment • Portable medical devices • USB Type-A and Type B ports

• Lithium batteries PolySwitch Low Rho SMD Resettable PPTCs offer these key benefits: • Less power dissipation resulting from ultra-low internal resistance. • Fits compact designs where PCB space is very limited via surface mount sizes from 0402 to 2920 and very thin profile. • Aids compliance with industry standards via UL and TUV certifications. • Environmentally friendly components are RoHS compliant, lead-free and halogen-free.

HID Presents HID SAFE Facility and Risk Analytics Solution Electronic Contract Manufacturing in India to Grow Over 6-Fold by 2025

HID Global has Electronic Industries introduced its HID Association of SAFE Facility and Risk India (Elcina) has Analytics solution that forecasted that the improves efficiency, electronic contract agility and flexibility in manufacturing hybrid workplaces through real-time occupancy monitoring, sector in the country risk analytics and alerting and reporting. is projected to grow HID Global has seamlessly integrated the Innominds AI-powered by over six-fold to USD 152 billion by 2025. Globally, the iFusion technology into its HID SAFE Facility and Risk Analytics electronic manufacturing services (EMS) sector was valued solution so users can create an easy-to-understand risk score at USD 832 billion in 2019 and is estimated to grow to USD based on real-time and historical behavior patterns. The 1,055 billion by 2025. solution uses artificial intelligence to compare workplace data "Elcina predicts that the Indian EMS industry will gallop from from physical security systems to archived information about USD 23.5 Bn in 2019-20 to USD 152 Bn by 2025. This effectively past access control events, including unauthorized activities. means that it has the potential to grow from less than 3 This provides a clear picture of emerging threat scenarios so percent of the global industry to about 14 percent within 5 organizations can diagnose and resolve security risks. years," the Electronic Industries Association of India (Elcina) iFusion analytics technology uses Innominds’ proprietary said in a statement. accelerators to generate deep insights, predictive analytics Electronics and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney, while and real-time reporting from complex data. The technology releasing the 'EMS Task Force Report' by Elcina, emphasized the enables HID SAFE solution users to predict security events so need to manufacture printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies they can improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and cost of within the country and reduce import dependence. their security operations.

Toyota Mirai Uses Denso’s New SiC Power Semi

Denso’s new high-quality silicon carbide power semiconductors have been employed in Toyota’s recently launched secondgeneration Mirai fuel cell EV.

Denso Corporation has earlier this month, begun mass production of its latest model of booster power module equipped with high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, as part of its efforts to achieve a low-carbon society. This product is used in Toyota’s new second-generation Mirai model, which entered the market on December 9, 2020.

Denso says it has developed its REVOSIC technology to apply SiC power semiconductors (diodes and transistors) to in-vehicle applications. SiC is a semiconductor material having superior performance in high-temperature, high-frequency, and highvoltage environments compared with conventional silicon (Si). Thus, the use of SiC for key devices has attracted much attention to significantly reduce the power loss, size, and weight of systems and accelerate electrification.

In 2014, Denso launched a SiC transistor for non-automotive applications and commercialized it for audio products. Denso continued to research in-vehicle applications, and in 2018, Toyota used an in-vehicle SiC diode was used in its Sora fuel cell buses.

Now, Denso has developed a new in-vehicle SiC transistor, and this marks the first time the supplier has used SiC for in-vehicle diodes and transistors. The newly developed SiC transistor offers both high reliability and high performance in in-vehicle environments, which can challenge semiconductors, as a result of Denso’s unique structure and processing technique, which apply trench gate MOSFET.

The new model of booster power module equipped with the SiC power semiconductors (diodes and transistors) is about 30% smaller in volume and provides roughly 70% less power loss compared to a conventional product equipped with Si power semiconductors, helping to reduce the size of the booster power module and improve vehicle fuel efficiency.

