Develop secure IoT apps with the Atmel Certified-ID platform

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The Atmel Certified-ID security platform prevents unauthorized reconfiguration of an edge node to access protected resources on the network.

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Atmel has announced a comprehensive security platform that enables businesses of all sizes to assign certified and trusted identities to devices joining the secure Internet of Things. The Atmel Certified-ID security platform prevents unauthorized reconfiguration of an edge node to access protected resources on the network. This new platform is available on the Atmel SmartConnect Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart and ZigBee solutions that connect directly to Atmel Cloud Partners, providing a secure turnkey solution for IoT edge node-to-cloud connection.

The Atmel Certified-ID platform delivers a distributed key provisioning solution, leveraging internal key generation capabilities of the ATECC508A CryptoAuthentication device, without invoking large scale infrastructure and logistics costs. This platform even allows developers to create certified and trusted identities to any device before joining an IoT network.

With billions of devices anticipated by 2020 in the rapidly growing IoT market, security is a critical element to ensuring devices can safely and conveniently access protected assets through the Internet. Today, secure identities are commonly created through a centralized approach where IoT device keys and certificates are generated offline and managed in secure databases in Hardware Security Modules (HSM) to protect the keys. These keys are then programmed into the IoT devices by connecting the HSM to automation equipment during device manufacturing. This approach is indispensable in large deployments consisting of millions of devices. It can also entail significant upfront costs in infrastructure and logistics which must be amortized over a large number of devices for cost effectiveness.

By utilizing the unique internal key generation capabilities of ATECC508A device, the recently-unveiled platform enables decentralized secure key generation, making way for distributed IoT device provisioning regardless of scale. This method eliminates the upfront costs of the provisioning infrastructure which can pose a significant barrier in deploying devices in smaller scales. On top of that, developers will be able to create secure IoT devices compatible with partner cloud services and to securely join ecosystems.

Atmel is currently working with several cloud service companies, including Proximetry and Exosite, on the Certified-ID platform. These collaborations will give developers a wide range of ecosystem partners to choose from for a secure connection between the edge nodes and the IoT. Other partners will be announced as they are integrated in the Certified-ID platform.

“As a leader in the security space with a track record of over two decades, enabling secure networks of all sizes is our mission,” said Nuri Dagdeviren, Atmel Vice President and General Manager of Secure Products Group. “Streamlining secure processes and simplifying deployment of real world secure networks will be key to unlocking the potential and enabling rapid growth of IoT. We will continue delivering industry-leading solutions in security, a critical element in enabling billions of ‘things’ to be connected to the cloud.”

Atmel now offers security provisioning tool kits to enable independent provisioning for pilot programs or production runs when used in conjunction with the ATECC508A ICs. These devices are pre-provisioned with internally generated unique keys, associated certificates, and certification-ready authentication once it is connected to an IoT ecosystem.

Developers will need two kits to securely provision their gadgets: the AT88CKECCROOT tool kit, a ‘master template’ that creates and manages certificate root of trust in any ecosystem, and the AT88CKECCSIGNER tool kit, a production kit that enables partners to provision IoT devices.

The AT88CKECCSIGNER kit lets designers and manufacturers generate tamper-resistant keys and security certifications requiring hardware security in their IoT applications. These keys provide the level of trust demanded by network operators and allows system design houses to provision prototypes in-house—saving designers overall investment costs.

The tool kits also include an easy-to-use graphical user interface that allow everyone to seamlessly provision their IoT devices with secure keys and certificates without special expertise. With distributed provisioning, developers are not required to use expensive HSM for key management and certificate acquisition fees.

In addition to secure IoT provisioning, the new Certified-ID platform provides high-quality random number generation to guarantee a diverse set of public and private keys. It delivers solutions to a variety of IoT security needs including node anti-cloning protection, data confidentiality, secure boot, and secure firmware upgrades over-the-air. The tamper resistance built into the ATECC508A device continues to provide the desired protection even when the device is under physical attack.

