NOVEMBER 2020
Microchip Technology’s AVR-IoT, PIC-IoT WG and WA development boards have overcome the main obstacles that have, till now, limited the possibilities to accelerate prototyping and innovation in the IoT environment. With Wi-Fi connectivity, security and cloud connectivity, the AVR-IoT and PIC-IoT boards are a perfect starting point when connecting a variety of applications—ranging from wireless sensor nodes to intelligent lighting systems—to the cloud for remote command or control. With the combination of a powerful, yet simple, AVR® or PIC® MCU, a CryptoAuthentication™ secure element and a fully certified Wi-Fi network controller module, these plug-and-play boards make it easy to connect embedded applications to the Google Cloud IoT Core or AWS IoT Core. The Click™ connector makes them ideal for sensor prototyping, using existing Click modules or by adding the sensor type required to solve the engineering challenge at hand. When using Microchip’s boards, the main connectivity and security obstacles are eliminated. Now developers can quickly design and evaluate new IIoT 4.0 concepts on a small scale in collaboration with industrial partners. This enables rapid learning and fast iterations, quickly and easily turning ideas and concepts into solutions. Rapid IIoT 4.0 prototyping optimizes a customer’s cost and efficiency greatly, with the potential to create a novel breakthrough in the way the industrial industry operates. For design houses to be successful in driving the IIoT 4.0 innovation, it is important to partner with the right developers. Cloud and cloud processing require skilled software and web developers. And as data goes from small to big, data analysts and AI experts will also be required. IIoT providers and industrial companies that do not adopt rapid prototyping to develop advanced automation and monitoring solutions are likely to struggle in today’s competitive marketplace. Very few companies have the skills, time and money to create the secure Wi-Fi solutions required to accelerate prototyping and IIoT 4.0 innovation. Therefore, adopting the building blocks, like Microchip’s AVR-IoT and PIC-IoT development boards, and harnessing the knowhow offered by the right developers, can greatly benefit those companies looking to excel in the industrial market.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted individuals and businesses across the world, we now need new solutions that will help us resume our daily lives and work, while also ensuring safety through the reduction of physical contact. Enabling contactless designs, Microchip Technology offers products and solutions, such as smart and low power microcontrollers, wireless connectivity, wireless power, gesture control and touch solutions, that function even when wearing protective gear. Our low power PIC®, AVR® and SAM microcontrollers with ultralow power performance enable contactless designs powered by the energy from the low power RFID. For applications requiring higher power, we offer wireless power solutions that range from 15W up to 400W. Our patented gesture control solution - GestIC® technology - is the world’s first electrical near–field (E-field) 3D gesture controllers. They enable user gesture detection and motion tracking as an alternative for almost all contact-based controls where the interaction can be as simple and intuitive as a wave of the hand. Our state-of-the-art metal over cap touch solution enables reliable designs that can work in any environment, even with protective gear such as gloves. Offering a range of wireless connectivity solutions, we enable our customers to design any applications that can establish connectivity remotely, implementing almost any contactless application use case.
5. Security is a major concern in IoT devices, how does Microchip ensure it in its solutions?
Security is a major component in an IoT application. It should be a part of every IoT solution – especially for ensuring system identity and when transferring data. Standards and regulations already request designers to not have malice parts that swipe data or gain access into a network. Microchip offers both integrated and standalone security solutions, like devices with advanced security features as well as our standalone ECC608 secure element device. In addition to silicon, Microchip also offers software example and provisioning services to allow customers an easy, smooth security implementation into their embedded systems. Provisioning (secure programming of the keys, secrets and immutable public data) is a key element for a secure system. It ensures the end product manufacturer that the product is secure from day one of manufacturing.
BIG PICTURE
3. Mention about advanced semiconductor solutions within IOT application from Microchip
4. After this pandemic, contactless & smart devices are driving the way forward. Semiconductor’s growing role and Microchip’s expertise and focus into this nascent sector?
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to the usage of cryptographic keys versus mainstreaming secure embedded systems across a fragmented mass market. Microchip addresses that logistical challenge with the Trust Platform for the CryptoAuthentication™ family of secure elements. It offers a suite of software and hardware development tools, but more specifically it combines our secure elements with our in-house secure key provisioning service. Our service “loads” the secret keys within our semiconductor supply chain factories and removes the exposure of keys from contract manufacturers or any third party that might be exposed to them. This improves that “air gap” we are looking for between cryptographic keys, firmware and people.
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