Vishay Awarded with 2020 BETA Award by BISinfotech Mitsubishi to Prevent Recurrence of WorkRelated Issues

Vishay Intertechnology Mitsubishi Electric has been named a Corporation has winner in the 2020 completed the BIS Excellence and execution of a Technovation Awards company-wide (BETA), presented by “Mitsubishi Electric BISinfotech, an Indian electronics and technology magazine. Workplace Reform Program” (announced on January 10, “Innovation requires hard work, courage, facing challenges, 2020) to help prevent the recurrence of work related issues. and taking risks,” said Tarale. “Innovating is never easy, and All measures in the program have been implemented, and a those who choose to are real heroes. I’m truly honored and third-party evaluation has been conducted by outside experts humbled to receive this award on behalf of Vishay.” to assess the effects of each measure. After consultation with The annual BETA Awards recognize winners in two categories: the Assessment Committee based on the results of the thirdExcellence and Technovation. The Excellence category party evaluation, the Company has decided to introduce honors electronics and semiconductor companies with short-term priority measures and long-term measures, market-leading products that drive industry growth, while the including the adoption of “Five Joint Statements of Labor Technovation category awards products and solutions that and Management” and the introduction of 360-degree use advanced electronics and semiconductors. evaluations, as well as evaluation indicators to assess the This year in the Excellence category, Vishay was honored as effectiveness of these measures. the Global Discrete Semiconductors & Passive Components The Company’s approach will additionally be adopted by Solution Provider of the Year. its affiliated companies. Some measures will be tailored to The BETA Awards were presented in a ceremony held on Oct. individual companies’ circumstances, but in principle, the 30. Vishay’s Vinod Tarale, distribution sales manager, India Company will enforce common measures across the Mitsubishi and SAARC, received the award on the company’s behalf. Electric Group.

Microsoft Plans to Produce Its Own Arm-Based Chips

Remembering those days, where Gates emphasized of being a proud provider of services. It seems the time has come a long way from just providing services to the building your own semiconductor chips. Lately, Microsoft with its growing cloud business is planning to integrate ARMbased designs. But where? Yes, Microsoft to use it in its in-house chips catering to the data centers market. Earlier, Microsoft has been relying on Intel and other semiconductor leaders for its chip demand. Microsoft with this move wants to be now self-reliant on chip manufacturing. But what does it mean to third-party chip manufacturers on their sales front will surely be seen in the next Quarter.

Having not stopped there, Microsoft is also reportedly looking at making another chip for its Surface line of personal computers. At this juncture, one may also recall that tech giant Apple too had declared earlier this year that it would be crafting its processor for the Macs, abandoning its long-standing dependence on Intel.

Spokesperson and Microsoft’s communication head Frank Shaw said, “Because silicon is a foundational building block for technology, we’re continuing to invest in our capabilities in areas like design, manufacturing and tools, while also fostering and strengthening partnerships with a wide range of chip providers.” It may be noted that in recent years, Microsoft has also upped its game in terms of hiring chip engineers.

With tech companies like Microsoft making an increasing move to Arm-based processors now is a significant development and even a possible concern for chipmakers like Intel. Speaking of the current market standing, Intel still triumphs over 90% of the market. Its Xeon range of server chips powers most of the machinery at the internet and corporate networks, which majorly drives the revenue at Intel. However, 2020 wasn’t the best of the times for Intel as its stocks saw a downhill of over 20%. Despite this, Intel hopes to bounce back. “In this expanding market, we expect to gain share in many areas like AI training, 5G networks, graphics and autonomous driving,” said Intel in a statement in 2019.

This is not a one-off ‘fad’. Apple too announced this year that it would be rolling out Macs with in-house custom-made processors called M1. On the other hand, Apple already produces its chips and software for its iPhones. With the newly released M1, which is built on Arm-based processor technology, industry experts believe that Apple will be able to explore heightened flexibility and possibilities in terms of innovations that came with producing its iPhone and iPad processors, which ultimately led to improved efficiency and increased creativity.

