According to industry insiders, in line with the megatrends of intelligence and edge AI applications, Taiwanese MCU makers will explore AI MCU business opportunities and integrate with AI to create more new edge AI markets and applications. It is said that it is focusing on the development of the MCU that has been developed.
Taiwanese MCU suppliers have been working on consumer electronics applications for many years, but see an opportunity in the edge AI market as consumer electronics devices gradually become more intelligent with AI capabilities, according to people familiar with the matter. However, the complexity of AI chip design, the need for big data analysis and deep learning algorithms are making it increasingly difficult to enter the AI application market, the officials continued.
Among the suppliers, Holtec Semiconductor plans to release various module solutions combining MCUs and sensors in 2023. According to the company, this strategy aims not only to strengthen product differentiation, but also to increase the added value of MCUs according to market trends and needs. sauce.
Holtek said it is also developing products related to edge AI computing, such as blood oximeters and health measurement devices with different specifications with different pressure, velocity and flow requirements.
Another MCU maker, Nuvoton Technology, has a long history in the edge AI field, focusing on industrial applications such as industrial noise detection, which can be improved to some extent by AI MCUs.
Nuvoton said AI server applications are gaining traction and will grow exponentially over the next few years, which will have a positive impact on the company’s overall business operations. The company and Microsoft are jointly developing a remote server BMC (baseboard management controller) solution, which is expected to start contributing to revenue in 2024.
Nuvoton noted that the company and Microsoft will continue to assess the feasibility of developing other AI-related application markets as customers’ demands for information security are higher than ever.
Industry insiders also said edge AI computing can reduce data latency and save cloud computing costs. Combining MCUs and edge AI applications will allow devices to be processed directly on the front end without sending them to the cloud, promising new business opportunities if Taiwanese MCU manufacturers continue to advance into the AI MCU segment. the source stressed. .
