ECN - April 2018

By JC Ramirez, Director of Engineering, ADL Embedded Solutions, Inc.

Embedded Computing Trends
in 2018
Security, the Industrial Internet of Things, and longer product life spans are among the areas where embedded computing
will shift this year.

One of the most appealing aspects of embedded computers is the fact that there is still enormous potential for future research and development, in addition to new applications. In 2018, we will see a number of trends in addition to the always-important considerations of size, weight, and power. We will also see embedded computing trends that touch the areas of network and cybersecurity, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIo T), products with increased longevity, and a continued move from programmable logical controllers (PLCs) to industrial PCs as a primary control system.

Network and Cybersecurity

This year will emphasize the critical interest that commercial and industrial customers have in securing their networks and data assets, continuing a trend that becomes more essential over time. With respect to the constant threats posed by cyberattacks, the focus of attention in 2018 will primarily be on cyber protection for Industrial Control Systems (ICS), especially for such high-value assets as utilities, power grid substations, water plants, and wind farms. In short, there will be considerable attention paid to any kind of high-value system performing a critical, broad-interest function, and which might be exposed to the elements.

An interesting development is the potential for creating intelligent embedded computers that take advantage of ‘fog computing,’ an extension of the cloud computing metaphor that relates to the distribution of stored files while addressing latency and intermittency issues. In remote cloud computing, files are stored on servers that are presumably safeguarded against most cyberattacks, but there is still a possibility of having data hijacked, ransomed, or corrupted by the criminal-minded hacker. In fog computing, there is never a complete file available on any single server, but the file would be dispersed in packets across several servers. The advantage to this configuration is that only a legitimate user could have the know-how to reassemble a file back to completeness. This exciting technology holds the promise of providing a virtual defense from cyberattacks, and would make the IIo T considerably safer.

The IIo T Move to Next-Level Industrial Automation Although the Internet of Things (Io T) has long since established its popularity and pervasiveness in consumer technology, industrial applications and opportunities are only now coming to the forefront, and that will comprise another of the dominant 2018 trends in embedded computing. The move from PLCs to PC types of architectures is being spurred on by the next generation of machinery and equipment, which requires more flexibility and intelligence than the traditional PLC micro-controller can provide.

IIoT applications require real-time connectivity without latency or intermittent connectivity issues, along with industrial-grade equipment that can handle a factory environment, which means that hardware quality must be much higher than it typically is for consumer products. Processors built in 2018 will enable more and better industrial applications by combining hardware, data processing, data analytics, and storage in a physically close configuration that will provide cutting-edge industrial technology. From this, you can expect compact but full-featured CPUs in embedded computing products, which can vastly expand the capabilities of factory automation and the IIo T.