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Software program-Outlined IoT and Sustainable Design

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Software program-Outlined IoT and Sustainable Design

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IoT is {hardware} plus software program, however many individuals nonetheless develop it as if it was simply {hardware}. Semir Haddad from MicroEJ joins Ryan Chacon on the IoT For All Podcast to debate software-defined IoT. They speak about the advantages of a software-defined strategy, inexperienced software program, efficiency trade-offs, and sustainable design rules.

About Semir Haddad

Semir Haddad is the Chief Product and Technique Officer at MicroEJ. Semir has over 20 years of expertise working with trade leaders and startups, bringing progressive applied sciences to industrial and shopper markets. Early in his profession, he labored on digital video and audio, creating the primary DVD participant, and growing one of many earliest PVR software program options for which he obtained 4 patents. At STMicro and Renesas, he drove the creation of award profitable traces of microcontrollers and microprocessors, together with the STM32, RX, and RZ. Lately, Semir was a part of the innovators at Eta Compute that created one of many first TinyML implementations.

Keen on connecting with Semir? Attain out on LinkedIn!

About MicroEJ

MicroEJ is a software program vendor of cost-driven options for embedded and IoT units. With MicroEJ options, sensible gadget producers remodel digital merchandise from single-purpose to software-defined, growing scalability, flexibility, and extensibility. Their flagship product, MICROEJ VEE, is an optimized commonplace software program container utilized in thousands and thousands of shopper and IoT merchandise, corresponding to sensible house units, house home equipment, wearables, medical units, sensible meters, and industrial units.

Key Questions and Subjects from this Episode:

(00:12) Semir Haddad and MicroEJ

(02:13) What’s software-defined IoT?

(04:55) How do different IoT parts slot in?

(06:37) Advantages of a software-defined strategy

(09:05) What’s inexperienced software program?

(13:46) Sustainable design efficiency trade-offs

(14:55) What are sustainable design rules?

(17:08) Be taught extra and comply with up


Transcript:

– [Ryan] Welcome Semir to the IoT For All Podcast. Thanks for being right here this week.

– [Semir] Yeah. Good day, Ryan. Thanks for having me on this podcast. 

– [Ryan] Yeah. It’s nice to have you ever. Previous to moving into our dialog, I needed to have you ever do a fast introduction about your self and the corporate for our viewers. 

– [Semir] I’m a veteran within the embedded area and the IoT area. So, I’ve began my life as an engineer, and I develop broad embedded software program. I obtained 4 patents for varied tasks I’ve completed, after which I moved to the product facet, and I used to be within the semiconductor trade with STMicro, I created the STM32 there. So, I used to be actually the unique product proprietor of the entire STM32 product line, which is now extremely popular.

I additionally work with Renesas Electronics, and I used to be managing the micro controllers and micro processors for Renesas for all of the American areas. After which just lately, so I joined the MicroEJ. And as a product, Chief Product Officer and Chief Technique Officer. And at MicroEJ, what we do, we offer, we convey the software program capabilities that you’ve and say you might have you, that exists within the cloud and the IT area for a very long time within the embedded area. And we do this by offering what you name a digital execution surroundings, which is a really distinctive virtualization and containerization software program that permits individuals to jot down code as in the event that they have been a containerized utility and utilizing excessive degree language. And this comes with many advantages by way of time to market, isolation of {hardware}, skill to make use of {hardware} with the identical code and reuse and port your code very simply.

And the corporate is has been within the enterprise for a little bit round 10 years and we’re primarily based in France and the USA. 

– [Ryan] So, I needed to leap into a subject that I believed was actually fascinating to speak about primarily based in your all’s strategy and experience. And the subject is software program outlined, or the, I assume, it’s extra of a software program outlined pattern on the planet of IoT that’s taking place or beginning to occur. What does that imply precisely? 

– [Semir] It is a topic pricey to my coronary heart as a result of we’re a software program firm with {hardware} root. And I’m personally, I’m a {hardware} professional with software program collaboration. And Fred Rivard, our CEO, is a software program professional, is a pc science man, pure laptop science with {hardware} collaboration.

