Embedded systems require substantial performance and developers are increasingly adopting state-of-the-art microprocessor technology in their designs. India design services companies are involved in embedded hardware and software design in the latest embedded market segments such as automotive infotainment, digital security and surveillance.

Sanat Rao, Marketing Director (Emerging Markets), Embedded Markets Division, Intel Corp., talks about why it will become critical for Indian software and design services companies to ‘partner’ with key semiconductor companies as India moves up the embedded value chain. Excerpts:

CIOL: What is the current size of the embedded industry and the embedded software segment in India? How does it stand globally?

Sanat Rao: The total semiconductor market in India is expected to hit $36.3bn in 2015 with employment projections of 7.8mn in 2015, according to the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA). A significant portion of this is the embedded and communications market. On the embedded front, we see the emergence of a market in India for retail automation, industrial electronics, consumer electronics, wireless infrastructure, medical products, automotive, etc.

CIOL: What are the hot trends in embedded?

SR: One of the hottest trends is the migration to dual-core platforms in several embedded market segments. Embedded systems today require substantial performance and developers are increasingly adopting state-of-the-art microprocessor technology in their designs. For example, in industrial automation equipment, a chip with multiple processors can dedicate one core to running a robot under a real-time operating system, while the second core runs enterprise applications. Thus, essential control isn’t starved for processing cycles or memory.

In the interactive-client segment, which is one of the most rapidly growing segments in India, we see a trend towards increased connectivity and rich graphics. A point-of-sale (PoS) terminal is a great example.

The latest PoS devices incorporate dual-display for advertising, and are increasingly connected to a central server for remote configuration and accounting management. We are seeing rapid adoption of Embedded Intel Architecture (Embedded IA) processors and chipsets in this segment.

Medical equipment is another rapidly growing segment in India. These devices require speed, high-resolution imagery, reconstruction capability and high bandwidth. Reconstruction algorithms especially require a tremendous amount of processing power. Developers are moving toward standard IP building blocks (eg: general purpose embedded IA processors from Intel) to reduce development time.

CIOL: What are your views on India as an emerging hub for embedded?

SR: India is rapidly becoming the hub for embedded designs worldwide. India design services companies are involved in embedded hardware and software design in the latest embedded market segments such as automotive infotainment, digital security and surveillance, as well as developing platforms on the latest technologies such as Intel Core2Duo.

For example, we see auto makers worldwide increasingly turning toward India design houses to develop applications for in-car, such as integrated computing for driver and passenger entertainment, driver assistance, etc.

In addition, we see that embedded OEMs and channel players are increasingly building products for the global marketplace. These companies tend to focus on embedded platforms used in education, BFSI, retail, etc., for the global market.

CIOL: What are Indian companies required to do to move up the embedded value chain?

SR: Historically, the key element missing in the embedded value chain has been the presence of large-scale manufacturing facilities. With EMS companies now setting up shops in India, Indian companies should look to partner with these firms to provide a complete product offering for both India as well as overseas markets.

On the design front, developers must focus on building a deep understanding of their customer requirements and must have the ability to suggest the processor architecture of choice (eg: Intel Core2Duo) and the right development environment for the project to be successful.

CIOL: Elaborate on the activities of Intel in the embedded systems and software segment.

SR: Intel has been in the embedded business for over 30 years. Our Embedded & Communications Group (ECG) offers embedded versions of mainstream Intel processors and chipsets, which are guaranteed for long-life cycle. Built with our world-leading 65nm fabrication process, Intel’s latest embedded processors offer 32- and 64-bit technology for high performance and greater energy efficiency no matter what the design footprint.

Some key market segments where Embedded Intel Architecture (Embedded IA) products are widely adopted are retail, communications, embedded clients, industrial automation, medical imaging, the auto Industry etc. It's almost anything that requires automated control of an embedded system.

In India, we are primarily focused on developing the local embedded market as well as R&D of embedded products for the worldwide market. We have several programs for enabling the channel, board vendors and OEMs on Intel embedded products. In addition, we also work actively with the local design services companies to provide technical support on embedded IA based designs.

CIOL: As India moves up the embedded value chain, there will be need to "collaborate and innovate." What is the road ahead for the Indian embedded sytems design and software segment?

SR: As the embedded industry in India grows, it will become critical for software and design services companies to 'partner' with key semiconductor companies like Intel to proactively develop innovative reference designs and proof-of-concepts in various target markets. This will help showcase the innovation skills of Indian firms in the embedded arena.

CIOL: Is designing embedded systems challenging as the borderline between hardware and software is getting blurred?

SR: Yes. As dual- and multi-core embedded processors move into mainstream, a number of tasks which used to require specific hardware acceleration can now be handled in software on a general purpose high-performance processor such as Intel Core2Duo.

CIOL: How important is the re-use of IP within the embedded systems segment?

SR: IP re-use is critical in embedded systems design. In the past few years, we are seeing a move from more proprietary systems to ‘standard building blocks’. For example, modular communications platforms (MCPs) are used both in the core and access layers of the communications network infrastructure. Such modular platforms typically use standard Silicon, hardware and software IP, thereby allowing developers to shorten their development time and simplify their development efforts.