Look ahead to Oct. 2010 global semicon sales: Cowan LRA model

This is a continuation of my coverage of the fortunes of the global semiconductor industry. I would like to acknowledge and thank Mike Cowan, an independent semiconductor analyst and developer of the Cowan LRA model, who has provided me the latest numbers.

October 2010's "actual" global semiconductor sales is scheduled to be released by the WSTS, via its monthly HBR (Historical Billings Report), on or about December 3rd.

(Note - the WSTS will supposedly publish its annual Autumn forecast numbers on Nov 30th. This is a deviation from its past, normal practice when it had been typically released during the middle of November. The SIA's Fall annual forecast announcement was published earlier, on Nov. 4, 2010)

It should be highlighted that October's "actual" sales result will play a role in whether the overall year 2010 sales reaches at least $300 billion thereby achieving a global yearly S/C industry sales breakthrough (historical high).

Anticipating the upcoming October sales release by the WSTS, Cowan wants to demonstrate an analysis feature of the Cowan LRA Model for forecasting worldwide semi sales; namely, the ability to provide a "look ahead" scenario analysis for 2010's global semi sales forecast as a function of next month's (in this case October's) "actual" global semi sales estimate in order to carry out a sensitivity assessment on attaining the $300 billion sales milestone.

The specifics of the scenario analysis are discussed in the following paragraphs and summarized in the scenario analysis matrix table.

In order to demonstrate this capability, an extended range in possible October 2010 "actual" sales was selected; in this particular scenario analysis, a sales range from $22.89 billion to $26.64 billion in increments of $0.25 billion was chosen as listed in the first column of the table.Source: Cowan LRA model.

This estimated range of "actual" sales is "centered around" the projected October sales forecast estimate of $25.143 billion as determined by last month's (based upon September's sales number) model run. The corresponding October 3MMA sales forecast estimate is projected to be $26.65 billion (assuming no or minor revisions to either August's or September's published sales numbers by the WSTS).

The overall year 2010 sales forecast estimate for each of the assumed October sales estimates over the pre-selected range of 'actual' sales estimates is calculated by the model, and is shown in the second column of the table.

The third column reveals the associated yr-o-yr sales growth estimates compared to year 2009's sales result (of $226.3 billion).

The fourth and fifth columns show the corresponding October 3MMA, three Month Moving Average, sales estimate and the related year-on-year sales growth relative to October 2009's 3MMA sales (of $21.963 billion), respectively. Finally, the sixth column lists the model's Momentum Indicator, MI.

Therefore, as the attached scenario analysis table lays out, depending on the actual WSTS to-be-released October 2010 global semi sales number, the forecasted 2010 sales estimate, as determined by the model, could vary between $299.8 billion and $304.3 billion, while the corresponding 2009 to 2010 sales growth estimate would vary between 32.5 percent and 34.5 percent, respectively.

Cowan has purposely extended the selected range of 'actual' October sales numbers downward in order to capture the $300 billion "barrier" as the lower bound in the scenario analysis forecast matrix because of the pivotal role that October's 'actual' sales would play in reaching this milestone sales result.

Note - last month's previously published Cowan LRA Model's 2010 sales growth forecast estimate, which was based upon September 2010's 'actual' sales (of $29.372 billion), came in at 33.7 percent based upon the model's sales forecast estimate of $302.646 billion.

Using this analysis capability, the model provides a "sensitivity output" of the "expected" 2010 sales forecast (and yr-o-yr forecasted sales growth) as a function of the yet-to-be-announced October "actual" sales number.

Therefore, using the table, one can a-priori "select" an October sales number (in the range shown) and immediately see what the model would predict for a 2010 sales forecast estimate along with its corresponding sales growth expectation in advance of the actual (to-be-published) 'actual' October sales number.

Stay tuned for the WSTS to publish (anticipated on December 3rd, 2010) the October 2010 'actual' sales number. One can then easily ascertain the model's latest forecast outlook as abstracted (or extrapolated) from the provided table even before the model is run. Cowan will subsequently publish the updated forecast numbers based upon October's 'actual' sales result.

Is social media really helping semicon/VLSI firms?

Right then. In my earlier post, I had highlighted 15 queries on how semicon/VLSI firms associate with social media. Already, I have a comment from Hillol Sarkar, CEO, AgO Inc., in California. Thanks a lot, sir. Friends, please keep all those comments coming! There's no right or wrong answer!

Now, as promised, here's an honest attempt to answer some of the queries. Also, I am thankful to Karen Bartleson, senior director, Community Marketing, Synopsys, for commenting on some of my questions. Thank you for permitting me to use some of those comments.

By the way, Karen is speaking today evening at an EDAC panel discussion aptly titled: Does Social Media Reach the Engineers You Want or Waste Your Time? It has been organized by the EDA Consortium (EDAC) at Doubletree Hotel, San Jose, California. So, if you are somewhere nearby, do listen to what Karen and other panelists have to say. It shoudl be fun! ;)

Let me also indulge in some shameless promotion for a moment! Hey Karen, please don't forget to mention me and these posts, in case you see this! ;)

Now, to address those queries! Please bear with me everyone, as this is quite a long post!

