Lihewei: The company's PA chip will become a more cost-effective choice

Set micro network news, recently, Lihe micro said in an institutional survey that the rhythm of power grid bidding is relatively stable every year, and each province bids separately, generally two to three times a year. The lead time is related to the supply demand of the power grid and is supplied according to the supply requirements of the power company.

Lihewei said that according to the company's understanding of the market situation, the State Grid has about 500 million meters, with a replacement cycle of 5-8 years. At present, the annual bidding and procurement scale of the power line communication module of the State Grid is about 100 million modules, and the communication module is tendered by the provincial company.

Lihewei said that the Internet of Things era of the Internet of Things put forward comprehensive development requirements for communication technology, the traditional wireless connection technology, there are wall blocking, metal shell shielding, connection instability and other constraints, has been unable to meet the needs of the rapid development of the Internet of Things; in this context, the advantages of PLC gradually highlighted, PLC does not need wiring, can pass through the wall, high reliability, stability of the characteristics, better solve the Internet of Things scenario in the intelligent device communication connection pain point problem, It has gradually become one of the mainstream technologies in the Internet of Things market. The company has been deeply engaged in the field of Internet of Things for many years, and launched a variety of solutions in different application scenarios, cooperation with many head enterprises, and market recognition, the company's revenue performance and market breadth continue to grow, the company's products are mainly used in the power grid market, in the non-grid market including smart home / whole house intelligence, smart street lights / smart lighting, energy efficiency management, high-speed rail and other fields, has become a more effective Internet of Things "last 1 km" communication method.

With the further transformation of the State Grid to intelligent power grid and distribution network automation, more terminal equipment has added remote control and communication functions, such as intelligent circuit breakers and intelligent switches. Compared with the original control of smart meters, the nodes connected by power line technology will be more extensive in the future, and the total market volume in the field of smart grid will be greatly improved.

Smart grid is a high-quality market, and the market space is large. The company will continue to strengthen its competitive advantage in technology, products and services, while continuously tapping new product demand in the power grid field, providing more abundant and diverse products such as concentrators and smart switches, and continuously improving its market share.

It is understood that since its inception, the company has long been committed to the design and development of chips in the field of Internet of Things communications, and has more prominent technical advantages in the fields of OFDM communication technology, Mesh networking communication technology, low-power chip design, etc., and as the main drafter, has formulated the national standard GB/T31983.31 for narrowband power line communication physical layer, so that power line communication technology can be applied in various Internet of Things scenarios, and occupies the commanding heights of standards in the large-scale rapid development of domestic Internet of Things. The company leads/participates in the drafting and formulation of a number of national standards, on the one hand, reflects the company's leading technical strength in the field of power line communication technology, on the other hand, it also provides technical support for power line communication technology and related chips to be applied to the field of Internet of Things, which is conducive to promoting the marketing and promotion of the company's Various Businesses of the Internet of Things and seizing market opportunities.

Lihewei pointed out that the company is positioned in the Internet of Things communication chip, adhering to the concept of "using its own core, doing the world's things", is committed to independent and controllable, international advanced Internet of Things communication core technology research and development, as well as original chips with independent intellectual property rights and core competitiveness and domestic alternative chip product research and development, to meet the huge potential of the Internet of Things market demand, to create a leading chip enterprise in the field.

At present, Lihewei's power line communication chips are currently mainly in SMIC tape-outs. By keeping abreast of the market supply situation, the company provides expected orders to chip partner manufacturers in a timely manner, and reserves production capacity in advance, effectively ensuring the supply of the company's chips and being able to meet the needs of the market.

Lihewei said that the power line communication power amplifier (PA) chip is a linear amplifier, which is used with the main chip of high-speed power line carrier communication, and is an indispensable part of ensuring the performance of the high-speed power line carrier communication module. In the past, this chip generally relied on imports, and in 2020, the company successfully developed a PA chip and achieved self-use. The power line carrier line drive power amplifier chip independently developed by the company is the first chip to achieve domestic substitution, and its product technical indicators can be compared with similar foreign products. At present, the PA chips developed by the company are not only for their own use, but also for external sales. On the basis of stabilizing the supply chain, the company will continue to strengthen the market promotion of power line communication power amplifier (PA) chips, forming a wider range of applications and larger-scale domestic substitution.

It is reported that in the annual bidding of the State Grid, the power line communication power amplifier (PA) chip is usually used in conjunction with the high-speed power line carrier communication chip. While supplying PLC chips, major suppliers of the State Grid need to purchase PA chips. At present, in addition to purchasing PA chips from foreign manufacturers, Lihewei's PA chips will become a more cost-effective choice. The price of this chip abroad is 2-3 yuan, and the current price of the company's PA chip also has certain advantages.

In terms of non-power IoT, the company's business in the non-power IoT space is in its infancy. At present, the company's business in the field of non-power Internet of Things is mainly in the three aspects of high-speed rail comprehensive energy efficiency management, smart home/smart home appliances and smart street lights, and its sales account for a relatively balanced proportion.

In smart home applications, power line chips can better meet the needs of the application, realize a larger range of connections and intelligent control, and at the same time be more stable, the advantages are more obvious. In terms of cost, as the size of the market increases, PLC solutions can be comparable to other solutions.

Regarding the PLC solution of the whole house intelligence, Lihewei said that in the overall inventory of the innovation trend of smart home products in the 2021 smart headlines, it was mentioned for the first time that the PLC whole network intelligent system has many advantages such as simple installation, plug and play, stable and non-dropped, power control, low latency, fast response, reuse power cord, and save 30%-50% of wiring costs. PLC technology has been recognized by the industry as one of the mainstream connection technologies of smart homes, and the company has been listed as the main manufacturer of PLC chips.

In terms of smart home appliances / whole house intelligence, the company established cooperation with Wanhe, Wanjiale and other enterprises earlier, and has achieved stable shipments for 2-3 years. In 2021, AO.SMITH, a well-known brand of water heaters, officially introduced Lihe Micro PLOBUS PLC technology to empower A.O. Smith "AI-Link" smart home appliances throughout the house intelligent connection, intelligent control and linkage, to create a comfortable home life for users. In addition, in 2021, the company has made great market progress in air conditioning manufacturing enterprises, range hood manufacturing enterprises, intelligent drying rack manufacturing enterprises, intelligent curtain motor manufacturing enterprises, smart home overall solution head enterprises, etc., and customers have begun to import Lihe micro PLC chips and modules or have begun to apply small batches.

(Proofreader/Li Zhengcao)