EU to pursue smart system R&D

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The European Union is launching a three-year, $13 million effort to develop standards for smart systems that will be coordinated by STMicroelectronics.

The initiative comes several weeks after a similar U.S. announcement to pursue smart systems in a national effort coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Smart systems combine digital computers, analog electronics, RF devices, MEMS and other sensors along with actuators, power sources and wireless communication capabilities into software-driven applications ranging from humanoid robots to smartphones. Smart systesm are often cobbled together; the EU and the U.S. want to standardize smart systems in order to create an ecosystem of interoperable devices and software modules that vendors can commericialize.

Called the "SMArt systems Co-design" program, SMAC will create a design and integration platform that lowers costs and time-to-market for smart systems development. Applications would include energy, automotive, healthcare, factory automation and consumer electronics. Program officials have singled out advanced packaging technologies like system-in-package and chip stacking (3D IC) as particularly important, but will integrate all levels of the development effort into a single platform.

"The SMAC project will give European industry an advantage in exploiting the potential of smart systems," said Salvatore Rinaudo, SMAC project coordinator and R&D director at STMicroelectronics.

Along with ST, the SMAC platform will be co-designed by Philips Medical Systems, ON Semiconductor Belgium, Agilent Technologies Belgium, Coventor Sarl, MunEDA and EDALab, among others.