How are firms using social media?
First, how are semicon/VLSI firms using the social media to build communities? Are such firms adopting social media strategies? What’s the success rate?

Well, some PR folks do chat up with me regarding social media activities. Sometimes, we discuss strategy. There is also some effort on part of certain companies. So, there has to be some strategy. However, am not quite certain of the success rate.

According to Karen Bartleson, Synopsys (an EDA company) is building communities via blogs. (it has thousands of readers globally) forums such as VMM Central (people can ask and answer questions about verification), LinkedIn (the SNUG group - owned by a user - has more than a thousand members), and the Facebook page (which has hundreds of fans and is growing fast - the emphasis is on people and events, not product announcements), and Twitter. Quite interesting.

Next, is the social media really helping reach out to design engineers?

As per an industry friend, social media offers additional channels to engage with engineers beyond the traditional ones. I'm not quite certain whether firms are using Twitter or Facebook to hire, but LinkedIn presents a strong case. I believe, the success ratio there is good.

Web traffic from social media
How much of web traffic to sites is generally referred to by social media? (Web trends analysis suggest otherwise, as do site ranks).

Some say that Web 2.0 'is' social media. However, Google seems to remain and is still the big referrer. Since social channels aren't driving the most traffic today, does "not" mean that the trends won't change.

Karen adds: "As engineers use social media more to connect with each other, they will likely become the top referrers because they trust each other. There's an interesting interview on 60 Minutes from a couple of years ago in which Charlene Li describes why Facebook could overtake Google." Worth a re-look!

Significantly, only leading brands (in semicon/VLSI) rank high on traffic, while the ‘not-so-well known brands’ don’t have high traffic, nor is there any strong presence (or effort) to boost visibility via social media. Why is it so?

Obviously, the leading brands have built up their 'Google juice' over time -- either intentionally or accidentally -- so they easily outrank the lesser well known brands. They also likely invest in keeping their rank high, while smaller firms don't apply resources to their online rank.

Here's some food for thought! Smaller firms, especially, those in India, probably need to rethink their web and social media strategies. First, they need to re-do or re-look their web sites, and add lot of relevant content, in order to build traffic. Once, that's achieved, they can move to social media strategy. Not to worry, help is right here! ;)

15 queries on how semicon/VLSI firms associate with social media!

Practically everyone I know, throws this question at me! In fact, I’ve made a list of questions that I am asked by folks from the semiconductor/electronics industry, and of course, by friends and well wishers.

When such questions come my way, I have to take a step back and think — am I a social media expert? The answer — of course not!

I am just a writer, who writes about things that I love — on a platform for writing web logs or ‘blogs’. Sometimes, I may post article links on networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter, in the hope that people with some interest in what I write, would like to read what I have written! Now, does that make me a social media expert? Nope! Far from it!

Well, on the subject of how semicon/VLSI and electronics firms should associate with the social media — especially, sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on, here are some points that I can think aloud. These are 15 ‘tricky’ questions or statements, not necessary in the order I’ve put down here.

1. How are semicon/VLSI firms using the social media to build communities? Are such firms adopting social media strategies? What’s the success rate?

2. Is the social media really helping reach out to design engineers? Are they hiring via the social media sites? If yes, one would like to know the success rate.

3. How much of web traffic to sites of semicon/VLSI firms is generally referred to by the social media sites? This will be interesting, should someone share an answer!

4.Significantly, only leading brands (in semicon/VLSI) rank high on traffic, while the ‘not-so-well known brands’ don’t have high traffic, nor is there any strong presence (or effort) to boost visibility via social media. Why is it so?

5. Does it indicate that social media managers focus more on ‘boosting’ social media activities for only the large, well known firms? Is it easier to popularize large companies? Is the pay better? Or, can’t the others afford to pay for such services?

6. Building a community seems easier said than done with social media. Well, has it impacted sales for such large firms? I have yet to see a quarterly report state — $2 million sales were generated via leads from Twitter!

7. Corporate blogs — they ‘seem’ to be doing well, as long as those are written by someone currently working in those firms. When the person (s) move — either the blogs are ‘lost’ OR the person’s own blog does not seem to attract much attention. Why so? Again — the issue of brand attachment comes into play. Perhaps, yes.

8. How important is the role of a ‘brand’ in social media? What if the brand is not well known? Will it do well? If not, are enough efforts being made with regard to the branding exercise? Or is it a case of: What’s visible, sells (Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai)!

9. On the contrary, good blogs written by folks working for the not-so-well known semicon/VLSI firms do not attract that much attention! Why is it so? Is it that such folks are poor writers, or they don’t know their subject?

10. How is Twitter really helping semicon/VLSI firms push sales? Are there visible figures any company can present? Why aren’t they presenting such figures in the first place, if they are indeed available? I have yet to see a quarterly report state something like — ‘$2 million sales came via leads from Twitter’!

11. The same goes for Facebook! What’s the key goal for semicon/VLSI firms who put up their pages on Facebook and other such sites? Traffic? Business? Leads? Or, is it just some number of people who click on a ‘Like’ button?

