Telecommuting and home entertainment are the new normal

When governments around the world implemented lockdowns due to the pandemic, they instructed people to work from home as much as possible. Companies have rushed to build new systems and processes to allow people to work from home.

Originally seen as a short-term measure for lockdown periods, working from home has turned out to be an efficient way to work and is one of the few positive changes that the pandemic has caused. You can build a truly win-win relationship that is convenient for both employees and the company. No more commuting time, so you have more time to spend with your family and enjoy leisure activities.

Companies can save money by reducing the workspace of their employees. I also noticed that companies and their employees can do the same work while saving the cost, time and effort required for business trips by holding web conferences using tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype.

Working from home will continue as it benefits both employees and companies. This means an increasing demand for technology that allows computers and communication devices to function efficiently and effectively. FTTH (Fibre-to-the-home) and Wi-Fi® 6 routers will become popular as telecommuting requires high internet bandwidth. Rumors about the end of the PC era have also been proven false, as demand for home computing equipment increases. Furthermore, the market for peripheral devices for comfortable and efficient telecommuting and for high-performance smartphones is expected to grow significantly.

Many consumer computing and communication devices store their boot code in robust NOR flash or NAND flash. Winbond's commitment to developing QspiNAND flash technology is leveraged here. QspiNAND Flash is a lower cost alternative to traditional NOR Flash for storing 512Mbits or more of code. QspiNAND Flash products can provide high-speed read and write performance for code shadowing operations in a small package with low pin count, saving board space and cost for OEMs. The benefits of reduced board space and cost are also realized in the low pin count HyperRAM ^TM memory used in space-saving computing peripherals such as wireless headsets and true wireless earbuds.

Another phenomenon that is expected to continue after COVID-19 is the demand for advanced technology for home entertainment. With video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime becoming more popular, Winbond predicts there will be demand for 8K TVs for an immersive home cinema experience. Winbond LPDDR3 is perfect for this. A single LPDDR3 can replace multiple ICs in T-CON modules for 8K TVs, greatly reducing space and cost.

In the name of preventing the spread of infection, infringement of personal privacy is socially acceptable more than ever.

Privacy standards vary from country to country, but governments are more likely to be able to access personal data and obtain data on infected people and close contacts if necessary to prevent Covid-19 and other infectious diseases. seen all over the world. Already, smartphone apps are being used to identify people who have been in contact with an infected person. The future will see the development of even more intrusive technologies, such as IP cameras in public spaces and camera-equipped drones that monitor compliance with social distancing regulations.

However, while the use of personal information is permitted for medical purposes, the misuse or abuse of data is not permitted. This will increase demand for proven security components that protect electronic devices such as cameras from attacks such as tampering and hacking.

Security and cryptography are commonly recognized as features implemented in high-end digital systems such as microcontrollers, secure elements and microprocessors.

However, security requirements must also be considered in the system design of external memory that stores boot code and personal data. Winbond Electronics anticipated this requirement for secure code storage and developed the TrustME® Secure Flash memory product. The latest TrustME ^® product, W77Q, features "security by design" to protect IoT devices from remote software attacks. W77Q provides hardware root-of-trust and secure encrypted data storage and data transfer capabilities. Robust, end-to-end security for IoT devices to:

• Secure code updates over an "end-to-end" secure channel between the host entity and the W77Q over the network, even if the memory-utilizing host processor or SoC is compromised (e.g. OTA updates)
• Secure Boot and Root-of-Trust
• Authenticated and encrypted data transfer between flash memory and host
• Securely fetch and execute boot code and application code (eXecution-in-Place; XiP)
• Consistent security capabilities of protection, anomaly detection, and recovery to support system resiliency

Winbond Electronics' DRAMs also meet the emerging needs of manufacturers of surveillance cameras, IP cameras and camera-equipped drones. The latest LPDDR3 DRAM provides these video devices as well as 8K TVs with the high bandwidth needed for high-definition video systems. And it's easier to integrate into end products than LPDDR4 and LPDDR5.

Rapid growth of robots and AI reduces opportunities for human labor

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how dependent some companies are on their workers. In the future, more companies will implement more flexible systems that eliminate the need for human workers in certain locations.

Additionally, by reducing the number of workers required at each site, organizations will find it easier to practice social distancing at work.

This move in robotics adoption, fueled by increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies, will drive demand for high-speed microprocessors (MPUs) and graphics processors (GPUs). In addition, the sophisticated and complex software running on these devices drives the market for high-capacity, high-bandwidth code storage devices.

Winbond Electronics had a long-term strategic plan and expected this demand to grow even before the current market conditions led to increased interest in AI and robotics. One example is the development of OctalNAND flash memory.

The first OctalNAND Flash device, the 1Gbit W35N01JW, offers the fastest read performance ever in NAND Flash technology. Sequential read throughput is 240MB/s, 3x faster than the W25N-JW QspiNAND flash family. Moreover, it is 10 times faster than common serial NAND flash on the market.

In other words, using OctalNAND flash as a replacement for Octal NOR flash should not be a problem in terms of read performance. Furthermore, the unit price per bit is lower than that of NOR flash in the capacity range of 512 Mbits or more. Winbond OctalNAND Flash is therefore an ideal replacement for Octal NOR Flash, which is used to store large code bases in robots and other systems that utilize AI and machine learning capabilities.

Predicting memory requirements from megatrends

In 2020, the world is focused on the Covid-19 medical crisis, but we should also focus on work style reforms and changes in technology operations caused by the pandemic. By carefully analyzing market requirements and understanding end-user behavior, Winbond Electronics strives to develop superior memory products to better support our customers in the post-corona era. From QspiNAND Flash to TrustME ^® Secure Flash Memory to LPDDR DRAM, Winbond has memory products that meet society's needs.

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