Ready for the Internet of Trusted Things? Both the Atmel AT88CKECCROOT and AT88CKECCSIGNER are available today.

Atmel uses ANSYS simulation solutions to power the IoT

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IC and system simulation tools are enabling a power-efficient, cost-optimized and reliable Internet of Things ecosystem. 

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Atmel is currently using engineering simulation solutions from ANSYS to model, analyze and optimize our broad Internet of Things (IoT) product portfolio from scalable embedded MCUs and MPUs to wireless connectivity gateways.

Power consumption, data security and communication standards compliance are critical design requirements for connected applications. Striking an optimal balance among such concerns as power efficiency, antenna integration performance, security and cost is a key design challenge faced by engineers developing devices that are paving the way for the proliferation of IoT.

The industry-leading SmartConnect WINC1500 lEEE 802.11 b/g/n IoT network controller SoC along with the latest family of Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-M0+ MCUs deliver extreme low-power, compact size and comprehensive connectivity. The Atmel design team leveraged ANSYS HFSS, ANSYS RedHawk and ANSYS Totem to design and validate these complex SoCs and platforms used across multiple IoT application segments. ANSYS simulation solutions help enable the company to meet stringent power/performance requirements, ensure reliable operations across a wide-range of frequencies and deliver products with tight time-to-market constraints.

“As a leading provider of IoT solutions, we are committed to delivering the most comprehensive and highly integrated IoT solutions with world-class accuracy, performance, reliability and ease-of-use,” explained Marc Rougee, Atmel Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “ANSYS engineering simulation tools give us the confidence that the design of our products will meet our customers’ power and performance targets to enable next-generation secure and connected designs for IoT.”

For those unfamiliar with ANSYS, the Pittsburgh-based company provides clarity and insight to customers’ most complex design challenges through fast, accurate and reliable engineering simulation. Their technology allow organizations, spanning across a number of industries, to predict with confidence that their products will thrive in the real world.

“IoT is creating tremendous growth opportunities for the entire electronics ecosystem, from semiconductor manufacturing to systems integration to applications development. ANSYS is excited to be a partner to the Atmel design teams as they develop innovative technologies that fuel machine-to-machine communication and the industrial Internet,” added Aveek Sarkar, ANSYS Vice President.

Interested in learning more? Read the entire ANSYS announcement here. Otherwise, browse through Atmel’s extensive lineup of IoT solutions that are enabling a smarter, more secure connected world.

Atmel to showcase smart and securely connected solutions at Embedded World 2015

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Demonstrations to showcase Atmel | SMART and Atmel AVR MCUs and MPUs highlighted in a variety of technology zones.

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In a matter of days, Atmel will be showcasing a number of smart and securely connected solutions that will power next-generation Internet of Things (IoT) applications at Embedded World 2015 held in Nuremberg, Germany, February 24-27. These demos will be available in the company’s booth located in Hall 4A / Booth 4-230.

To better illustrate Atmel’s broad portfolio of IoT solutions, the demonstrations will be highlighted in several technology zones.

AUTOMOTIVE: As a leader in local interconnect networking (LIN) and automotive touch, Atmel is enabling smart, connected vehicles.

Atmel’s automotive technology pod will showcase the company’s broad automotive product portfolio for car access systems, networking, drivers, Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging (AVB), and the future of human machine interface (HMI) in next-generation center consoles. By popular demand, Atmel will also be showcasing its next-generation AvantCar concept demo, a host of passive entry car access solutions using Atmel’s latest and highly secure products, including AES encryption 125kHz LF and and RF technologies, along with its popular maXTouch and QTouch capacitive touch solutions. The Atmel | SMART SAM V71 ARM Cortex-M7-based MCU will also be highlighted in an automotive application to deliver the world’s highest performance Cortex-M-based Flash MCU, along with an automotive touch application powered by Atmel’s recently launched Touch Controller solution. And, a demonstration running Audioweaver from DSPConcepts showcasing the SAM V71 ARM Cortex-M7 processor-based MCU will also be exhibited in this zone.

