Summary of IoT Sessions at 2015 GSA Silicon Summit – Part I

Introduction:

This two-part article series summarizes the highlights, key points, and take-aways from the IoT tracks at the excellent GSA Silicon Summit, held April 15, 2015 at the Computer History Museum in Mt View, CA.

The Internet of Things (known as “IoT” or for Cisco, Qualcomm and others “IoE”) was the driving theme throughout this superb symposium. GSA says: “the IoT is driving the expectancy for ubiquitous connectivity and universal access to data, immersive technology is changing our expectations on how we interact with the physical and virtual worlds.”

The excellent GSA summit offered two intriguing IoT sessions this year. We review the morning IoT session in this article. Part II will summarize the afternoon IoT session.

The IoT and the Hyper-connected World:

• Gregg Bartlett, SVP, Product Management Group, GLOBALFOUNDRIES
• James Stansberry, SVP and GM, IoT Products, Silicon Labs
• Rahul Patel, SVP and GM, Wireless Connectivity, Broadcom
• Dr. Martin Scott, SVP and GM, Cryptography Research Division, Rambus

In the leadoff presentation, Gregg Bartlett opined that silicon technology will be an enabler of IoT innovation at the edge node. Areas to be improved include: reduced power consumption, cost, complexity, integration with other components, and security.

Gregg noted that the IoT already exists in many diverse market segments, such as: energy, home automation, healthcare, and factories. He said “the IoT demands continuation of Moore’s law” and offered a processing method called “fully depleted silicon on insulator” (ED-SOI) technology. Bartlett believes that ED-SOI could lead to breakthroughs in power, cost, and integration. “It’s ideal for IoT,” he added.

James Stanberry identified three critical issues for IoT in his talk titled Engineering the IoT:

• Energy efficiency IoT device uses only 10% of the power of a cell phone yet must operate for 5 to 10 years
• Connectivity- including WiFi (perhaps a low power version), Zigbee, BlueTooth, Thread (IP v6 addressable end nodes), 3G/LTE cellular, and proprietary wireless. 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and sub-GHz frequencies will all be used. (There’s also PoE and low cost Ethernet in connected cars)
• Level of integration- an IoT SoC might include: multi-protocol radios, MCU, sensor interface, energy management, non-volatile memory (NVM) and mixed signal control.

Stanberry said we should expect many IoT technology advancements in 2015, including:

• Dramatic reductions in energy consumption
• Low power connectivity as standards gain traction, and
• Introduction of IoT SoCs (this author believes that there will be many types of IoT SoCs, perhaps optimized for industry vertical markets)

Rahul Patel talked about Connecting Everything in Health Care, a vertical market where this author sees tremendous potential and power. Rahul defined three primary IoT markets:

• Consumer
• Industrial
• Health care/medical

Medical includes: Clinical Health, Telemedicine, Biometric, Medical Devices, etc. Patel said that VC funding for connected health increased over 400% in the last four years. Please refer to the chart below.
Notice that the leading segment for Connected Health VC funding has been big data/analytics and Rahul said that’s likely to continue in the future. He said that the intersection of IoT and big data/analytics would create new opportunities, citing body borne sensors and computing coupled with big data/analytics in the cloud (via software running on a compute server in a cloud resident data center).

IoT device requirements identified were:

• Data/network security, encryption, authentication
• Reliable, consistent across operations
• Interoperability across open standards based devices (this includes minimal protocol stacks as well as the PHY/MAC for connectivity)
• Compliance with regulatory bodies such as the FDA, NIC, FCC, FTC, etc.

Broadcom aims to be a major IoT player- not just at the end node, but also with analytics and “app ready” software (presumably for the cloud). Their emphasis, of course, will be on connectivity which Rahul said “will drive innovation like never before.” He cited security, reliability, standards driven, and regulatory compliance as key areas for innovation.

Summing up, Rahul said that:

• The IoT value proposition (presumably for Broadcom) lies in data and wireless connectivity
• Opportunities will inspire new technologies and business models
• Creates a new paradigm, “Healthcare in a connected world”

During the Question and Answer portion of the panel, Rahul said that the key silicon issue for IoT is the integration of CMOS Non-Volatile Memory (NOT Flash!) with RF functionality. When asked why not Flash, he said, “it doesn’t scale to the small geometries needed for IoT.

Dr. Martin Scott’s talk was titled: Secure Root-of-Trust- Feature Management Provides Foundational Security for the IoT.

Dr. Scott says we don’t even have to wait for the 50B+ connected devices in 2020 to be aware of the huge IoT security problem, which is evident today in unprecedented security breaches at all levels: Data Center, network and “edge,” as well as device “end points.”

Martin noted that all endpoints are not created equal. “Obviously, a refrigerator isn’t analogous to critical national infrastructure such as a power grid or pumping station. Nevertheless, the security of any complex system is defined by its weakest link,” he explained. “Imagine if someone gained unauthorized access to a home WiFi network via a smart refrigerator or washing machine. Once on the network, an attacker could theoretically assume control of a wide range of sensitive devices and systems, including pacemakers, insulin pumps and even connected cars.”

Security at the endpoint should be of paramount concern to IoT device makers, systems integrators and users. If a system relies on software, says Scott, it is inherently hackable. In contrast, a hardware-based approach, such as one offered by Rambus’ CryptoManager, is one of the most secure ways to protect sensitive keys, data and infrastructure.

Of the three levels of security depicted in the graphic below, the highest level is silicon-based security integrated into the IoT endpoint device (as Intel and Freescale claim they’re also doing).

Dr. Scott made some very important statements regarding the importance of good IoT security:

“It’s important for us to address the inevitable security vulnerabilities that go along with the rapid deployment of smart edge nodes and sensors. According to IDC, 90% of all IT networks will have an IoT-based security breach within two years. To make matters worse, there is fresh motivation for those seeking IoT-related vulnerabilities…”

“Money, greed and the desire for power are some of the usual suspects, although there are also people who are interested in exploiting security vulnerabilities and causing national harm as a way to express an ideology. The good news? Silicon, in the form of a hardware-based root-of-trust, can go a long way in helping to secure the IoT.”

Dr Scott concluded with a very informative slide depicting security in silicon:

About GSA:

The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) is the voice of the global semiconductor industry with nearly 400 member companies throughout 32 countries and representing over 75% of the industry revenues. GSA provides a neutral environment for semiconductor executives to meet and collaborate on ways to improve efficiencies and address industry wide topics and concerns.

Stay tuned for Part II –MEMS and Sensors, Shaping the Future of the IoT.