Keysight Technologies Offers New 800G Test Solutions

Keysight Technologies has recently introduced new 800G test solutions for validating electrical and optical interfaces to speed development of next generation data center technologies, including the first 100Gb/s transmitter and receiver pre-conformance test solution. Service providers and data center operators are seeking 800G technology to meet a growing demand in network capacity at the desired cost and power consumption targets. This is primarily driven by data-hungry applications such as video conferencing, streaming and digital entertainment, which are delivered via wireless technologies such as 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi. Keysight’s new portfolio of electrical and optical analysis solutions enable an 800G ecosystem, consisting of optical Rohde & Schwarz has collaborated with IHP to perform the industry’s first full 2D/3D antenna characterization of transceiver modules operating in the D-Band. Rohde & Schwarz has also continued its pioneering sub-THz research efforts with a focus on this frequency range, reaching new milestones. Wireless communications test expert Rohde & Schwarz and IHP GmbH (Innovations for High-Performance Microelectronics) have transferred this test method successfully into the subTHz range: They demonstrated the first full 2D/3D over-the-air measurements of a radar module at D-Band frequencies. Gerhard Kahmen, Managing Director of IHP, says: “Sub-THz frequency systems are getting more and more attention in research and many fields of application. The Rohde & Schwarz OTA test system, extended to D-Band, provides an excellent way to characterize radiation patterns of the complex antenna structures, realized in our D-Band radar chips, in a time-efficient and precise way. For IHP, these measurements are valuable to understand the physics of the antenna structures and to further improve their performance. The very successful cooperation with an industrial partner leading in the field of wireless and mmWave communication shows the benefit of close interaction between research and application.” Alexander Pabst, Vice President of Systems & Projects at Rohde & Schwarz says: “We are excited to work with such an excellent partner as Innovations for High-Performance Microelectronics on advancing our industry-leading test solutions for over-the-air testing.

Rohde & Schwarz Allies with IHP to Characterize D-band Frequencies

components, chipset, switch and semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) vendors, as well as system integrators, to speed design, development, test and validation across the entire design cycle. “Keysight’s close collaborations across the high-speed industry, as well as with standard organizations such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), enable us to deliver first-to-market solutions that accelerate design cycles and technology waves, well before standards mature,” said Dr. Joachim Peerlings, vice president of network and data center solutions at Keysight Technologies. “Access to a portfolio of 800G test solutions across physical and protocol layers, from simulation to design, validation, conformance and manufacturing, enables our customers to verify interoperability and simplify testing across the workflow using common, uniform interfaces and software automation.”

Spirent Provides 5G Core Network

Testing Solution for Dialog Axiata

Spirent Communications has delivered its industry-leading 5G core network testing solution Spirent Landslide to Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka’s largest mobile operator. “We are pleased to work with Spirent as a collaborator in leading the journey towards the successful deployment and rollout of 5G in Sri Lanka,” said Pradeep De Almeida, Group Chief Technology Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC. “As the front runner, Spirent’s industry-leading capabilities in 5G core network testing have been instrumental in the faster rollout of 5G technology and unlocking new and seamless end-user experiences.” “We are delighted to be collaborating with Dialog Axiata to help them safely accelerate time to market and assure that their 5G network delivers the flawless experiences that customers expect,” said Peter Tan, Spirent’s Vice President of Sales for the APAC region. “It’s inspiring to be a part of a success story when a leading telco like Dialog Axiata is implementing a comprehensive network-wide test solution of this magnitude from a globallyrecognized test solutions provider like Spirent,” said Thushan Liyanage, Head of Division for ATSL Systems Integration. Spirent is partnering locally with leading engineering services contractor ATSL International (Pvt) Ltd, which specializes in telco system installation and commissioning. ATSL will be providing the first level maintenance of the Dialog Axiata network through its managed services portfolio. Spirent Landslide emulates 5G devices and network functions to validate new 5G mobile and core nodes, ensuring readiness to deliver high-quality 5G services.

Ericsson and Singtel Deploy High-End 5G Connectivity in Singapore

Ericsson and Singtel have collaborated to accelerate their 5G partnership in Singapore through the deployment of high-end 5G technology. This is enabled by 5G New Radio (NR) Standalone and dual-mode 5G core network products and solutions, including real-time rating and policy control.

Mark Chong, Group Chief Technology Officer, Singtel, said, "As the leading telco in Singapore, Singtel is committed to building a secure, resilient, world-class 5G network that will serve as the backbone of Singapore's digital economy. We are pleased to be working with Ericsson, leveraging on its 45industry-leading 5G capabilities, and to deliver innovative applications and transformative customer experience for our consumers and enterprise customers."

Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei and Philippines, says: "Singtel is determined to play a leading role in keeping Singapore at the cutting edge of technology innovation and to ensure that the whole nation benefits from 5G. To do so they need the best 5G technology on the market. COAI and Nokia have organized a special webinar session to discuss the issues, challenges and solutions for communications to be provided for Mission Critical Services. This event brought forward some key issues on this crucial subject, like India in recent months witnessed multiple requirements for Public Protection and Disaster Management(PPDR) that included, in addition to routine police work, the pandemic, mass migration to villages and also various cyclones in different parts of the country. Commenting on the subject of the webinar, SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI said “Keeping in mind the developments in wireless broadband technologies such as LTE, it is time we exploit these to enhance the efficiencies of the current communications infrastructure of PPDR agencies to enable them to use digital tools to meet the evolving needs of public safety and emergency communication, such as access to instant messaging, high-quality images and video, mapping and location services, remote control of robots, and other applications.” Adding further and sharing his views Randeep Raina, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia said “The current PPDR network infrastructure is unable to have seamless communication and information sharing among the PPDR agencies. This is At Ericsson, our global leadership is evidenced by our extensive deployment experience with 75 live 5G networks worldwide. As a long-standing partner, we are equally determined to work alongside Singtel to ensure its subscribers and business customers enjoy the best experiences and opportunities that 5G has to offer."

The energy-efficient, end-to-end 5G networks will operate on Singtel's 3.5GHz and 28GHz spectrum bands, spanning outdoor and indoor 5G coverage use. Millimeter-wave (mmWave) connectivity will also be deployed in hotspots across the city-state.

Ericsson's radio and core solutions will ensure that residents, enterprises, industry and government authorities in Singapore -- renowned the world over as early technology adopters and hi-tech innovators -- are among the first in the world to benefit from the highest performance that 5G can offer.

This 5G contract award takes the partnership between Ericsson and Singtel to new levels, as Industry 4.0 gathers pace globally. Singapore was recently named the world's most competitive economy for the second successive year in the latest IMD

COAI & Nokia Organize Webinar on Growth of Digital Communications

World Competitiveness Ranking. because their networks are either not inter-operable or they are just not compatible with each other. India’s National Digital Communications Policy 2018 stresses enhancing PPDR and establishing a Pan- India network for PPDR. To overcome current challenges, LTE for public safety network brings many advantages and provides a host of services like IoT, Video streaming and is also scalable. LTE also promises interoperability, security with installed encryption on the application level and is also suitable to support a large ecosystem. We understand India wants to adopt LTE but spectrum availability is an issue, so we hope all stakeholders work in this direction to adopt

new technologies.” The webinar witnessed the welcome note by SP Kochhar, DG, COAI followed by the presentation of Marc Balliet, Public Sector Solutions (Enterprise), Global, Nokia on LTE for Mission Critical Services.

The online event also had a panel discussion on the issue with the participation of experts on the subject including Pranav Jha, Professor, IIT Bombay, Brig. Ajay Gangwar, Advisor, Operations and Communications, NDMA, and Randeep

Raina, CTO, Nokia

Mouser Presents New Resource Site Dedicated to LoRaWAN

Mouser Electronics has created a new resource site dedicated to the LoRaWAN standard and its capabilities, applications, and related products.

LoRaWAN is a low-power, wide-area (LPWA) network protocol designed to provide internet connections to battery-operated devices in regional, national, and global networks.

The high-performance protocol supports key Internet of Things (IoT) requirements including end-to-end security, bi-directional communication, mobility, and localization services. The new resource site from Mouser offers a broad range of useful information on LoRaWAN technologies, strategies, and devices, providing designers with a single home for advice and insights.