INDUSTRIAL: Atmel provides leading-edge MCU- and MPU-based solutions for the smart, industrial market.

In the industrial technology pod, Atmel will showcase a variety of smart, secure and connected solutions for the industrial market powered by Atmel | SMART solutions including an Ultra home automation and smart fridge application running on the SAMA5D4 Xplained, and Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-A5 processor-based boards displaying HDMI video. Other industrial applications on display include a power supply temperature monitoring and cooling using an Atmel temperature sensor and an treadmill application featuring an Atmel | SMART SAMA5D4.

SMART LIVING: As a leading provider of smart and securely connected solutions, this technology zone showcases next-generation applications of modern living.

Highlighting the latest innovations for your living room, the Smart Living technology zone will highlight a number of applications ranging from a low-power Bluetooth beacon to a digital temperature sensor, a ZigBee-based smart lighting with cryptographic security (ATSHA204), and a secure IoT camera system featuring Atmel’s newly announced elliptic curve network security chip, the ATECC508A. See Atmel’s recently launched SIGFOX IoT solution, powered by Atmel’s ATA8520, communicating to the cloud while transmitting metering values, alarm signals and more. The company will also be showcasing the Atmel SmartConnect family, leveraging ultra-low power secure, wireless connectivity. A number of applications will be demoed including a weight scale, door bell with camera, Wi-Fi connected speaker, motion sensors on the window, smart plug, light bulb and gateway connected via ZigBee technologies—all controllable through a smart, mobile device. A QTouch-based water level sensing application showcasing advanced HMI and sensing capability will also be exhibited, along with a display demonstrating the world’s lowest power capacitive touch surface. Other demonstrations powered by Atmel’s maXTouch technologies and Atmel AVR MCU solutions showcasing ultra-low power smart, connected devices will be available in this zone.

CLOUD PARTNERS: Highlighting cloud platform partner solutions.

IoT requires a system-level solution encompassing the whole system, from the smallest edge/sensing node devices to the cloud. The company has partnered with best-in-class cloud partners that can support a variety of applications for both Tier-1 OEMs and smaller companies. Atmel has integrated the partners’ technology into the company’s cloud solutions framework adding the cloud platform functionality seamlessly to all of Atmel’s wireless MCU offerings, regardless of standards or transport technology. Come meet some of the cloud platform partner solutions from companies like PubNub, Proximetry and Arrayent that are available on Atmel wireless MCUs today.

POWERED BY ATMEL. Showcasing the latest gadgets and devices powered by Atmel technologies.

Highlighting the latest smartphones, tablets and wearables available today, everything from a wireless drive and narrative life logging camera to record your every step, to fitness bands, to Atmel’s latest MCU and touch technologies, will be on display. See ‘wear’ the market is headed next!

MAKERS: From Maker space to market place, this technology pod highlights Atmel enabling unlimited possibilities.

The Maker space showcases the well-received Arduino Wi-Fi Shield which enables rapid prototyping of Internet of Things (IoT) applications on the Arduino platform, and will be featured to highlight its simplicity for the professional and Maker communities. The company will also display a number of Maker demonstrations including a remote-controlled Maker Robot powered by the Atmel | SMART SAM D21 will be displayed. “Mr. Abot” is controlled through an Android app and the communications driven through Atmel’s recently announced WINC1500 Wi-Fi solution.

Additionally, Atmel’s resident security expert Kerry Maletsky will be presenting “Making IoT a Reality – Leveraging Hardware Security Devices” on February 25 from 12-12:30 pm CET (Session 09/I).

And for those of you waiting to see the one-and-only AVR Man, you’re in luck. The embedded community’s favorite superhero will be in attendance!

Atmel teams with ARM on IoT Development Platform

Atmel is joining forces with ARM on the mbed device platform for the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT).

