"In the past, when a customer needed a certain chip, they usually looked at the parameters of the chip, and then decided whether they needed the chip to complete the work, and then looked at what kind of software and applications were needed. But that's not the case now, now they start from the application layer, from the top down to the bottom of the chip, because what these customers really need is actually technical support, involving information security, functional safety, artificial intelligence, vision, audio. "The core value of the products and services that NXP can provide to our customers is to help them simplify the complexity of using technology." If you don't feel deeply enough about the shift from bottom-up to top-down system design, we can use a set of data to help you understand it. As a leading global provider of secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, it is reported that 10 years ago, NXP's business was 70% hardware and 30% software, but now this proportion has undergone a major adjustment, 35% is hardware, and 65% is software. Behind this change, on the one hand, the customer's requirements for the added value of chip manufacturers in the system design process have increased, and on the other hand, it reflects the industrial transformation brought about by the field of artificial intelligence. Specifically, algorithms that were generated and trained in the cloud can now be moved to the edge and to nodes without having to connect to the cloud, which is a significant transformation for embedded applications.
In response to industrial changes, NXP upgraded its brand Slogan
In order to respond quickly to industrial changes, NXP is also actively making efforts and adjustments.
Figure | NXP updates its brand Slogan - "Brighter Together", source: NXP's official website
It is worth mentioning that NXP has recently updated its brand Slogan - "Brighter Together". "The slogan is brighter and better, and Brighter means smarter and smarter, reflecting NXP's belief that together with our customers, partners and employees, we can make the world a smarter place," explained Rafael Sotomayor, executive vice president and general manager, Secure Connectivity Edge, NXP. ”
Figure | Rafael Sotomayor, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Secure Connectivity Edge, NXP, Photo: NXP
We want to incorporate AI into all of our products, especially processors
Of course, in addition to brand upgrades, NXP is also doing product and service upgrades. "We want to be able to integrate AI technology into all of our products, and the key is to integrate the best and most advanced AI technology into our powerful processors," said Rafael Sotomayor. So, what are the elements needed to achieve AI at the edge? Here are three points:
- First, there needs to be a very powerful neural processing unit (NPU) that allows algorithms to run at the edge.
- Second, there needs to be strong connectivity, because these algorithms are constantly self-learning and adapting at the edge, and need to feed back to the cloud, and connectivity can keep AI updated at all times.
- Third, strong security is required to protect the algorithm, especially when the algorithm model is unique to the customer, and there must be strong information security measures to ensure that the algorithm security is fully guaranteed.
"In NXP's vision, we want to be an industry leader in the development of AI for edge devices, from low-power, low-end devices to high-end devices, while also providing software and tools, as well as algorithmic support, so-called 'turnkey' algorithms, to help customers create use cases," Rafael Sotomayor revealed. In addition, regarding information security, Rafael Sotomayor emphasized: "NXP has always been an industry leader in the field of information security, and our security products are widely used in products with high security requirements such as credit cards, passports, mobile payments, etc. It can be said that in the field of security chips, NXP is in the absolute leading position in the industry. In terms of information security, we currently have a wide range of product lines, ranging from low-end products that meet basic functional requirements to information security products with high-level certifications. It is reported that the information security challenges brought by AI should not be underestimated, and NXP uses AI to counter AI attacks, and will also use quantum computing to fight against many attacks from quantum computing power.
The processor is the core, and the analog service is coordinated
As Rafael Sotomayor mentioned earlier, most of today's customers need turnkey solutions, so ecological construction is particularly important. Of course, this ecology can be divided into external ecology and internal ecology. For the internal ecosystem, a processor manufacturer also needs a lot of analog solutions, including network connection, interface, intelligent driver, power management, front-end simulation and sensors. Therefore, in addition to the digital business, NXP also has a fairly mature analog business, which is superimposed to provide customers with complete system solutions, such as basic development boards. It is reported that around the goal of the overall solution, NXP has launched 32 new analog devices this year, covering analog front-end, gate drivers, PMICs, power conversion equipment, Ethernet and transceivers and other interface devices. In fact, at present, there is no good PMIC product launch in China in terms of matching high-end SoC, because a good PMIC has a design threshold. So what are the thresholds?
Figure | Jens Hinrichsen, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Analog Business Unit, NXP, Source: NXP
Jens Hinrichsen, executive vice president and general manager of NXP's Advanced Analog Business Unit, said: "First, we need to be able to access the technology for high-end, high-performance analog processes. We still use mainly NXP's proprietary technology, because our in-house proprietary technology has very strong robustness and reliability, and the overall capability is higher than the existing common standardized technology. "Second, it is necessary to understand the principle of the SoC and its relationship with the PMIC in terms of power, so that we can arrive at the optimal PMIC solution. We may be able to produce any PMIC on its own, but if we want it to achieve the best performance and highest efficiency, we do need to design both the SoC and the PMIC. We even have a concept of holistic functional safety, combining the SoC and PMIC to monitor the performance of the SoC by design. Integrated functional safety can only be achieved if both are considered. Jens Hinrichsen adds.
Based in China, serving the world
NXP is a global company focused on three main application directions in China in the field of industrial and industrial Internet of Things: smart factories, homes and buildings, and electrification. Jens Hinrichsen revealed: "Industrial and IoT has a large number of SME customers in China and has huge growth potential for NXP's business. In addition to being an important market for NXP, China is also an important cradle for talent and innovation. Currently, NXP has a team of 1,600 engineers working in R&D in China, serving not only China but also the global market. Jens Hinrichsen gives an example: "We work with several OEMs in China to produce leading battery management solutions, all of which are launched globally, as well as in the case of UWB car keys. "In addition to automotive electronics, we also have many cases in the field of consumer electronics, such as Facebook's smart glasses, the chip it uses is a high-performance and low-power chip, this chip is designed and produced in Suzhou, and there is also a smart watch, which can be used to monitor the data when you run or ride, the battery life of the watch is 10 days, and the chip it uses is also from Suzhou, and the Suzhou R&D team can be regarded as an expert in high-performance and low-power chips. Rafael Sotomayor added.