Digikey Electronics Declared as Official Raspberry Pi Authorized Distributor

Digi-Key Electronics has recently announced that it is an official Raspberry Pi authorized distributor and will carry the full line of Raspberry Pi products. With more than 36 million platforms sold, Raspberry Pi has become a go-to solution for everything from rapid prototyping to production ready designs. Raspberry Pi’s full line of products includes low-cost, highperformance computers and development boards designed to help users of all levels with computing and digital making. Raspberry Pi has been adopted across the board from students and makers to startups and established OEMs as a leading provider of low-cost, high-performance computers that people us to learn, solve problems, and create solutions. “We are excited to offer the entire Raspberry Pi product portfolio to Digi-Key’s customers around the globe,” said David Sandys, director of technical marketing at Digi-Key. “Raspberry Pi truly shares our commitment to come alongside engineers around the world and inspire them as they take their innovations from ideation through design and prototyping to production.” “We have continued to see a huge acceleration in the use of Raspberry Pi products across a wide range of industrial applications, so we are very excited to add Digi-Key as an authorized distributor focused on serving the industrial market for us globally,” said Mike Buffham, chief commercial officer at Raspberry Pi. Through standardization and an accredited certification scheme, the LoRa Alliance delivers the interoperability needed for LPWA networks to scale, making LoRaWAN the premier solution for global LPWAN deployments. Mouser, as part of the TTI Family of Companies, has partnered with LoRa Alliance to deliver and promote this new standard in networking solutions.

With impressive low-power and security capabilities, the LoRaWAN specification offers a wide variety of use cases with specific nuances for each design opportunity.

Mouser’s new LoRaWAN resource site includes technical articles, videos, product descriptions, and instructional flipbooks, providing information on how to leverage LoRaWAN connectivity in agriculture, smart cities, sensors, autonomous vehicles, and other applications.

element14 Celebrates Holiday Season with Giveaways and Gift Ideas

element14 has proposed to bring good cheer to engineers this holiday season with its annual Engineer and Maker’s Wishlist.

In addition to ideas for the perfect gift, element14, available from Farnell, element14 is getting into the holiday spirit with three separate giveaways, giving its members the chance to win prize packs for circuit assembly, test and measurement and even the ultimate Raspberry Pi bundle. And to top it all off, element14 is hosting a holidaythemed design challenge for its members to share what the holidays mean to them.

This year’s gift guide includes all of the best products for electronics designers, ranging from stocking stuffers for young engineers to under-the-tree standouts for seasoned designers. The much-anticipated annual gift guide is created for engineers, by engineers, and has gifts they’re sure to love:

• Micro:bit and accessories: Although the updated micro:bit is difficult to get hold of, the beloved, original version of the micro:bit is still available and a fantastic introduction to programming techniques for young minds. • Magnifier with Helping Hands: Whether you're soldering something too hot to handle, or you just need to get a grip on a piece of hardware, this magnifier has you covered. • Components and Sensor Kit for Raspberry Pi: Everything you need to jump-start your IoT projects on the holiday to-do list can be found in this components kit.

Avnet Presents New Cellular Module AVT9152 for IoT Development

Avnet has expanded its product line for rapid IoT development and design with the launch of the AVT9152 module, designed for a range of embedded applications requiring cellular connectivity yet demanding low power consumption and minimal component size. This new addition to the Avnet ecosystem uses leading technology from Nordic Semiconductor to provide engineers and developers with NB-IoT/LTE-M, GPS and Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) wireless connectivity in one of the smallest packages on the market. The AVT9152 module has been developed to support a variety of applications, including beacons for COVID-19 contact tracing, logistics and asset tracking, vending machines, kiosk terminals, medical devices and smart building automation.

