In a world where attacks on electronic systems can be conducted remotely, security is a vital component of system design. Even systems that do not have to store personal or commercially confidential data now have to be designed with security in mind to prevent their core intellectual property (IP) from being copied and reused illegally. In these examples, we can see the two elements of electronic system security: design security and data security. Increasingly, the two depend on each other.

In what we call … Read More → "Secure Foundations"

With smaller electronics, more options can be fit into the package, allowing for features such as RF transceivers for wireless communication, advanced sensors to optimally time pacing and defibrillation shocks and backup systems in case the main system fails. While integrated circuits (ICs) have taken advantage of advances in dense packaging, such as die stacking, in most cases the discrete components remain unchanged. Market pressures are now forcing improvements in the current discrete packaging.

The system market is comprised of applications in telecom infrastructure, computing, high end industrial and high end medical. Power supply sequencing, voltage and current monitoring, bus bridging, voltage level translation, interface control, and temperature measurement are typical board functions found in these applications. System designers are faced with continual pressure to meet their development schedules, and need to implement designs with minimal effort and risk while maintaining maximum flexibility. By using a programmable-based approach instead of several discrete devices or Application Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), designers can … Read More → "Using Low Cost, Non-Volatile PLDs in System Applications"