It’s that time of year, readers – 2023 is coming to a close, and we’re already deep in that cozy, year-in-review type of mindset.
Regarding the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) specifically, we’ve seen a lot happen. (Editor’s note: I’ve phrased it that way because it’s one matter to talk about, well, what’s been talked about. It’s another matter to lay out what has actually happened. “Words are words, and actions are actions,” to quote many a deep news dive from PDS. That’s what’s most important.)
Innovators' actions throughout 2023 have demonstrated that IIoT is far from just a tech-world buzzword. IIoT innovations have reshaped how industries are operating and interacting with groundbreaking technologies, ranging from enterprise-grade sensors to AI/ML integrations, to robust connectivity solutions for factories and warehouse operations and much, much more.
Given a lot has happened advancement-wise across manufacturing, supply chain management, automation and the rest of the industrial landscape, let’s take a moment to look back at an IIoT company we spent some time with earlier this year:
Semitech Semiconductor.
The M.O. of Semitech Semiconductor? Create powerful semiconductor devices (and other embedded system products) that enable real transformation. Specializing in narrowband powerline communication (NB PLC), Semitech’s modules and chips help to transform existing infrastructure with “smarter” grid ambitions in mind. We’re talking smarter streetlights for safer roads and more secure public areas, cost-effective electric vehicle (EV) charging and conscientious electricity spending as a whole, and the utilization of IIoT to enable compliant scalability over the coming years.
Though you’re reading this on our Industrial IoT News hub, I first dove into all things Semitech Semiconductor on one of our sister sites, Smart City Sentinel. There, the IIoT applications that Semitech specializes in were deeply explored, along with insights from the company’s CEO, Zeev Collin. After speaking at length with Collin, it became clear how Semitech consistently finds the sweet spots in industrial applications to deliver core technologies for transportation, smart grid implementations, and alternative energy solutions. (Read that story in full here.)
Later on, Industrial IoT News covered additional Semitech-centric stories; namely, the IIoT provider’s dual-mode communication platform and its SM2400 PLC+RF design module receiving official certification from the G3-Alliance.
Created in 2011 to standardize global technologies, the G3-Alliance consortium’s Hybrid PLC+RF specifications are, per G3-Alliance itself, “the first industry hybrid standard that covers extended capabilities for smart grid and applications in IoT/IIoT.” Certification from this entity validates platforms and, ultimately, their conformance to rigorous G3-Alliance Hybrid specifications. This also assures true interoperability when using Semitech’s solution in G3-Hybrid networks, which is crucial considering how fragmented IIoT spaces can often be. That even ties into another Semitech piece; this covered more in reference to its SM2400 PLC solution and its wider availability, courtesy of MikroElektronika. (More here and here for those stories.)
In terms of technical specs and benefits, the SM2400 offers:
- A highly flexible, programmable single-chip PLC modem ideal for addressing standard evolution, new standards and special application-specific communication schemes
- High-noise agility
- A multitude of operation modes addressing all common narrowband PLC standards – including IEEE 1901.2, G3-PLC, PRIME, PLC4TRUCKS (SAE-J2497), ANSI-709.2
- Proprietary modes of communication optimized for extremely noisy power line environments and for extended data rates exceeding 600kbps
Overall, as Collin expressed, “The Industrial Internet of Things spans myriad applications, but there’s a lot of basic commonality in terms of needing cost-effective solutions. That is what we at Semitech Semiconductor provide, even in environments where interconnectivity might not be seen as conducive.”
Working on the forefront of real IIoT innovation, stories like these instill even more confidence and support what the industry’s future continues to hold.
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Edited by
Greg Tavarez