Arrow Appoints Sean J. Kerins as the New Chief Operating Officer

Arrow Electronics has declared that Sean J. Kerins has been named the company’s chief operating officer. He will continue to report to Michael J. Long, chairman, president, and chief executive officer. Previously, Kerins served as president of Arrow’s global enterprise computing solutions business since 2014. Before that, he was president of the North American region for the enterprise computing solutions business since 2010 and was vice president of storage and networking since 2007. “Sean’s leadership and proven track record at Arrow make him the ideal executive to advance innovation across our global sales, marketing, and operations,” said Long. “Our commitment to succession planning provides continuity and certainty to our customers and suppliers.” Before joining Arrow, Kerins spent ten years at EMC in sales, marketing, and professional services roles around the world. Earlier in his career, he held progressively senior roles at Coopers & Lybrand Consulting and served as an industrial engineer with General Motors. Kerins holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. These applications demand wireless connectivity and power efficiency without sacrificing a device’s scale. Avnet delivers this complete package by leveraging Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 low power System-in-Package (SiP) and nRF52840 Bluetooth 5.2/Bluetooth LE advanced multiprotocol Systemon-Chip (SoC). The nRF52840 Bluetooth 5.2/Bluetooth LE advanced multiprotocol SoC features a 64MHz, 32-bit Arm Cortex M4 processor with a floating-point unit (FPU) which, alongside the nRF9160 SiP’s Arm Cortex-M33 processor, ensures the module can offer ample computational power to support a range of complex and processor-intensive IoT applications.

The module offers a high degree of flexibility and scalability for IoT product development while shortening time-to-market. Completing an IoT design can be as straightforward as connecting a power source, sensors, and an antenna to the module.

New Yorker Launches 4-Qadrant Silicon PIN Photodiode in SMD Package

New Yorker Electronics has introduced Vishay’s industry-first 4-Quadrant Silicon PIN Photodiode in a standard surface-mount package, qualified for automotive applications. Combining high photosensitivity with low 0.1% electrical segment to segment crosstalk and virtually no tolerance between its segments, the Vishay Semiconductors K857PE enables a variety of sensor and control applications for the automotive, consumer and industrial markets. This new device combines four monolithic diodes integrated into a single 4.72mm x 4.72mm x 0.8mm top-view, surfacemount package. The defined gap between the K857PE’s four radiant sensitive areas allows for reliable measurement during laser positioning. The opaque package sides eliminate stray light irradiating the photodiodes, resulting in an excellent signal to noise ratio while the linear photo-response enables small signal detection. Another important feature is that the current from each of the device’s PIN diodes can be processed individually. This results in a low 0.1 % electrical crosstalk and virtually no tolerance between segments. The Vishay K857PE retains an active area of 1.6 mm2 per quadrant and provides a floor life rating of 168h, by J-STD-020. It has a wide sensitivity range from 69 nm to 1050nm, an 8.5µA reverse light current and a ± 60° angle of half sensitivity. The device is AEC-Q101 qualified, RoHS-compliant, halogen-free and Vishay Green.

Future Electronics Stocks Richardson Electronics AnnouncNCV81599 USB Power Delivery es UnitedSiC’s Gen 4 SiC FETs

(PD) Richardson Electronics has Future Electronics has featured the announced the availability of ON Semiconductor automotive UnitedSiC’s Gen 4 SiC FETs. The qualified NCV81599 USB Power Gen 4 SiC FETs, named UJ4C, Delivery (PD) Controller in its lineup are the first and only devices of available-to-sell components to be rated at 750V. Based online. on key Figures of Merit (FoM), MOSFETs to meet 100W requirements, the device is offered in a compact 5mm by 5mm QFNW32 package. Mouser Electronics has launched a new eBook in collaboration with Molex, exploring the challenges, technologies, and solutions associated with connectivity in automotive design and manufacturing. In From Here to the Future: Connectivity Solutions Enhance the Driving Experience, subject matter experts from Molex and Mouser offer insight on important topics including 5G, modularity in automotive design, and the use of micro-miniature components to facilitate advances in connected vehicles. As automotive manufacturers design and develop the next generation of vehicles, they must implement both wired and wireless connectivity solutions to provide the features that consumers demand. Data and networking are deployed within vehicles to support advanced displays, high-resolution cameras, and LIDAR, for both entertainment and safety applications. Molex offers several important solutions for the connected automobile, including USB smart charging modules, connector systems, and powertrain solutions. “From Here to the Future: Connectivity Solutions Enhance the Driving Experience”, the new eBook from Mouser and Molex, the UJ4C series enables new ON Semiconductor’s AEC Qualified NCV81599 USB Power performance levels and works with all the typical Si IGBT, Si Delivery (PD) Controller is a synchronous buck-boost optimized MOSFET, and SiC MOSFET drive voltages. for converting battery voltage into required power supply Available in 18- and 60-mOhm options and 3- and 4-lead rails for automotive USB charging ports. TO247 packages, these new SiC FETs (UJ4C075018K3S, Power is delivered per USB-PD standard for type C applications, increased efficiency, reduced on-resistance per unit area, low including USBPD, QC2.0, and QC3.0 profiles. With a wide intrinsic capacitance, and offer the lowest integral diode VF Vin of 4.5V to 32V, and internal drivers capable of driving with excellent reverse recovery and reduced dead-time losses.