So, it’s an excellent mixture. And what we do is admittedly convey this software program functionality to the IoT area. And whenever you discuss software program outlined, it’s a pattern that has been within the trade for a really very long time. If you consider it, the very software program, the very first software program outlined factor was a software program outlined radio that folks after they developed radio, they used to develop the whole lot in {hardware}.

After which one time a man stated, oh, let’s attempt to software-ize that and make it extra programmable. And this was the very first one, you then noticed coming software program outlined networks when individuals have been constructing large networks, let’s say, and like notably mobile networks, one thing like that, they are saying, what, why don’t we make it extra programmable, extra moveable, extra versatile.

After which the final newest pattern in software program outlined is a software program outlined automobile. It’s possible you’ll hear from the individuals in automotive, they are saying, oh, we’re growing the software program outlined automobile. And so they attempt to, for a similar, put the whole lot extra versatile, moveable, and agile. And that’s principally the thought of software program outlined.

Software program outlined implies that you outline, you might have a product that was purely {hardware}. So sometimes in IoT area, all of the merchandise have been purely {hardware}, even mechanical. If you consider a meter, it was, an electrical energy meter, it was only a mechanical meter. Now it’s {hardware} plus software program.

However individuals nonetheless develop as if it was {hardware}. In order that they have, they use technique, the methodology the place they’ve a waterfall technique and so they outline the whole lot from the beginning after which develop it, and it’s not versatile. And the software program outlined pattern implies that make all this extra like a software program product, precisely like whenever you develop cell phone utility, or whenever you develop cloud utility.

– [Ryan] Okay so the opposite items of the answer, the {hardware}, the connectivity and issues like that, how is that seen in whenever you’re occupied with extra defining issues primarily based on the software program and are the opposite issues extra simply accompanying it in an effort to enable the answer to gather info, join, ship the information backwards and forwards, these sorts of issues, or how is that, how does the whole lot match collectively whenever you’re coming at it from a software program outlined type of strategy?

– [Semir] Yeah. So whenever you include a software program outlined strategy, the primary factor that I might say may be very related for the IoT is that you simply develop with the concept your software program will evolve quite a bit. In order that’s the primary distinction and the primary mindset is precisely like in software program. If you consider, you speak about, we discuss with software program individuals within the cloud or in IT, they simply do sprints, that they’ve agile methodology and so they do sprints, and each, let’s say 15 days, there’s a new model of the product, a brand new model of the product. And that is one thing that was exceptional within the IoT area. Which means it will occur. So it will occur, look, extra updates. That’s one facet. Fairly often updates after which utilizing the connectivity a part of the IoT, the truth that you’re at all times related, you may also provision new companies to your gadget.

So your gadget will change into one other sort of gadget. We, with the lifetime of the, in the course of the lifetime of the product, and this comes with two features. One is that you would be able to customise your product later after cargo, after which you may convey additionally new companies that you would be able to monetize. 

– [Ryan] And let me ask the final query round this matter is that if I’m listening to this, what are the largest advantages of the software program outlined pattern for companies? You talked about the flexibleness, being extra agile, issues like that, however simply to sum it up, what are these large advantages which can be, that approaching it from this facet versus possibly how issues have been completed earlier than that folks don’t notice or want to know?

– [Semir] The primary profit is that you would be able to have a product which can be far more tuned to the top buyer. You’ll be able to section for area of interest markets very simply since you use software program that may be very versatile, so it’s very simple so that you can create a software program on your {hardware} that’s devoted for every area of interest. Okay, in order that’s the primary facet.

So we name it, they name that hyper segmentation. And we’ve got an instance, as an example, one buyer Workplace Zebra that’s growing printers. They have been capable of customise the printer for his or her finish consumer. So as an example, one in every of their finish customers was FedEx. They’ve a printer particularly for FedEx with the whole lot tuned for FedEx. After which one in every of our prospects was UPS and so they wrap the whole lot for UPS. It was very personalized for UPS. In order that’s one facet. So there’s customization, hyper segmentation. In order that’s one. The second factor that that you may benefit for the corporate is you may also, as I stated, add companies after the very fact.