This partnership broadens the ecosystem support for developers using Atmel’s portfolio of secure, low-power and cost-effective wireless connectivity solutions, specifically the Atmel SmartConnect Wi-Fi and 802.15.4-compliant solutions. Additionally, IoT developers for smart wearables, connected appliances, home automation systems and more can now bring their products faster to market.

Built around open standards, the mbed platform combines Internet protocols, security and standards-based manageability into one integrated system, and gathers silicon, cloud and device partners in one community. Atmel | SMART SAMR21 and WINC1500 customers now gain access to the mbed OS software platform, which includes command-line tools, a low-power HAL, as well as advanced networking protocols like 6LoWPAN and Thread to significantly accelerate IoT development.

“The ARM mbed IoT Device Platform simplifies the development and deployment of next-generation IoT devices and cloud services,” said Krisztian Flautner, ARM General Manager, IoT Business. “The integration of Atmel’s wireless technology with the mbed platform allows IoT developers to rapidly create devices that communicate across a mesh network with cloud services. This will drive the acceleration of the IoT in consumers and industrial markets.”

“As a leader in the IoT market, Atmel is committed to enabling developers of all levels the opportunity to bring their IoT devices quickly to market,” explained Steve Pancoast, Atmel Vice President of Software Applications, Tools and Development. “In this fragmented market place, we are leading the charge to bring easy-to-use hardware, software, development tools and platform solutions to market and enabling our IoT developers more time to focus on critical features in their design. By partnering with ARM on their mbed platform, we’ve taken another step towards making the 50 billion devices for the IoT market a reality.”

Those interested in learning more about the ARM mbed platform can head over to its official page here.

Atmel expands SmartConnect portfolio with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi SoCs and modules

Atmel has expanded its leading SmartConnect wireless portfolio with four new turnkey system-on-chips (SoCs): the WILC1000 and WINC1500. Each SoC extends the company’s already broad portfolio of wireless connectivity options with the latest 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi capability, seamlessly integrating Newport Media’s (NMI) solutions in just two months.

If you recall, NMI was acquired back in July 2014, thereby enabling Atmel to offer designers and Makers the industry’s most comprehensive wireless portfolio of smart, connected devices for the growing Internet of Things (IoT). The acquisition immediately added 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to its existing offerings and has accelerated the company’s introduction of low-energy Bluetooth products, Atmel CEO Steve Laub recently explained. “Combined with our existing Wi-Fi and ZigBee solutions and industry leading microcontroller portfolio, Atmel is positioned for substantial growth in the Internet of Things marketplace.”

Both wireless solutions are compatible with existing Atmel microcontroller solutions and can connect to all Atmel AVR or Atmel | SMART MCUs. The new WINC1500 is an IEEE 802.11b/g/n IoT network controller, while the WILC1000 is an IEEE 802.11b/g/n IoT link controller.

Expanding on Atmel’s Wi-Fi offering, the WILC1000 and WINC1500 are SoC solutions optimized for battery-powered IoT applications. These wireless SoCs feature fully-integrated power amplifiers for the industry’s best communication range, without compromising cost or performance. Both the WILC1000 and WINC1500 are add-on solutions which can connect to any Atmel MCU or eMPU targeting a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT), consumer and industrial applications. Both products are available either as fully-certified modules ready for production to accelerate a designer’s time-to-market or as discrete SoCs for customers requiring the highest design flexibility.

“Atmel is excited to offer one of the broadest portfolios of differentiated wireless MCU solutions in the industry to further enable more smart, connected devices in the era of the Internet of Things,” said Kaivan Karimi, Atmel Vice President of Wireless Solutions. “Connected devices that were once a concept are becoming a reality because of innovations that are allowing devices to be smaller, easier to use, faster and more powerful—but are lower in power and optimized for battery operations. When these products are paired with Atmel’s broad portfolio of products, along with comprehensive technologies, OEMs and small developers are allowed to streamline the production of the next wave of IoT devices.”

