The cost pressure on Aerospace & Defense manufacturers has grown tremendously. As a result, major obstacles for these industries include software components reusability, untangling of integration complexity, and facilitating after-sales updates and upgrades. These issues are always intertwined with aspects of safety, security and certification. Using commercial off the shelf platforms will help overcome these obstacles.
Looking at the new connectivity and feature requirements for modern automobiles, the average number of electronic platforms used in today's models is increasing dramatically. Integration complexity has become a major task and major point of failure. Reducing this complexity through advanced software technology will lead the new developments in the R&D labs of automotive manufacturers and their major tier-one suppliers.
Product life-cycles in the industrial automation and medical market typically exceed 10 years. These life-cycles don´t fit to the very limited delivery guarantees from the semiconductor industry, so hardware obsolescence is a major issue. One solution to that problem is to extend use by basing new applications on open-standards to minimize hardware dependency and therefore improve software reusability. This approach helps to leverage existing investments.
The connectivity requirements of our modern world are still rising and so is the need for more complex and more reliable network infrastructure. The reliability of the wireless router at home becomes as important as the nearest UMTS base station because wireless IP telephony lies ahead. Beyond reliability for these devices, their security mechanism are critical as well, because it is critical to secure personal data that is continuously sent across networks.
The convergence of consumer electronic functionality is leading this industry. A cellular phone today combines functionalities of an MP3 player, a camera, a PDA and, of course, a mobile phone. Every consumer device is becoming a multi-media, multi-connectivity and multi-functional device. Meanwhile, the tough and large competitor landscape is putting a lot of pressure on cost-effective innovations.
