Freescale Technology Forum: Experience Connected Intelligence

by Henri Richard

Bienvenue — or as we say in Texas, Howdy! Today, we are kicking off the Global 2012 Freescale Technology Forum (FTF) series in San Antonio, Texas. FTF is the industry-leading training event that best showcases where embedded solutions are going and how developers get there faster, better and easier. The week centers on Freescale’s Connected Intelligence vision of our world — a culmination of synergies between our hardware, software, and ecosystem of partnerships that help you to innovate in the era of "the Internet of Things" and invent what is yet to be imagined.

I'm already feeling the energy and excitement build as we look forward to four days of FTF, which include thought-provoking panel discussions, more than 400 hours of technical sessions and 200+ demos in the Tech Lab, as well as the keynote address where we’ll hear for the first time Freescale’s new CEO Gregg Lowe talk about his vision of our future.

Nothing beats the intimate, engaging atmosphere at FTF — charged with ideas and innovations from our customers and partners. Even if you’re not here, you can experience FTF virtually on our web site, which includes daily highlights, keynote speeches, photos, demos, and interviews from the show floor. You can also follow the FTF action on our Facebook page, through Twitter updates (our hashtag is#FTF2012) and on Google+.

We made several exciting announcements today – and there’s more to come this week. Today, we introduced our new 6-axis Xtrinsic sensor that integrates a magnetometer and accelerometer into a single chip. This means mobile devices can calculate data faster and more accurately than ever before, making mobile devices more intelligent and useful than they are today. With all of these new mobile devices, handling big data and connectivity issues becomes a major hurdle for carriers, as industry pundits predict that mobile data will increase 30-fold between 2010 and 2015.

Freescale also announced new QorIQ Qonverge processors to help carriers deploy 4G/LTE more effectively via metro cells. With this new base station-on-a-chip offering, Freescale covers the spectrum of small-cell to large-cell base station solutions. And, of course, we offer a full range of RF devices for all cellular bands, as well.

The growth in mobile data not only affects carriers and mobile device users, but also data centers. So, today, Freescale is expanding the QorIQ T Series with two new processors engineered for optimal performance as well as energy efficiency. These new processors are ideal for enterprise switching, routing and mobile backhaul equipment.

In the coming days, expect to see news related to the automotive market, as well as an evolutionary technology announcement that will have far-reaching impact on the networking communications market.
Here’s to another successful FTF this year. I hope you can join us this week – in person or virtually – as we showcase some of the most amazing advancements embedded technology brings to the world!

Freescale ARM technology powerhouse in action

By FTF Staff –

New Freescale CEO Gregg Lowe kicked off the second day of FTF to a standing-room-only audience – and blew us away with a keynote filled with technology vision, demos and announcements. One thing that was showcased in numerous ways throughout the keynote was ARM® technology. Freescale has become an ARM technology powerhouse, offering the most unique and massively broad portfolio on the market today. It starts with our Kinetis portfolio, and the new Kinetis L series based on the ARM Cortex™-M0+ core, extends to the new Vybrid controller solutions that enable rich apps in real time, and stretches to the ultimate multimedia and display solution – the scalable i.MX 6 series.

QorIQ platform goes core agnostic (hello, ARM)

And it doesn’t stop there. Today, we have also announced the next-generation, core-agnostic QorIQ communications platform that will include, yes, ARM technology. This new QorIQ platform is based on the software-aware Layerscape architecture that is addressing the increasing flexibility and scalability required by network infrastructure OEMs. The ARM architecture will be featured in two highly integrated, energy-efficient product families.

Kinetis L series wins the battle in energy efficiency

We were excited to see the Kinetis L series, the world’s most energy-efficient microcontrollers, in action during the keynote, proving the winner in an energy-efficient benchmark test against various 16-bit products, including TI’s MSP430, Microchip’s PIC24 and Renesas’ RL78 MCUs. These Kinetis L Series 32-bit MCUs, based on the ARM Cortex-M0+ core, are changing the design landscape for developers currently using legacy 8- and 16-bit architectures.