Atmel’s SmartConnect family can be connected to any ultra-low power MCUs or eMPUs and wireless connectivity solutions into an easy, turnkey IoT solution. SmartConnect enables Wi-Fi Internet connectivity using ultra-low power for IoT edge/sensing nodes markets, therefore reducing overall bill of materials. In addition, the latest solutions accelerate development time for cost-effective, battery-operated applications in the residential, healthcare, industrial, smart energy and wearable markets.

As Reza Kazerounian, Senior Vice President and General Manager, MCU Business Unit at Atmel, previously noted, ultra-low power wireless connectivity is critical for embedded applications in the era of IoT.  “[That is why] Atmel’s SmartConnect technology is about simplifying the use of embedded wireless connectivity technologies and enabling users to accelerate their time-to-market. This simplicity allows all players to participate in the IoT market, fueling the innovation needed to accelerate adoption.”

The WILC1000 and WINC1500 provide multiple peripheral interfaces such as UART, SPI, SDIO and I2C. The only external clock source needed is a high-speed crystal or oscillator with a wide variety of reference clock frequencies supported (between 12 – 50 MHz) and are IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, RF, Baseband, MAC certified.

Key features of the Atmel WILC1000, which can be found on its preliminary datasheet ready for download, include:

• IEEE 802.11 b/g/n RF/PH/MAC SoC
• IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (1×1) for up to 72Mbps
• Single spatial stream in 2.5Ghz RF band
• Integrated PA and T/R Switch
• Superior Sensitivity and Range via advanced PHY signal processing
• Advanced Equalization and Channel Estimation
• Advanced Carrier and Timing Synchronization
• Wi-Fi Direct and Soft-AP support
• Supports IEEE 802.11 WEP, WPA, WPA2 Security
• Supports China WAPI security
• Superior MAC throughput via hardware accelerated two-level A-MSDU/A-MPDU frame aggregation and block acknowledgement
• On-chip memory management engine to reduce host load
• SPI and SDIO host interfaces
• 2/3/4-wire Bluetooth coexistence interface

Key features of the Atmel WINC1500, whose preliminary datasheet can also be found here, include:

• IEEE 802.11 b/g/n RF/PH/MAC SOC
• IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (1×1) for up to 72Mbps
• Single spatial stream in 2.5Ghz RF band
• Integrated PA and T/R Switch
• Superior Sensitivity and Range via advanced PHY signal processing  Wi-Fi Direct and Soft-AP support
• Supports IEEE 802.11 WEP, WPA, WPA2 Security
• On-chip memory management engine to reduce host load
• 4Mbit internal Flash memory for system software
• SPI, UART and I2C as host interfaces
• Power save modes
  • 3μA deep sleep mode
  • 600μA standby mode (state is preserved)
  • On-chip low power sleep oscillator
  • Fast host wake-up by chip pin or clock-less transaction
• Fast boot options
  • On-Chip Boot ROM (Firmware instant boot)
  • SPI flash boot (firmware patches and state variables)
  • Low-leakage on-chip memory for state variables (next chip revision)
  • No SPI flash is needed if firmware patches and state variables can be loaded from MCU at boot time
  • Fast AP Re-Association (150ms)
• On-Chip Network Stack to offload MCU
  • Integrated Network IP stack to minimize host CPU requirements
  • Network features TCP, UDP, DHCP, ARP, HTTP, SSL, and DNS
• TCP/IP protocol stack (client/server) sockets applications
• Wi-Fi security WEP, WPA, WPA2 and WPS
• Advanced Equalization and Channel Estimation
• Advanced Carrier and Timing Synchronization
• Wi-Fi Direct and Soft-AP support
• Network protocols (DHCP/DNS)
• WSC (wireless simple configuration WPS)
• No OS small footprint host driver (4KB flash – less than 1KB RAM)

Interested in the newest members of the SmartConnect family? The WILC1000 and WINC1500 are both now available — WILC1000 as a chip and three different modules; the WINC1500 as a chip and a module, with an evaluation kit featuring Atmel’s SAM D21 MCU.

