The current networked devices are constantly generating massive amounts of data. According to IDC analysis, by 2025, there will be 55.9 billion connected devices worldwide generating more than 79 ZB of data. Migrating such a huge amount of data from end devices to the cloud for analysis inevitably involves delays and is not cost-effective, so more and more enterprises are turning to edge computing.

Previously, Gartner listed edge computing as a top ten strategic technology for 2020. The core logic of edge computing’s information processing and content collection and delivery is to keep traffic localized and distributed to reduce latency and bring critical applications and services closer to the people and devices that use them. By 2023, the number of smart devices at the network edge could be more than 20 times that of traditional IT.

Ron Martino, senior vice president and general manager of NXP’s edge processing business unit, introduced the media to the meeting through the online conference

Ron Martino, senior vice president and general manager of the Edge Processing Group at NXP, boils down the main reasons for the rise of edge computing to the following three points:

First, it can reduce the total cost of ownership and not always have cloud access, thereby reducing local costs;

Second, it can protect digital privacy and improve security;

Third, it can reduce application delay, support real-time applications more, and enhance local experience quality.

“NXP will continue to invest in, develop and lead the fifth generation of computing, edge computing. From PCs to mobile devices, to the development of edge computing, edge computing can be reflected in all aspects of life, including home, office, Cities, factories, can make smart life, Electronic life more secure, and improve production efficiency.” Ron Martino said.

A full set of software and hardware products cover various edge computing processing needs

NXP is a leader in embedded computing and has a very broad product portfolio, including MCUs, crossover processors, application processors, and microprocessors, with processing capabilities ranging from a single DMIPS to more than 200,000 DMIPS .

For edge computing, NXP recently launched the EdgeVerse platform to meet the needs of the market. Ron Martino said, NXP provides secure connectivity and embedded computing, and has world-class enabling and support capabilities, world-leading security and customer efficiency, and can provide scalability and low-power performance, achieving very rich human-computer interaction experience.

In addition, NXP has a full suite of software to support edge computing, including vertical optimization of network, industrial and IoT edge computing, and support for multi-system processing, including tools and distributed BSPs. The company has also developed a number of middleware to help customers bring products to market quickly, providing related services and cloud enablement.

At the end of 2019, NXP completed the acquisition of Marvell’s Wi-Fi business, giving the company a better product portfolio in wireless connectivity, such as BLE, Zigbee and Thread that can support narrowband, which can provide a better edge calculation plan. In addition, the company’s MCU Xpresso SDK has better connectivity to the platform, and many firmware and drivers are easier to use, including Wi-Fi, triband, and narrowband-only applications that can better enable scalable edge computing.

“In addition, NXP is advancing open standards such as the interoperability, operability of many devices and wireless, and the CHIP initiative (an open source approach to developing and implementing new unified connectivity protocols), where we work with many industry leaders To support better interaction between diverse devices in the era of edge computing.” Ron Martino introduced.

From the perspective of application fields, NXP’s edge processing applications are mainly divided into three categories:

One is the network edge, which supports 5G local network and data integration;

The second is the industrial edge, including factory automation, infrastructure, transportation, medical care, etc.;

The third is the edge of the Internet of Things, including smart home, consumer and wearable fields.

network edge

If you want to meet the needs of multiple applications from the cloud to the edge, you need high bandwidth, low latency and large-area coverage. NXP has corresponding products from antennas to processors to provide customers.

NXP’s Layerscape Access can support 4 kinds of applications, including fixed wireless access platform, distributed unit, radio unit and integrated small base station, these 4 platforms can meet the needs of customers for coverage. “We pay great attention to cooperation with partners in both hardware and software. NXP’s product line can meet the needs of processors from single-core to 4-core to 16-core, Layerscape Access meets the needs of programmable baseband, combined with partners’ RF Chips, we can fully support customer needs. In addition, our product line supports both sub-6G and mmWave antenna standards.” said Mr. Nikolay Guenov, senior director of product management at NXP.

From the perspective of meeting market needs, the company supports the 5G open ecosystem. In terms of radio frequency, in order to meet the needs of small base stations or CPEs, NXP provides baseband interfaces to partners.

For the data center, a very important requirement is efficiency, and consider how to get the highest density on the server to support the performance of the application software. Therefore, the server needs to pay attention to the network interface, network processing or encryption processing, network infrastructure, and meet the needs of virtualization in the last five or six years, and the customer’s application software is equally important. NXP offers multi-core processors that incorporate networking capabilities into Smart NIC accelerator cards, enabling server processors to meet higher densities of application software.

industrial edge

The industrial edge market has high requirements for security and scalability of general-purpose software, while some new applications also require processors that can support machine learning and machine vision.

In the industrial edge field, NXP’s key application markets are mainly distributed in four directions: factory and process automation, construction and energy, healthcare and transportation. “NXP’s leadership in TSN technology reflects our commitment to the development of the Industrial Internet of Things and Industrial Connectivity. NXP’s common software at the application layer can support different products, including MCUs and high-performance MPUs. NXP has put TSN technology is incorporated into three products, including the i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU, i.MX 8M Plus and LS1028A processors,” said Jeff Steinheider, senior director of NXP’s Edge Processing Division and general manager of the Industrial Business Line.

Edge processing also has very broad applications in smart grid and electrification. NXP has launched solar inverters in the field of green energy, and has also improved the efficiency of the grid by launching smart meters and smart power gateways.

