SANTA CLARA, CA /PRNewswire/ -- ARM TechCon -- Echelon Corp., a pioneer in control networking, and Marvell Technology Group Ltd., one of the world's leading semiconductor companies, announced their collaboration to bring industrial-grade Wi-Fi to applications in the emerging Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) market. To achieve this goal, Marvell will include elements of Echelon's new IzoT platform in its Easy Connect Software SDK for Marvell's 88MC200 Wi-Fi Microcontroller platform, and Echelon will add a range of Marvell-based Wi-Fi control modules to its catalog for the development of industrial-grade wireless devices.
Types of devices for the wireless IIoT will include sensors (devices that measure physical conditions), actuators (devices that take action such as closing a valve, reducing current flow, etc.) or controllers (devices with the intelligence to receive sensor data and tell various actuators what to do). In typical industrial environments, these devices have had to be wired due to safety, performance, security, and reliability concerns. These devices will also have to meet unique requirements, such as the ability to withstand harsh (noisy, dusty, wet, high- or low-temperature) physical conditions, sustain loss of connectivity to the Internet, operate with little or no human interaction, and perform mission-critical tasks with extremely high availability. Echelon's Marvell-powered Wi-Fi control modules will complement Echelon's award-winning power-line and Free Topology wired options for the IIoT market, giving industrial and commercial users greater flexibility in how they deploy such devices.
"For 25 years Echelon has been focused on what we are now calling the Industrial Internet of Things Market—rock-solid and scalable device connectivity with the industrial-grade qualities needed for mission-critical commercial and industrial environments," said Ron Sege, CEO and Chairman of Echelon. "By combining the capabilities of Echelon's IzoT platform with Marvell's innovative Wi-Fi solutions, developers can create wireless devices designed to work in challenging industrial environments."
Echelon's recently announced IzoT device software will be available as part of the Marvell Easy Connect software developer kit (SDK). Developers using Marvell's 88MC200 Wi-Fi Microcontroller platform and Easy Connect Software will be able to download the Echelon IzoT device software and build their device applications on top of it—thereby taking advantage of connectivity, control, and interoperability services required by industrial-grade communities of devices within the IIoT.
In 2014, Echelon plans to introduce its own IzoT-optimized Wi-Fi modules based on the Marvell 88MC200 Wi-Fi microcontroller platform and the industrial-grade Marvell 8801 Wi-Fi chip, with IIoT-specific I/O interfaces. By building on this pre-tested hardware/software module, Echelon customers who have long used Echelon's technology to build wired devices will easily be able to expand their portfolio to include wireless devices as well.
"I am very proud of Echelon's leadership in this big and growing Internet of Things market, with industrial-grade security and reliability solutions. I am also very pleased that Marvell is able to support Echelon in its latest innovative products," said Weili Dai, President and Co-Founder of Marvell. "With Marvell's industry-leading end-to-end capabilities from mobile communication to cloud infrastructure, storage, and video content delivery, I believe we will be able to support Echelon and other ecosystem partners to accelerate the rapid adoption of Internet of Things in today's Connected Lifestyle."
About Marvell
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. is a global leader in providing complete silicon solutions, enabling the digital connected lifestyle. From mobile communications to storage, cloud infrastructure, digital entertainment, and in-home content delivery, Marvell's diverse product portfolio aligns complete platform designs with industry-leading performance, security, reliability, and efficiency. At the core of the world's most powerful consumer, network, and enterprise systems, Marvell empowers partners and its customers to always stand at the forefront of innovation, performance, and mass appeal. By providing people around the world with mobility and ease of access to services, adding value to their social, private, and work lives, Marvell is committed to enhancing the human experience. As used in this release, the term "Marvell" refers to Marvell Technology Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries.
About Echelon
Echelon Corp., a pioneer in developing open-standard control networking platforms, delivers all the elements necessary to design, install, monitor, and control industrial-strength "communities of devices" within the lighting, building automation, grid, Internet of Things, "maker," and other markets worldwide. Echelon develops and sells complete systems and subsystems for target applications, plus system-on-chips (SoCs), embedded software, and commissioning and management tools for OEMs. With more than 100 million Echelon-powered devices installed worldwide, the company helps its customers easily and safely migrate existing control systems to the most modern platforms while bringing new devices and applications into an ever-growing global Industrial Internet. Echelon helps its customers reduce operational costs, enhance satisfaction and safety, grow revenues, and perform better in both established and emerging markets. More information about Echelon can be found on the company's blog.
Trademarks
Echelon and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corp. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Marvell and the M logo are registered trademarks of Marvell and/or its affiliates. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.