VeriSilicon's Zeng Yi: More system IPs are needed to drive the development of the Internet of Things

During the 7th Shanghai FD-SOI Forum, Zeng Yi, Director of VeriSilicon's IoT Interconnect Platform, shared a keynote speech titled "Low-power IoT Technology Based on FD-SOI Technology". He said that the IoT has grown rapidly in recent years, and many companies are deploying short-distance IoT such as smart homes and long-distance IoT such as smart cities, based on communication technologies such as WiFi, LPWAN or Bluetooth.

Zeng Yi, Director of VeriSilicon IoT Interconnection Platform

Zeng Yi pointed out that the price of IoT chips has been falling rapidly in recent years. The price of NB-IoT chips has dropped from US$5 in 2016 to US$1 now. The price of Lora chips is now only US$1.4, and Bluetooth chips are also falling. However, these prices are not driven by the latest technology, but by market homogeneity.

Zeng Yi believes that there are still many problems in the development of the Internet of Things. The first is chip design. Almost all IoT chips are stuck at the 40-50 nanometer process node. Many manufacturers hope to realize the Internet of Things through old technology. This idea needs to be changed.

In addition, as the amount of data transmission continues to increase, the profitability of operators cannot be guaranteed. Most people believe that the communication fee of IoT is lower than that of mobile phones, but this is incorrect. Operators need data to empower, but now a lot of data is isolated and cannot generate much value.

Zeng Yi emphasized that IoT technology innovation is important for both chips and networks, but it requires more original innovation rather than being based on existing mature architectures. Therefore, more and more system IPs are needed to drive the development of the IoT and help manufacturers achieve customization.

He pointed out that AI is a good technology that can help with data processing and reduce the amount of information processing required by nodes and network managers.

During the speech, Zeng Yi also mentioned some of VeriSilicon's IP solutions in the Internet of Things, including BLE5 system, BLE RF IP, NB-IoT and NB-IoT RF. He said that VeriSilicon's goal is to provide high-value IP to customers and help them develop their products. VeriSilicon develops IP from the bottom up, and by understanding the characteristics of FD-SOI, it has found more uses to optimize performance and security, allowing customers to complete better integrated circuit designs.