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 discuss the advantages of a software-defined method, inexperienced software program, efficiency trade-offs, and sustainable design ideas.
About Semir Haddad
Semir Haddad is the Chief Product and Technique Officer at MicroEJ. Semir has over 20 years of expertise working with business leaders and startups, bringing modern applied sciences to industrial and client markets. Early in his profession, he labored on digital video and audio, creating the primary DVD participant, and creating one of many earliest PVR software program options for which he acquired 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.
Excited about 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, good gadget producers remodel digital merchandise from single-purpose to software-defined, rising scalability, flexibility, and extensibility. Their flagship product, MICROEJ VEE, is an optimized commonplace software program container utilized in tens of millions of client and IoT merchandise, akin to good dwelling units, dwelling home equipment, wearables, medical units, good meters, and industrial units.
Key Questions and Matters 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 method
(09:05) What’s inexperienced software program?
(13:46) Sustainable design efficiency trade-offs
(14:55) What are sustainable design ideas?
(17:08) Study extra and observe 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 stepping into our dialog, I wished 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 house and the IoT house. So, I’ve began my life as an engineer, and I develop broad embedded software program. I bought 4 patents for varied tasks I’ve carried out, after which I moved to the product aspect, and I used to be within the semiconductor business 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 very talked-about.
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 carry the software program capabilities that you’ve got and say you’ve got you, that exists within the cloud and the IT house for a very long time within the embedded house. And we try this by offering what you name a digital execution setting, which is a really distinctive virtualization and containerization software program that permits individuals to put in writing code as in the event that they have been a containerized software 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 just a little round 10 years and we’re primarily based in France and the USA.
– [Ryan] So, I wished to leap into a subject that I believed was actually fascinating to speak about primarily based in your all’s method and experience. And the subject is software program outlined, or the, I suppose, it’s extra of a software program outlined pattern on the earth of IoT that’s taking place or beginning to occur. What does that imply precisely?
– [Semir] This can be 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} skilled with software program collaboration. And Fred Rivard, our CEO, is a software program skilled, is a pc science man, pure pc science with {hardware} collaboration.
So, it’s an excellent mixture. And what we do is absolutely carry this software program functionality to the IoT house. And while you talk about software program outlined, it’s a pattern that has been within the business for a really very long time. If you concentrate on 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 every part in {hardware}.
After which one time a man mentioned, oh, let’s attempt to software-ize that and make it extra programmable. And this was the very first one, then you definitely noticed coming software program outlined networks when individuals have been constructing huge 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. Chances are you’ll hear from the individuals in automotive, they are saying, oh, we’re creating the software program outlined automobile. They usually attempt to, for a similar, put every part extra versatile, moveable, and agile. And that’s principally the concept of software program outlined.
Software program outlined implies that you outline, you’ve got a product that was purely {hardware}. So usually in IoT house, all of the merchandise have been purely {hardware}, even mechanical. If you concentrate on 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}. So that they have, they use technique, the methodology the place they’ve a waterfall technique and so they outline every part 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 while you develop cell phone software, or while you develop cloud software.
– [Ryan] Okay so the opposite items of the answer, the {hardware}, the connectivity and issues like that, how is that considered in while you’re interested by 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 info backwards and forwards, these sorts of issues, or how is that, how does every part match collectively while you’re coming at it from a software program outlined sort of method?
– [Semir] Yeah. So while you include a software program outlined method, the primary factor that I might say could be very related for the IoT is that you simply develop with the concept your software program will evolve rather a lot. In order that’s the primary distinction and the primary mindset is strictly like in software program. If you concentrate on, you discuss, 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 house. Meaning this may occur. So this may 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 all the time related, you can even provision new providers to your gadget.
So your gadget will grow to be one other kind of gadget. We, with the lifetime of the, throughout the lifetime of the product, and this comes with two features. One is that you could customise your product later after cargo, after which you may carry additionally new providers that you could monetize.
– [Ryan] And let me ask the final query round this subject 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 pliability, being extra agile, issues like that, however simply to sum it up, what are these huge advantages which are, that approaching it from this aspect versus perhaps how issues have been carried out earlier than that folks don’t notice or want to grasp?
– [Semir] The primary profit is that you could have a product which are 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 could be very versatile, so it’s very simple so that you can create a software program to 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 an instance, for example, one buyer Workplace Zebra that’s creating printers. They have been capable of customise the printer for his or her finish person. So for example, one in all their finish customers was FedEx. They’ve a printer particularly for FedEx with every part tuned for FedEx. After which one in all our clients was UPS and so they wrap every part 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 can even, as I mentioned, add providers after the very fact.
And that is, we are able to name them apps. It’s actually like your cell phone apps while you obtain apps, besides that it’s within the context of a enterprise to enterprise, or it could possibly be additionally a enterprise to client facet, however so this allow you to create actually new providers and new product.
