Interpretation of the current status of embedded system development and future application trends

An embedded system is a "dedicated computer system that is completely embedded in a controlled device and designed for a specific application." According to the definition of the British Institute of Electrical Engineers, an embedded system is a device that controls, monitors or assists equipment, machines or factory operations. Unlike general-purpose computer systems such as personal computers, embedded systems usually perform pre-defined tasks with specific requirements. Since embedded systems are only targeted at one specific task, designers can optimize it, reduce size and reduce costs. Since embedded systems are usually mass-produced, the cost savings of a single system can be amplified by hundreds or thousands as production increases.

　　The embedded system industry has evolved from communications and consumer electronics to automotive electronics, smart security, industrial control and Beidou navigation along with the development of the national industry. Today, embedded systems are ubiquitous and have far exceeded general-purpose computers in terms of the number of applications. According to statistics from relevant agencies, the sales scale of global embedded software has reached 50 billion US dollars in 2012, and the output value of embedded system products has reached 600 billion US dollars. From 2004 to 2011, the revenue scale of the global embedded system market increased by 30.1% compared with 2011. According to IDC's forecast, by 2015, the number of global intelligent system devices will reach 15 billion. In China, the scale of the embedded system industry continues to grow. Relevant statistics show that in 2012, the scale of my country's electronic manufacturing reached 5.45 trillion yuan, ranking second in the world; the output of major electronic information products such as televisions, programmable switches, laptops, monitors and mobile phones ranked first in the world.

　　First, embedded systems have become a key technology in the Internet of Things industry. If we use the human body as a simple metaphor for the Internet of Things, sensors are equivalent to human eyes, nose, skin and other senses, the network is the nervous system used to transmit information, and the embedded system is the human brain, which needs to classify and process the information after receiving it. The advantages of embedded systems in the Internet of Things are gradually becoming apparent, and the role played by embedded systems in the application of the Internet of Things industry is becoming more and more important.

　　Second, in recent years, operating systems developed to enable embedded devices to more effectively support Web services have been continuously launched. This type of operating system uses component-oriented and middleware technology in its architecture, providing support for dynamic loading of application software and even hardware, the so-called "plug and play", which shows obvious advantages in overcoming the limitations of previous embedded operating systems.

　　Third, the combination of embedded systems with artificial intelligence and pattern recognition technology will develop a variety of more humane and intelligent practical systems. Smart phones, digital TVs and embedded applications in automotive electronics are the entry points for this opportunity. With the development of network technology and grid computing, "ubiquitous computing" centered on embedded mobile devices will become a reality.

　　Fourth, as the computing power of chips increases, "computers" will disappear, and "computing" will be everywhere. The resulting large amounts of data communication and data analysis will place higher demands on the security and reliability of the entire system. This will put forward new demands for the development of trusted embedded systems. Trusted embedded systems are safe and reliable embedded systems that are developed and produced based on a systematic and strict standard. They are widely needed and used in fields such as medicine, aerospace, and nuclear industry that have strict requirements on information security, such as economy and life safety.