 

 

Arduino and Atmel launch the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101

Following an exciting two days of MakerCon and on the eve of Maker Faire, the team of Atmel and Arduino have announced the launch of the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101, a shield that enables rapid prototyping of Internet of Things (IoT) applications on the highly-popular open-source platform.

The cost-effective, secure Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 is an easy-to-use extension that can seamlessly be connected to any Arduino board enabling high-performance Wi-Fi connectivity. This new shield gives the design community more opportunities to securely connect IoT applications, ranging from consumer goods to wearables, robotics, high-tech devices and more.

The Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 is powered by Atmel’s wireless network controller, part of the Atmel SmartConnect family, and also includes the CryptoAuthentication device which allows users to easily incorporate hardware authentication capability in their design.

“In this increasingly connected world, the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 will help drive more inventions in the IoT market,” explained Arduino Co-Founder Massimo Banzi. “Expanding our portfolio of Arduino extensions, this new shield can flawlessly connect to any modern Arduino board giving our community more options for connectivity, along with added security elements to their creative projects.”

Makers can connect the Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 to any modern Arduino R3 board, enabling connectivity to the Internet using any traditional Wi-Fi access points. It is based on the WINC1500 802.11b/g/n network controller which features an integrated TCP/IP stack, TLS security and SoftAP for seamless provisioning. It also features an Atmel authentication security device that can be used for keys, passwords or secret data.

In true Arduino fashion, every element of the platform – hardware, software and documentation – is freely available and open-source. This offers the Maker community to discover exactly how it’s made and then to utilize its design as the starting point for their own circuits. An open-source Wi-Fi library will also be available to enable users to write sketches that connect to the Internet using the shield. The newly-unveiled shield connects to an Arduino board using long wire-wrap headers which extend through the shield, thus keeping the pin layout intact and allows other shields to be stacked on top.

“Through our long standing partnership with Arduino, Atmel is committed to the Maker Movement and excited to enable more connected devices in the Internet of Things,” said Reza Kazerounian, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Atmel. “We’ve partnered with Arduino to develop a true turn-key IoT solution that will allow the community to create unlimited possibilities. We are eager to see the breadth of next-generation IoT products that this new shield will help designers achieve.”

For those heading to World Maker Faire New York, swing by booth #EP24 to get a firsthand look at the Wi-Fi Shield 101. Additionally, Arduino and Atmel will be hosting a Meet & Greet to discuss this jointly-developed shield on Friday, September 19 from 6:30 – 8:30pm ET at NY Hall of Science. Arduino’s Massimo Banzi and Atmel’s Reza Kazerounian will be speaking at this event and a number of innovative Maker demos will also be showcased. To attend, please RSVP to pr@atmel.com.

Since 2005, a worldwide community of Makers has gathered around this open source platform. And, Atmel microcontrollers were there from the outset, providing simple but powerful microcontrollers (MCUs) as the hardware side of the equation. Artists, designers, inventors, engineers, musicians and students alike have turned to Arduino boards — designed around Atmel AVR or Atmel ARM-based MCUs — to bring their ideas to life.

By delivering a unique combination of performance, power efficiency and design flexibility, Atmel MCUs perfectly complement Arduino and the needs of makers. More importantly, they come virtually pre-integrated the peripherals needed to sense and control the physical world. Atmel MCUs and Arduino—the original duo at the heart of the global maker movement. The just-announced shield will provide secure Wi-Fi connectivity for all Arduino platforms, thereby enabling unlimited possibilities for smart, connected IoT devices.

Atmel strengthens its IoT leadership

Atmel today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Newport Media, Inc., a leading provider of high performance low power Wi-Fi and Bluetooth solutions, that will enable Atmel to offer designers and Makers the industry’s most complete wireless portfolio of smart, connected devices for the Internet of Things (IoT).