In the field of electric vehicle charging, NXP’s Kinetis MCUs for metering can achieve very high-precision results. In addition, NXP also has i.MX RT series products for host processors. In terms of security, NXP provides SE050 secure element and tamper detection in MPU and MCU, and NXP’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC can support wireless connections including wireless charging, payment, etc.

NXP’s solutions are used in many systems, including high-speed rail and other urban transportation, mainly because NXP’s product life can be as long as 10-15 years. In addition, NXP also pays great attention to product quality, which is one of the important reasons why NXP’s products can be used in rich systems.

IoT Edge

One can imagine the scenario of smart home life: while sleeping, smart devices keep the home safe, monitor people’s sleep to make people feel more comfortable, assist people with cooking when they wake up, and make housework easier. In addition, smart home appliances are also an indispensable part of high-quality life. Smart home appliances can determine their maintenance time, accurately identify who interacts with them, and help users cook and do laundry better. At the same time, the safety of smart home appliances is also greatly improved.

Although different IoT devices have some things in common, for example, IoT devices use some technologies to monitor and control electronic and electrical components, but different IoT applications have different requirements, so different numbers and diversifications are required. MCU and MPU control and support, there is no unified solution. “NXP’s product portfolio is very rich and comprehensive, ranging from Arm-based MCUs to MCUs with connectivity, high integration, high performance and low power consumption, and even very large, high-performance MPUs.” NXP Yu Xiujie, Vice President of Edge Processing Division and General Manager of IoT Business Line, introduced.

In the home environment, NXP’s products can support the better combination of many components, making the use of the device easier. Taking the washing machine as an example, it integrates various technologies of NXP, including MCU, MPU, NFC, Wi-Fi, etc. NXP can provide a reference platform to help customers launch new products.

Taking the i.MX RT106 crossover MCU as an example, NXP has further enhanced local voice control, face recognition and Alexa voice services. NXP can share more software and data to help IoT customers quickly start product development.

Outstanding Security Enables Edge Computing

A number of industry-wide data breaches can impact a customer’s brand reputation, including breaches of privacy, theft of critical data, and unauthorized intrusion and access. Therefore, government regulatory authorities and industry safety certification play a very important role.

“While security was previously important in many applications and use cases, it was never a decisive factor in purchasing behavior. But now with the increase in access points, a lot of critical data is generated, and the value of the data is increasing. Security and increasingly integrated functions have become extremely important factors for everyone to consider, and this is also a key factor in the continuous evolution of embedded computing. Therefore, more and more business models have how to improve security as a very important consideration factors,” said Ron Martino.

NXP has a very long history of security leadership, with outstanding security in banking, e-government, and financial transactions; leveraging its capabilities to provide a scalable, comprehensive security product at the edge, while providing discrete and integrated product. In addition, NXP has now launched the certified EDGELOCK ASSURNACE, which provides the world’s highest level of security level certification and services for devices and partners with very high security standards. NXP’s safety performance has now reached a very high level, such as reaching PSA Level 2 and passing safety certifications such as CC.

Helping the implementation of new infrastructure edge computing

At present, the rapid development of 5G and the Internet of Things in my country has created a good environment for the development of the edge computing industry. The proposal of new infrastructure will further fuel the vigorous development of the edge computing market, which has also become a topic of great concern to the integrated circuit industry this year. New infrastructure construction is a new type of infrastructure construction with the digitalization of information technology as the core, which contains the country’s thinking on how to achieve upgrading and enhance competitiveness in the new round of industrial revolution. The core of 5G, industrial Internet, Internet of Things, cloud computing and other key points covered by the new infrastructure is semiconductors.

“NXP’s products and solutions will be more valuable in the context of new infrastructure. Whether it’s intelligent connected vehicles, industrial and IoT, mobile devices, or in the field of communication infrastructure, we start from microcontrollers/processors. , cross-border processors, to network processors for 5G, the comprehensive product portfolio covers a very wide range, which can better support the new infrastructure and serve the final application.” said Li Tingwei, Chairman of NXP Greater China.

According to Ron Martino, NXP’s EdgeVerse products can meet six of the seven key areas proposed by China for digital network construction:

First, artificial intelligence, NXP can provide very easy-to-use machine learning deployment AI solutions;

Second, the industrial Internet, NXP can provide very low-latency industrialized protocol support;

Third, intercity transportation, NXP can provide new human-computer interaction functions;

Fourth, 5G network, NXP can provide Layerscape software-defined baseband and scalable processors and controllers;

Fifth, in the data center, NXP provides data offloading with excellent power consumption for IoT work in the data center;

Sixth, for new energy vehicle charging, NXP’s i.MX human-computer interaction capabilities and cross-border MCU capabilities can well meet the needs.

NXP continues to promote cooperation and win-win with Chinese industries. It has more than 1,000 R&D engineers in China, and has developed more than 200 products. It has carried out innovative cooperation in R&D with China, and established partnerships with Tianjin University, Soochow University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University. relation. In addition, NXP has also cooperated with the Chinese government to establish an AIoT laboratory in Tianjin. Owns NXP joint venture in China to develop secure IP for use in China. Ron Martino said that NXP will increase investment in China, support the development of Chinese industries, establish partnerships with China, and produce products in China for China.