In this video, Freescale’s Eduardo Montanez shows Kinetis L Series MCUs deliver 1.5 times better energy performance in CoreMark per mA than the closest competitor.

Freescale’s Denis Cabrol shares more details on how the Kinetis L series MCUs are changing the design landscape for developers and enabling the “Internet of Things.”

Freedom to develop with low power consumption in mind

Shawn Prestridge, senior field applications engineer, IAR, talks about the push towards green energy and low power consumption and how the new Kinetis L series and the Freedom development board from Freescale will help IAR ensure designers are able to minimize their power profiles.

Infotainment goes mainstream

Our ARM technology-based Vybrid family is expanding infotainment into mainstream automobiles, to offer robust user experiences, including entry-level infotainment, connected radios and reconfigurable instrument clusters. Now engineers have a highly integrated solution, including robust software offerings that address the needs of this mainstream auto market.

Freescale’s DNA takes ARM technology to a new level

ARM CEO Warren East talks about the long-term relationship between ARM and Freescale, the new opportunities with ARM in networking, and why he thinks Freescale ARM technology solutions are unique to the market.

Amazing multimedia for the “Internet of Things”

The i.MX 6 series brings amazing multimedia user experiences to the “Internet of Things.” Freescale’s Sujata Neidig talks about how the industry’s first truly scalable multicore platform that includes single, dual- and quad-core families based on the ARM® Cortex™-A9 architecture is enabling next-generation smart devices.

Meanwhile, multimedia drives the cool factor in the Tech Lab ...

Our i.MX 6 series now delivers infotainment/telematics system processing for more than 10 of the top automotive OEMs worldwide. Pictured here is the Freescale Concept Car (we call it Mad Mac). Mounted on the top of it is the “360 Degree Vision System,” which is revolutionizing automotive safety by enabling features like object detection, lane departure and blind spot detection – all made possible by our Qorivva MCU and i.MX 6 quad-core processor.

  

Abundance of innovation at FTF

By FTF Staff –

“The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.” – Dr. Peter Diamandis, CEO of the X Prize Foundation

“Engineers need to make it real — they need to go from theory to practice to building the materials,” Diamandis said in this FTF interview following his keynote this morning. Diamandis shares how engineers can create the abundant future, the genesis of breakthroughs in companies and the inspiration of innovation through X Prize and Singularity University. (You can also watch his keynote online.)

Next-generation QorIQ platform: software-aware, core-agnostic

In this video, Nikolay Guenov, head of marketing for Freescale’s Networking Processor Division, expands on the networking challenges and how Freescale is addressing the deluge of data with its QorIQ platforms based on Layerscape architecture.

QorIQ  Qonverge base station-on-chip portfolio: complete small to large cell solution

Yesterday, we announced a new member of the QorIQ Qonverge base station-on-chip portfolio — a metrocell device that shares a common platform with the femtocell and macrocell members of the QorIQ Qonverge product family. Inside the FTF Tech Lab, Freescale’s Martin Beuttner demonstrates our femtocell reference design solution.

ENEA baseband-in-a-box solutions for QorIQ Qonverge

ENEA’s real-time operating systems and tools connect with Freescale technology, specifically Freecale’s highly integrated QorIQ Qonverge platform and the ENEA baseband-in-a-box solution. Hear from  Michael Christofferson about ENEA’s comprehensive solutions that leverage its unique expertise in and enablement for both Power Architecture technology and DSPs.

Automotive safety, efficiency and speed

By FTF Staff –

Geek out on our concept car

This little beast – affectionately known as “Mad Mac” – is packed with a lot of bright ideas that our automotive engineers, and our customers, have dreamed up. Check out the solutions stacked on this car for powertrain, infotainment, cluster, safety and body applications.

Infotainment for Generation Y

The car is becoming another connected device on the “Internet of Things.” Freescale’s Luke Smithwick offers his perspective on the challenges developers face in bringing the connected car to market and how the Vybrid automotive processor with its production-grade software gives developers a huge jump start in their designs.