Mouser Allies with Molex to Release a New e-Book

UJ4C075060K3S, UJ4C075018K4S, UJ4C075060K4S), provide features the analyses, product information, and multimedia resources necessary to inform important design decisions. The eBook also features a link to an in-depth Chalk Talk video that explores design trends for automotive interconnects.

Molex’s range of products, available from Mouser, includes antennas, connectors, sensors, and embedded solutions. The eBook includes convenient links and ordering information for more than 20 Molex products, including the HSAutoLink II interconnect system, which provides a dependable solution for point-to-point in-vehicle connections. The interconnect system delivers data rates up to 6 Gbps to meet increasing bandwidth requirements. Molex’s 2.4/5GHz balanced flex and PCB antennas enable balanced RF transmission for infotainment

systems and other connected vehicle applications.

India Wagers on 5G Technology Network Going Live in 2021

With the new decade turning up, 2020 will be remembered as the most disruptive year in living memory. Telecom networks and technology services has come as a savior in the pandemic times keeping people connected. And seeing the limited services provided with 4G technology as experienced during COVID times, the world is considering to move to better prospects for the future. Industry experts say this has led to a mindset change to revive India's telecom story and also introduce future technologies faster. Earlier this month K. Ramchand, Member (Technology), Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said that it would soon announce 5G spectrum bands for auction. That's a clear indication that adopting 5G is now a priority for the government. Most Indian telecom service providers currently lack the financial muscle to invest and build a 5G ecosystem, but the government has indicated that it is willing to start the process. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI says: "5G technology is poised to open up a plethora of possibilities in terms of With the new decade turning up, 2020 will be remembered as the most disruptive year in living memory. Telecom networks and technology services has come as a savior in the pandemic times keeping people connected. And seeing the limited services provided with 4G technology as experienced during COVID times, the world is considering to move to better prospects for the future. Industry experts say this has led to a mindset change to revive India's telecom story and also introduce future technologies faster. Earlier this month K. Ramchand, Member (Technology), Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said that it would soon announce 5G spectrum bands for auction. That's a clear indication that adopting 5G is now a priority for the government. Most Indian telecom service providers currently lack the financial muscle to invest and build a 5G ecosystem, but the government has indicated that it is willing to start the process. business models, and overall, enhanced lifestyles for one and all. We seek the support of the government in enabling the industry to play its role as an enabler of horizontal growth and a boost to the nation's economy. The 5G potential is immense and can turn the game for India and be a catalyst for the government's campaigns such as Make in India, Digital India,

Atmanirbhar Bharat." According to Karthik Natarajan, President and COO, Cyient, "We are seeing significant investments in the communication network space. The current digital transformation will lead to enhanced user experience, increased operational efficiency and a competitive edge for the enterprise businesses. Our experience in design, delivery, deployment, migration, and support of network infrastructure globally makes us an ideal partner for 5G rollouts."

Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India says: "2020 has set the stage for 5G to go mainstream and in 2021 this will also lead to an increase in demand for next-gen 5G smartphones, newer applications and smart devices like smart TVs, tablets, phones integrated with a voice interface, etc."

It will be interesting and crucial to see how India can attract investments in future technologies with 5G making a tectonic shift in the TMT industry and presenting a range of economic

Fastweb & Qualcomm Partner to Launch 5G Fixed Wireless Access

opportunities in the next three to five years. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI says: "5G technology is poised to open up a plethora of possibilities in terms of business models, and overall, enhanced lifestyles for one and all. We seek the support of the government in enabling the industry to play its role as an enabler of horizontal growth and a boost to the nation's economy. The 5G potential is immense and can turn the game for India and be a catalyst for the government's campaigns such as Make in India, Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat."