“This acquisition immediately adds 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to our offerings and will accelerate our introduction of low-energy Bluetooth products,” explains Atmel CEO Steve Laub. “Combined with our existing Wi-Fi and Zigbee solutions and industry leading microcontroller portfolio, Atmel is positioned for substantial growth in the Internet of Things marketplace.”

Expanding Atmel’s already broad SmartConnect™ wireless portfolio, NMI’s 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth certified products offer innovative, highly integrated solutions that will accelerate seamless communication and connectivity for the Internet of Things. NMI’s products combined with Atmel’s ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCUs) are designed for a broad spectrum of applications including industrial, home and building automation, and consumer products requiring smaller form factors and longer battery life.

Analysts at IDC recently confirmed the arrival of a connected future as the worldwide market for IoT solutions is expected to increase from $1.9 trillion in 2013 to a staggering $7.1 trillion in 2020.

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, Atmel is well-positioned to benefit from the rapidly evolving Internet of Things. According to Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Andrew Uerkwitz, Atmel is one of a handful of companies that makes MCUs that will increasingly be in demand, with today’s announcement further bolstering its leadership position in the IoT market.

Interested in learning more about the IoT? You’ll want to check out our extensive Bits & Pieces IoT article archive here.

Atmel looks back at Q1 2014 wins and launches

Yesterday, Atmel execs detailed the company’s Q1 2014 highlights. Key launches, collaborative projects and product wins spanned multiple markets, including:

Winning with maXTouch (smartphones) – LG’s G Pro 2, G2 Mini and L Series 3 L90; Verizon’s Lucid 3, Xiaomi’s RedRice 5.5″, Gionee’s Elife S5.5 and ZTE’s Grand S Lite.

Winning with maXTouch (Android and Windows 8 tablets) – Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4 10.1,” Galaxy Tab 12.2,” Galaxy Note 12.2″ and HP’s EliteBook 1000 G2.

Collaborating with Corning – Developing ultra-thin, next-generation capacitive touchscreens using Gorilla Glass and XSense.

Working with Mentor Graphics – Accelerating development of next-gen IoT devices using Atmel’s ARM-based Cortex M3 and M4 based microcontrollers under the auspices of the Embedded Nucleus Innovate Program.

Launching maXTouch 1066T and 1068T – Extending product leadership in the large screen capacitive touch market with devices targeted at 7″ – 8.9″ high performance tablets.

Introducing the new automotive maXTouch S lineup – Targeting touchscreens up to 14″ in center consoles, navigation systems, radio interfaces and rear-seat entertainment systems.

Debuting the SmartConnect platform – Integrating Atmel’s ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCUs) and wireless connectivity solutions into turnkey solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Introducing new low-power ARM Cortex M0+ microcontrollers (SAM D21, D10 and D11) – Offering Atmel’s peripheral event system, support for capacitive touch button, slider and wheel user interfaces, multiple serial communications modules, along with a full-speed USB interface, as well as additional pin and memory combinations.

Unveiling new $79 SAMA5D3 Xplained evaluation kit – Providing a low-cost, fast prototyping and evaluation platform for microprocessor-based design built around Atmel’s SAMA5D3 ARM Cortex-A5 processor-based MPU.

Xplaining 8-bit development– Offering a development board for Makers and engineers based on Atmel’s 8-bit AVR technology.

Launching the ATPL230A – Introducing a Power Line Communications (PLC) modem designed to implement the physical layer of the PRIME standard (Power Line Intelligent Metrology Evolution).

Rolling out Atmel Studio 6.2 – Upgrading the popular integrated development environment for Atmel AVR and ARM based microcontrollers.

Ramping up with LIN – Extending Atmel’s automotive in-vehicle networking leadership position with the launch of next-generation, low-power local interconnect networking (LIN) systems.

Atmel’s IoT SmartConnect is on HackADay

Atmel recently expanded its wireless product portfolio with a new family of solutions targeting the rapidly evolving Internet of Things (IoT).