And that is, we will name them apps. It’s actually like your cell phone apps whenever you obtain apps, besides that it’s within the context of a enterprise to enterprise, or it might be additionally a enterprise to shopper facet, however so this allow you to create actually new companies and new product.

And we’ve got one case with Landis+Gyr, one in every of our buyer within the metering area. In order that they have an electrical energy meter. They name it a Revelo. And this electrical energy meter is customizable by the utility firms and utility firms can present, can provision some functions of companies, like as an example, learn how to handle your photo voltaic panels or learn how to handle your electrical energy and so forth, and that assist them handle the grid and that additionally assist them present paid companies to the top buyer, the top consumer. 

– [Ryan] One of many issues I needed to ask you. So once we’re speaking about software program and constructing IoT options, sustainability is a subject that comes up quite a bit. Particularly now it’s extra of a scorching matter to debate. So inform me about your all’s perspective or simply how do you consider sustainability with regards to IoT as a result of there’s this, I’ve heard the phrase thrown round inexperienced software program, and I’d like to higher perceive what that precisely means. As a result of once we take into consideration software program, quite a lot of our listeners take into consideration software program, we don’t give it some thought in every other method or actually related essentially to sustainability.

So what does inexperienced software program imply and the way does that type of contribute to the sustainability targets that quite a lot of firms have with regards to IoT? 

– [Semir] So sustainability may be very, it’s a vital matter proper now within the trade. So you already know that right this moment the outdated ICT, I’d say IT and communication and telecommunication contribution to the greenhouse gasoline is like 4%.

However it’s deliberate to be 14% by 2030. So it’s fairly, fairly excessive. It’s beginning to develop as a result of all the opposite industries are decreasing their footprint, like even the massive contributors, so now it’s very seen, the whole lot associated to electronics. So it’s undoubtedly, as you stated, many firms have this local weather pledge and so they need to do a greater for the local weather. And once we discuss, take into consideration IoT merchandise, it has an impression as a result of it’s not as a result of the product is eat quite a bit, detrimental product doesn’t eat a lot, however as a result of there are such a lot of of them. So we’ve got to consider like 30 billion IoT merchandise, related IoT merchandise, that’s quite a lot of merchandise. So even a small contribution can have a huge impact. One, when you speak about inexperienced software program is implies that, okay, let’s, you may,, there are other ways to do software program, however there’s a method, let’s do a, let’s do it in a method that’s the most optimized by way of energy.

And what it means, it begins already with the selection of the platform that you simply use on your software program improvement. As I discussed, there’s a energy for software program outlined merchandise. So everyone’s shifting and leaping on the prepare. However there are a number of methods to do it, to realize it.

And a method, which is the best way that many individuals coming from the IT world took, is to say, Oh we’ve got Linux and Android know-how that works within the cloud. Let’s use it in IoT merchandise. And that offers you merchandise just like the Google Nest Thermostat, which is Linux Android primarily based, or I might say the Android watch, which is totally primarily based on Android.

So you may have wi-fi watches and so forth, however these, the issue with this know-how, they’re completely good by way of software program, and they’re very nice to do software program outlined options, however they require a lot of {hardware} sources. So a lot of reminiscence, a lot of efficiency, and on the finish, a lot of, they eat quite a lot of energy.

What’s the finest strategy whenever you need to do good for the planet is to optimize, to decide on an answer that’s optimized. And at MicroEJ, that’s actually what we offer. The truth is, we, individuals name us the tiny sibling of Android. So it’s actually like the identical know-how as you might have with Android however 1,000 instances extra optimized.

So we will run on microcontrollers and beginning with Cortex-M0. So quite simple microcontrollers. And that implies that you utilize a product that is more cost effective. So prices as a, I might say the {hardware} as a, it’s round 50 to 80 % of the contribution for the inexperienced home emission.

