2020: The first year of a new era, what technologies are worth looking forward to?

The 2020 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) closed on January 10. The Consumer Electronics Show not only exhibited a large number of concept verifications and prototype designs, but was also a good place to find innovation drivers and understand what makes companies develop into future technology giants. In addition, 2020 is the beginning of a new decade, and this year will be a far-reaching year for the products and technologies that will change our lives in the next decade. So let's take a look at what new trends are in the future in the eyes of STMicroelectronics (ST).

The past decade has seen the rise of predictive maintenance . Thanks to machine learning, predictive maintenance can predict failures and recommend better maintenance plans. However, 2020 should be a symbolic year for predictive maintenance, as it is becoming easier to develop predictive maintenance solutions . For example, engineers can buy a development board and start writing supporting applications in minutes without worrying about cloud security, server farms, or computing throughput. When it comes to predictive maintenance, manufacturers are no longer just considering it, but actively implementing it.

In the past decade, machine learning required large servers, complex models, scarce talent, and a lot of time and resources. Today, machine learning can be built into motion sensors, and we will see more intelligent functions in edge devices. Edge computing will never replace cloud computing, but it can quickly improve the functions of cloud computing. By creating decision-making systems within sensors, engineers can optimize resources and save a lot of energy and time.

Lack of data and scarcity of data scientists are one of the main obstacles hindering the widespread application of machine learning. Building neural networks requires clean, accurate and massive data, which means that a large amount of freely available data is a prerequisite for the popularization of machine learning. However, ST partners, such as Cartesiam , are solving this problem from another angle, replacing data scientists with a system that can perform training and inference operations on the same embedded system.

With the popularity of Sub-Gigahertz networks and the arrival of 5G , it is becoming easier and easier for embedded devices to access the Internet. We will see more infrastructure, as well as better and more economical networking solutions. Now, it has become more feasible to develop these solutions without spending too much money, and even start-ups can plan to use LoRa , Sigfox or other Sub-Gigahertz networks. Therefore, at the beginning of 2020 , STMicroelectronics launched the STM32WL.

In the past, critics have dubbed IoT the “ web of threats . ” However, companies have come a long way to understand the importance of protecting embedded systems, data, and update mechanisms. As consumers demand more stringent protection against cyberattacks, ST expects companies to demand higher standards for product data security. A few years ago, data breaches were seen as educational cases with little negative impact. Today, they have become a public relations nightmare that can harm company interests and even endanger lives. In response, STMicroelectronics has launched STM32Trust as an effective measure to help partners protect embedded systems.

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Blockchain is one of the most significant and exciting technologies to emerge in the past decade. However, businesses are now beginning to realize that these systems can be used for much more than just currency. Through projects such as IOTA and X-CUBE-IOTA1 , we are seeing the entire tech world using distributed ledger technology to facilitate communication between machines, especially between IoT nodes. The project itself is currently progressing well, and in 2020 , we expect that the way information is disseminated may change.

For a long time, embedded systems were just black boxes with a few buttons and routine operating procedures. Today, they have become interactive systems that conquer new industries and new applications. As a result, the more successful a product is, the more it relies on ease of use, so developers often need to spend a lot of time on the graphical user interface. The emergence of solutions such as STMicroelectronics TouchGFX has made user interface design much simpler than before, and the latest optimized designs enable low-power MCUs to support 60 FPS animations, as well as multiple colors and details .

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Electric cars are getting cheaper, thanks in part to ST 's new SiC devices. However, the market for more efficient and practical charging, which emerged in 2019 , should explode in 2020. If EV charging infrastructure is ubiquitous, city streets are filled with charging stations, and home installation is not expensive, EV range issues will become history. As Enel X 's exhibits show, ST's latest IGBT products can help create more efficient charging systems.

STMicroelectronics has long collaborated with key universities to play a role in the way of educating future engineers . For example, in order to help students master control system knowledge faster, Professor Kaiser of the University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA ) demonstrated an affordable rotating inverted pendulum experimental platform that every student can afford . ST also demonstrated how to use drone kits to help students better understand embedded systems. As educators pay more and more attention to cultivating and delivering talents for hot applications in the next decade, we expect large-scale educational and academic innovations to continue in 2020 .

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STM32 Chinese official website - University Program column:

https://www.stmcu.com.cn/university

Over the past decade, embedded systems have truly touched people’s lives. From smart watches that monitor heart rate, to fitness bands that track physical activity, to fall monitors that help care for the elderly, embedded technology has brought us real benefits. 2020 should solidify this trend, and the next decade is about improving quality of life. Embedded electronics are moving from gadgets to smart products that have a profound impact on people’s lives, and with the help of machine learning, people can get information and advice on how to improve their health, reduce stress, drive safely, and communicate more attentively. 2020 will refine what we have learned from the past decade and start applying it to make it more meaningful.