Danny McKenna demonstrates the Vybrid family’s ready-to-play connected radio – now any car can have a great connected experience. Up to 80 percent of the software design is done; just customize it to make it your own.

Single-chip instrument cluster (yes, it’s only one chip)

This one-chip wonder brings together the capabilities that are commonly found from multiple chips. The single-chip instrument cluster, based on Freescale S12 MagniV mixed-signal MCU, simplifies design across the instrument cluster and reduces cables and connections to increase system reliability.

Auto safety drives toward zero fatalities

In the U.S., preliminary 2011 data shows that 32,310 people died in motor vehicle crashes – that’s the lowest on record since 1949. The decrease is attributed to better safety systems and vehicles designed to allow people to survive a crash. Freescale’s Stephan Lehman talks about the next step for developed countries: advanced active safety systems. He also addresses the real challenge: 90% of people who die in accidents are in emerging countries.

Get a view from every angle with the multi-camera panorama view park assist that features the Qorivva MPC5604E MCU for streaming live video via Ethernet unshielded twisted pair, and the i.MX 6 series applications processor for video decode and 3D graphics rendering.

Freescale and Bosch collaborate on an airbag reference platform. Based on Freescale’s Qorivva 32-bit MCU family and Bosch’s Airbag ASSP family, this solution uses sensors from both companies.

High-tech tractor navigates FTF

Check out this tractor that uses i.MX and QorIQ processors to bring advanced technology to our nation’s farms. These microprocessors assist in engine control, deliver precise GPS navigation, and provide the ability to steer the tractor, hands free.

Opportunities on the “Internet of Things” – it starts at home

By FTF Staff –

Today, more ‘things’ are connected to the Internet than there are people on the planet. Everything from smart appliances, to traffic lights to security cameras to retail displays will learn, adapt and react to help facilitate our everyday lives – and the breadth of connected, intelligent devices is growing exponentially.

Embedded processing is at the heart of the “Internet of Things,” and FTF Americas brought to light the many ways that Freescale solutions – controllers, processors, sensors, analog ICs, connectivity and software – with the support of our extensive ecosystem are helping our customers target the “Internet of Things.”

Henri Richard, chief sales and marketing officer talks about the opportunity for Freescale with the “Internet of Things” and what makes Freescale's ARM portfolio so unique to the market.

Tablets and user interfaces, naturally

When technology emerges in the market, it's adopted by consumers first and then spreads into enterprise and industrial organizations. The tablet is a great example. In this video, Freescale's Robert Thompson, who is joined by Jason Flick, CEO of YOUi Labs, gives a tour of consumer devices in Freescale's “connected home” at FTF – see the potential of machine-to-machine connectivity.

Smart energy comes home

Smart energy solutions in our connected home can do more than simply monitor our energy consumption. Freescale's Derek Phillips shows how smart energy is going past the meter and inside of the home.

The revolution and transformation of home healthcare

Technology is playing center stage in the healthcare transformation and revolution, changing paradigms and the way patients receive healthcare today, and in the future. Freescale’s Steven Dean shares a few connected medical and healthcare devices for use in our connected home.

Immersive reality, the digital way

Augmented reality bridges the gap between our real world and our digital realm – and the immersive uses are endless. Information, media, education, services and advertisements becomes layered content from the Internet to match specific environments and contexts in a more natural way. Take a look at these Xtrinsic sensors in action.

It's a wrap!

What an outstanding week at FTF Americas. We owe great thanks to our more than 70 sponsors who joined us this year, including our Global Diamond sponsors: ENEA, Mentor Graphics, QNX and Wind River. But most of all, we want to thank all of you, the embedded design community, for attending. You make the event a success with your active participation, tremendous energy, and excitement for technology.

See full resources from FTF that are available online to date, including the technical sessions library, keynote presentations, and demo videos at www.freescale.com/ftfamericas.