So already selecting a {hardware} that is more cost effective, that’s smaller, you save quite a lot of gasoline. After which it’s a lot better by way of energy. As an example, one in every of our buyer, Polar, they’ve a smartwatch that’s powered by MicroEJ, and they can transfer from someday with the Android watch to greater than seven day of operation with a single cost.

So that is, yeah, that is one of the simplest ways, actually, to do inexperienced software program is to make use of probably the most optimized {hardware} on your software program. 

– [Ryan] Do you ever run into conditions the place you’re not in a position, not essentially you all, however is there ever a scenario that you could possibly envision the place there’s, you’re not capable of possibly develop it as sustainably as you’d wish to due to it creates too limiting of the expertise for what the use case requires from both an influence consumption standpoint, or is there at all times ways in which optimization will be completed, it simply could solely go to a sure extent as a result of clearly you may’t pull the whole lot out of an answer that wants sure energy consumption, wants sure totally different parts which can be vital to it. Like how do you, is that one thing ever that you must fear about? 

– [Semir] I feel it’s a commerce off. What we see is that it have to be, it’s worthwhile to be severe about your inexperienced initiative, and generally some firms simply do some greenwashing. So they are saying, yeah, we do inexperienced, however whenever you discuss to them, they are saying no, we need to do that. That’s going to efficiency. It’s higher for us and price is extra vital than inexperienced.

I might say the target right here of being inexperienced is to be on the identical degree as goal. And if it’s on the identical degree goal is that you would be able to put the effort and time to one of the best optimized resolution. So it’s actually about placing the effort and time into this. 

– [Ryan] In the case of the design parts of it, and also you’re occupied with all of the totally different items, what does it imply whenever you say sustainable design rules? Is that simply one of the best practices and the issues that you simply attempt to comply with with regards to designing the system and the answer as an entire? Is that type of when that’s used, is that what you’re speaking about?

– [Semir] To place the optimization on the core of your design. So not, what we see once more is corporate that for the consolation of the engineer, so as a result of they like some instruments or some software program, they may select an answer that’s utterly suboptimal. So actually, we’re studying and stress for those who comply with the trade, there’s a large, I might say, a lot of stress across the Kubernetes and containers for this sort of Docker resolution for the embedded area. However that is once more, very unoptimized, very expensive. So if you wish to use Docker and Kubernetes on your embedded area at one time, Microsoft tried to try this, which they stated, oh, we’re going to place Kubernetes and Docker all over the place, implies that you want a really highly effective {hardware} with a lot of energy consumption and many price.

It’s not sustainable in any respect. It’s only for the consolation of the engineer. That is undoubtedly not a system, there’s a higher method. You may have actually to consider, okay, no, that’s, sustainability is our objective, and the consolation of the engineer will come after. However there are answers that present virtually the identical consolation and the identical performance as I’d say the digital containers from MicroEJ. 

– [Ryan] Nicely, Semir, thanks a lot for taking the time to speak about this. We’ve talked about sustainability earlier than, however we actually haven’t damaged down and talked extra in depth in regards to the parts that go into actually contributing sustainability on the software program facet and the software program improvement facet.

In order that software program outlined pattern, the inexperienced software program that we’re speaking about right this moment, so I’m glad we have been capable of clarify that to our viewers and actually make clear what’s occurring. It seems like there’s quite a lot of thrilling issues occurring at MicroEJ relating to the way you all are capable of convey these options to life and comply with these rules and actually construct one thing that does meet these sustainability matters that we’re speaking about. For our viewers who needs to be taught extra, comply with up, interact additional, what’s one of the simplest ways they’ll do this? 

– [Semir] Yeah, certain. They’ll go on our web site, so www dot microej, m i c r o e j dot com. And so they also can contact me on LinkedIn. So I’m on LinkedIn. So Semir Haddad, simply ship me any message, and I’ll reply. 

– [Ryan] Semir, thanks once more a lot. I stay up for getting this out for our viewers.

– [Semir] Thanks very a lot, Ryan.



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