Setting The Standard For Automotive Security


Vehicle systems and the semiconductors used within them are some of the most complex electronics seen today. In the past, electronics going into vehicle systems implemented flat architectures with isolated functions controlling various components of the power train and vehicle dynamics. These electronic systems communicated primarily through legacy bus interconnect protocols, like controller ar... » read more

Accelerating Automotive Safety Certification With ASIL Compliant Certified IP


By Pavithra C. Suriyanarayanan and Srini Krishnaswami The autonomous vehicle market is growing at a tremendous rate and functional safety in conventional, hybrid, and electric automobiles plays a significant role in achieving the required certification. Auto makers must go through numerous government regulations that call for increased safety and reliability all the way down to the component... » read more

Add Security And Supply Chain Trust To Your ASIC Or SoC with eFPGAs


Before Covid-induced supply chain issues affected semiconductor availability and lead times, concerns about counterfeit parts and trusted supply chains were becoming the subject of many articles and discussions affecting critical data centers, communications, public infrastructure, and facilities such as regional power plants and the grid. Today’s semiconductor design and manufacturing is com... » read more

Embedded Intelligent Edge For Predictive Maintenance


Historically in a full-scale production setting, one of the best company assets was the experience of machine operators, as they had the ability to predict when maintenance was required. Plant managers reported about any unusual behavior such as a clatter or clank in the machinery, prompting a check-up by the maintenance crew. Today, the level of automation greatly reduces the operator’s abil... » read more

Replicating da Vinci’s Aerial Vehicle Design


Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the prodigy of remotely piloted vehicles, largely used for military purposes, are slowly gaining momentum in our civil lives. Some of the applications of UAVs go beyond surveillance or photography: we already have drones that are employed by farmers to monitor crops and are used in the solar industry for thermographic studies. By 2026, UAVs for both consumer and... » read more

Where Do Memory Maps Come From?


A memory map is the bridge between a system-on-chip (SoC) and the firmware and software that is executed on it. Engineers may assume the map automatically appears, but the reality is much more involved. The union of hardware (HW) and software (SW) demands both planning and compromise. The outcome of this merger will not be fully realized until the magical day when the system comes to life. T... » read more

DPA Countermeasures Done Right


In the late nineties, Paul Kocher, Josh Jaffe, and Ben Jun published a paper that caused many across industry sectors to reconsider what cryptographic implementations should look like. They described an exploit wherein an adversary could extract secrets from a device by analyzing the power consumption or electromagnetic emittance from the device when it was executing cryptographic operations. S... » read more

Hardware Security Optimization With MITRE CWE


Whether you’re just starting to build out a hardware security program at your organization, or you’re looking to optimize existing hardware security processes, the MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) database is an excellent resource to keep in your toolbox. What is CWE? A CWE is a type of vulnerability, or flaw, in the design of either hardware or software in embedded systems. Indi... » read more

Internet Tech Trends For 2022


Every year at the start of the year, Benedict Evans produces a big presentation on trends in technology, internet, mobile, and so on. He used to live in the US and did this for Andreesen-Horowitz (a16z), but he has since returned to Britain (he's English) and I think has his own consulting company. This year's presentation is titled "Three Steps to the Future." The most exciting themes in t... » read more

Higher Creepage And Clearance Make For More Reliable Systems


Electrical and electronic applications must be designed to ensure human safety, as well as systems reliability from high-voltage conditions. Thus, the power semiconductors used must also fulfill these safety and distance standards set by organizations such as Underwriter Laboratories (UL) or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Even though the TO247 package has been widely us... » read more

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