And we’ve one case with Landis+Gyr, one in all our buyer within the metering house. So 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 purposes of providers, like for example, methods to handle your photo voltaic panels or methods to handle your electrical energy and so forth, and that assist them handle the grid and that additionally assist them present paid providers to the top buyer, the top person.
– [Ryan] One of many issues I wished to ask you. So once we’re speaking about software program and constructing IoT options, sustainability is a subject that comes up rather a lot. Particularly now it’s extra of a scorching subject to debate. So inform me about your all’s perspective or simply how do you concentrate on sustainability relating 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, lots of our listeners take into consideration software program, we don’t give it some thought in every other means or actually related essentially to sustainability.
So what does inexperienced software program imply and the way does that sort of contribute to the sustainability objectives that lots of firms have relating to IoT?
– [Semir] So sustainability could be very, it’s a vital subject proper now within the business. So you realize that in the present day the previous ICT, I’d say IT and communication and telecommunication contribution to the greenhouse gasoline is like 4%.
But it surely’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 lowering their footprint, like even the large contributors, so now it’s very seen, every part associated to electronics. So it’s undoubtedly, as you mentioned, 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 influence as a result of it’s not as a result of the product is eat rather a lot, unfavourable product doesn’t eat a lot, however as a result of there are such a lot of of them. So we’ve to consider like 30 billion IoT merchandise, related IoT merchandise, that’s lots of merchandise. So even a small contribution can have a big effect. One, when you discuss inexperienced software program is implies that, okay, let’s, you may,, there are other ways to do software program, however there’s a means, let’s do a, let’s do it in a means 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 to your software program growth. As I discussed, there’s a power for software program outlined merchandise. So all people’s shifting and leaping on the prepare. However there are a number of methods to do it, to attain it.
And a method, which is the best way that many individuals coming from the IT world took, is to say, Oh we’ve Linux and Android expertise 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 expertise, they’re completely good by way of software program, and they’re very nice to do software program outlined options, however they require a number of {hardware} assets. So a number of reminiscence, a number of efficiency, and on the finish, a number of, they eat lots of energy.
What’s the greatest method while 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. In truth, we, individuals name us the tiny sibling of Android. So it’s actually like the identical expertise as you’ve got with Android however 1,000 occasions extra optimized.
So we are able to run on microcontrollers and beginning with Cortex-M0. So quite simple microcontrollers. And that implies that you employ 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 lots of gasoline. After which it’s a lot better by way of energy. As an illustration, one in all our buyer, Polar, they’ve a smartwatch that’s powered by MicroEJ, and they can transfer from sooner or later with the Android watch to greater than seven day of operation with a single cost.
So that is, yeah, that is one of the best ways, in truth, to do inexperienced software program is to make use of probably the most optimized {hardware} to 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 state of affairs that you might envision the place there’s, you’re not capable of perhaps 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 all the time ways in which optimization will be carried out, it simply might solely go to a sure extent as a result of clearly you may’t pull every part out of an answer that wants sure energy consumption, wants sure totally different parts which are necessary to it. Like how do you, is that one thing ever that it’s a must to fear about?
– [Semir] I believe it’s a commerce off. What we see is that it have to be, it is advisable to be critical about your inexperienced initiative, and generally some firms simply do some greenwashing. So they are saying, yeah, we do inexperienced, however while you discuss to them, they are saying no, we need to do that. That’s going to efficiency. It’s higher for us and value is extra necessary 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 could put the effort and time to the perfect optimized resolution. So it’s actually about placing the effort and time into this.
– [Ryan] On the subject of the design parts of it, and also you’re interested by all of the totally different items, what does it imply while you say sustainable design ideas? Is that simply the perfect practices and the issues that you simply attempt to observe relating to designing the system and the answer as an entire? Is that sort 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 are going to select an answer that’s fully suboptimal. So in truth, we’re studying and stress if you happen to observe the business, there’s a huge, I might say, a number of stress across the Kubernetes and containers for this type of Docker resolution for the embedded house. However that is once more, very unoptimized, very pricey. So if you wish to use Docker and Kubernetes to your embedded house at one time, Microsoft tried to do this, which they mentioned, oh, we’re going to place Kubernetes and Docker in all places, implies that you want a really highly effective {hardware} with a number of energy consumption and many value.
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 means. You will have actually to consider, okay, no, that’s, sustainability is our aim, 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] Properly, Semir, thanks a lot for taking the time to talk 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 aspect and the software program growth aspect.
In order that software program outlined pattern, the inexperienced software program that we’re speaking about in the present day, so I’m glad we have been capable of clarify that to our viewers and actually make clear what’s occurring. It appears like there’s lots of thrilling issues occurring at MicroEJ relating to the way you all are capable of carry these options to life and observe these ideas and actually construct one thing that does meet these sustainability matters that we’re speaking about. For our viewers who desires to study extra, observe up, have interaction additional, what’s one of the best ways they will try this?
– [Semir] Yeah, certain. They’ll go on our web site, so www dot microej, m i c r o e j dot com. They usually may also 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.