Essentially, the new SmartConnect family combines Atmel’s ultra-low power MCUs with its wireless solutions and complementary software into a single package, allowing designers to easily add wireless connectivity to any embedded system. This new lineup includes Atmel’s SmartConnect Wi-Fi modules, an integration of the company’s ultra-low power Wi-Fi System-on-Chip with a Cortex M0+ ARM-based MCU, and the SmartConnect ZigBee SAM R21, a single-chip integrating Atmel’s ultra-low power ZigBee solution with a Cortex-M0+-based MCU.

Earlier this week, HackADay’s Eric Evenchick talked with Atmel reps about the new SmartConnect family. In his subsequent coverage, EvenChick wrote:

“SmartConnect moves beyond the point-to-point nature of WiFi Direct, and enables connections to standard access points. The SmartConnect series is designed for embedding in low cost devices that need to connect to a network… The first devices in the SmartConnect line will be modules based on two chips: an Atmel SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ microcontroller and an Ozmo 3000 WiFi System on Chip. There’s also an on-board antenna and RF shielding can. It’s a drop in WiFi module, which is certified by the FCC. You can hook up your microcontroller to this device over SPI, and have a fully certified design that supports WiFi.”

As Evenchick notes, there are two ways to use the module.

“The first is as an add-on, which is similar to existing modules. A host microcontroller communicates with the module over SPI and utilizes its command set. The second method uses the module as a standalone device, with application code running on the internal SAMD21 microcontroller,” he explained.

“Atmel has said that the standalone option will only be available on a case to case basis, but we’re hoping this opens up to everyone. If the Arduino toolchain could target this microcontroller, it could be a great development platform for cheap WiFi devices.”

Evenchick also pointed out that there are some notable differences between Atmel’s WiFi module and other platforms on the market.

“One major feature is the built in support for TLS and HTTPS, which makes it easier to build devices with secure connections. This is critical when deploying devices that are connected over the Internet. [Plus], Atmel [announced] improvements in power management as well,” he continued.

“The module can run straight from a battery at 1.8 V to 3.3 V without external regulation, and has a deep sleep current of 5 nA. Obviously the operating power will be much higher, but this will greatly assist devices that sporadically connect to the internet. SmartConnect is targeting a launch date of June 15, so we hope to learn more this summer.”

Interested in reading more about Atmel’s SmartConnect lineup? You can check out HackADay’s full write up here and our original Bits & Pieces SmartConnect article here.

Day 1: Atmel @ Embedded World (Part 1)

Atmel kicked off Day 1 of Embedded World with a media event on the train between Munich and Nuremberg.

It wasn’t long before Atmel’s booth, located in Hall 4A/4A-220, was also jam-packed with industry insiders, analysts and journalists who came to check out our recently launched products and extensive lineup of interactive demos.

To be sure, Atmel announced a slew of new products at the show including a SAMA5D3 Xplained board with Newwark element14, 6 new 4k-16k Flash devices for its flagship AVR Mega MCU family, an expanded SAM D Cortex M0+ portfolio, SmartConnect for the IoT, a low-power LIN System Basis Chip (SBC) and two new maXTouch touchscreen controllers.

In addition, Atmel announced the winners of its AVR Hero Design Contest: Sumit Grover, Juan Luis Gonzalez, Rahul Karr and Pamungkas Sumasta, who received the grand prize for his AVR-Arduino Inertial Mobile Phone Unit.

Tomorrow, Atmel’s low-power MCU Expert Bob Martin is scheduled to present “Differentiating and Optimizing for Static and Active Microcontroller Modes” during the hands-on workshop: “Applying Optimizing Techniques for Ultra-low Power Microcontrollers” (Class 07, Wednesday, February 26). In this 9:00 am – 5:00 pm CET day-long session, Martin will be presenting at 9:15 am CET. So be sure to stay tuned for more updates from Bits & Pieces! Note: Part two of this series can be viewed here.