According to Karthik Natarajan, President and COO, Cyient, "We are seeing significant investments in the communication network space. The current digital transformation will lead to enhanced user experience, increased operational efficiency and a competitive edge for the enterprise businesses. Our experience in design, delivery, deployment, migration, and support of network infrastructure globally makes us an ideal partner for 5G rollouts."

Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India says: "2020 has set the stage for 5G to go mainstream and in 2021 this will also lead to an increase in demand for next-gen 5G smartphones, newer applications and smart devices like smart TVs, tablets, phones integrated with a voice interface, etc."

Scenario of Electric Mobility in 2020 & The Expectations for the Coming Year

Electric mobility was introduced in India in 2011 and over the last decade has been able to carve a space for itself in the mobility market, inevitably increasing its relevance in the lives of Indians. In a market that has constantly prioritized mileage and upfront cost over all other factors, EVs were initially relegated to a very niche segment of the population. This was further exacerbated by the lack of charging infrastructure. However, research in battery technology and increased availability of charging infrastructure (battery swapping or charging stations) have made electric mobility more compatible Ankit Kumar than before in everyday life. The CEO Gozero Mobility space of electric mobility has seen the entry of a plethora of entrepreneurs, ranging from budding start-ups to decades-old conglomerates, where all have pitched in their two-cents on building the ecosystem of electric mobility in India. The segments that have grown in leaps and bounds are the two-wheeler and three-wheeler When asked about the next car they buy, one in ten people said they expect it to be an electric vehicle (“EV”), and a further 41% said they may purchase one of these. According to the new research carried out by Alpha Real Capital LLP (“Alpha”), the specialist real assets investment manager, and Cornwall Insight, this was a small part of finding they carried as the UK government plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Will Morgan, Head of Renewables at Alpha Real Capital, said: “Growth in EV purchases will be essential to driving down costs and stimulating the level of investment in infrastructure needed to expand charging networks and achieve the UK Government’s ambitious goal of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.” Alpha runs a renewables business that invests in UK renewable energy infrastructure. Will Morgan, Head of Renewables at Alpha Real Capital believe the growth of the electric vehicle market EVs. They have proven to be the most propitious segments in the urban regions and are expected to reach a count of 40 lakh units by 2025. The unfortunate situation of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has opened the eyes of people and increased their understanding of how they are contributing to vehicular emissions. This has induced a great interest in the EV industry. Compounding this, the Indian government’s development of policies to support budding industries and businesses has brought about a great opportunity for the industry to have an escalated growth. The pandemic has also made people less apathetic about their health, and more people have taken to biking as a fitness activity to keep up their good health, physically and mentally. This has inevitably increased the demand for e-bikes as they offer the option for fitness while allowing you to cover long distances with less effort. This combination of fun, fitness and utility in terms of intra-city

Demand of EV Rises as UK Govt Plans to ban the Sale of Petrol and Diesel Cars, Says Report

commuting has proven to be a hit amongst the masses. could be a catalyst for further investment from institutional investors into the UK renewables industry.

Jacob Briggs, Senior Consulting Analyst at Cornwall Insight, said: “The growing appetite for EVs is encouraging and we can see this bearing fruit in vehicle sales - the number of EVs on the road continues to grow at pace with year-to-date registrations up 162% compared to 2019.

“To ensure consumer confidence and deliver the transition to transport electrification, it is vital that charging infrastructure across the country keeps pace with the demand, with the right infrastructure deployed in the right place to ensure the

UK’s net-zero ambitions are realized.” Alpha has completed over 50 transactions and invested or committed more than £600 million into UK renewable energy, providing predictable, long-term cash flows to investors.

Alpha’s renewables business invests in the majority of UK renewable energy infrastructure including wind, solar, hydro, and other low carbon energy resources. Alpha’s renewables portfolio generates over 340 GWh of clean energy – enough to power over 110,000 homes, an annual CO2 offset equivalent to planting almost 50 million trees.