12. If social media is really so good, why do firms need the press and all that PR? They can simply put up article links for others to read. By the way, I won’t be clicking on any of those links as I prefer the website or magazine!

13. LinkedIn seems to stand out as far as professional networking is concerned. Is there an alternative?

14. Why do firms send out invites stating– please join our Twitter, or Facebook page? What’s the intention? I ask this question when I get such invites — what will I gain by joining a particular feed or page? At least, I know what I need to know about the company. Okay, will they pay me for joining – then I may consider.

15. Why do some firms invite bloggers to join a blogging community? What will the blogger gain? Recognition? He/she already has it — hence, the invite. Will the blogger be paid? ;)

There you have it! I’ve put in 15 questions or comments!

I was quite thrilled to find that the EDA Consortium is organizing a session on Does Social Media Reach the Engineers You Want or Waste Your Time? tomorrow in San Jose, USA. Wish, I could attend and hear what’s being said.

In my next post, I shall attempt to answer some of these 15 ‘tricky’ questions. Do pitch in with your advice, friends! I am still learning, and am a student of the ‘game’.

India's teaching community contemplates SoC design

The VLSI Society of India recently organized a two-day faculty development workshop on SoC design, -- Train-the-Trainer program -- on Oct. 30-31, 2010, at the Texas Instruments India office, in co-operation with PragaTI (TI India Technical University) and Visweswaraya Technological University (VTU).

I am highly obliged to the VLSI Society of India and Dr. C.P. Ravikumar, technical director, University Relations, Texas Instruments India, for extending an invitation. Here is a report on the workshop, which the VSI Secretariat and Dr. Ravikumar have been most kind to share.Dr. C.P. Ravikumar, TI, addressing the teachers at the workshop.

System-on-chip (SoC) refers to the technological revolution which allows semiconductor manufacturers to integrate electronic systems on the same chip. System-on-board, which has been the conventional implementation of electronic systems, uses semiconductor chips soldered onto printed circuit boards to realize system functionality.

Systems typically include sensors, analog frontend, digital processors, memories and peripherals. Thanks to the advances in VLSI technology, these sub-systems can be integrated on the same chip, reducing the footprint, cutting down the cost, improving the performance and power efficiency.

While the industry has adopted SoC design for many years, the academic community around the world (India not being an exception) has not caught up with the state-of-the-art. Electrical/electronics engineering departments continue to teach a course on VLSI design, where the level of design abstraction is device-level, transistor-level, or gate-level.

Register-transfer-level (RTL) design using hardware description languages is taught in some Masters’ programs, but colleges often do not have the lab infrastructure to carry out large design projects; very few Indian universities have tie-ups with foundry services to get samples. A semester is too short a time to complete a large project.

The complexity of modern-day design flow is not easy to impart in a single undergraduate course. Masters’ programs are particularly relevant in VLSI, but the M.Tech programs in the country languish due to several reasons.

Ground realities
“M.Tech programs do not attract top students who are highly motivated,” said a professor who attended the two-day faculty development program organized by VLSI Society of India. “Almost all undergraduate programs today have a course on VLSI technology and design. But since we get students from different backgrounds, they do not have the pre-requisites. So, a course on VLSI design at M.Tech level will have a significant overlap with an undergraduate course on VLSI design.”

“Faculty members need training,” said another teacher. “When a new course is introduced, significant time is needed for preparation. Prescribed textbooks for a new course are often not available. Internet search for course materials often returns too much material and it is hard to decide what to use. Colleges that have autonomy can decide their own curriculum, but in a university setup, the faculty face a major challenge. We are evaluated on how well our students fare in the exams. Yet, our students have to face an exam made by a central committee.”

“Having a common exam poses many problems in setting up a relevant question paper. The format of the question paper is fixed. The students get a choice of answering five questions from a set of eight. Due to the common nature of the question paper, the questions tend to demand descriptive answers.”

Faculty development workshop on SoC design
About 30 faculty members interested in system-on-chip design took part in the faculty development workshop. The attendees came from about 25 different colleges from VTU, VIT University, and Anna University. The workshop was conducted in co-operation with the Viswesaraya Technological University (VTU) and sponsored by Texas Instruments, India.

The premise for the workshop was that a course on SoC design is required at the Masters’ level, since industrial practice has clearly moved in that direction. The RTL-to-layout flow, which continues to be relevant for IPs that constitute an SoC, aspects of SoC design, which relies on IP integration, are not covered in any course.

The workshop provided a forum for industry-academia interaction. Several professionals from the industry took part in the workshop and answered questions from the faculty members.

Dr. C.P. Ravikumar, Sarveswara Tammali and Dr. Subir Roy of Texas Instruments, and Raghu Kodali (ARM), took part in the workshop.

Dr. C.P. Ravikumar co-ordinated the workshop and explained the motivation for SoC design in general and for the workshop in particular. Sarveswara Tammali spoke on the topic of “Design for Testability” as applied to SoC. Dr. Subir Roy spoke about the topic of functional verification of SoC.

Raghu Kodali used the example of ARM Cortex-M3 to discuss the entire IP design flow. Apart from the tutorial value of the presentations made at the workshop, the faculty gained through interaction with professionals as well as the discussion on the challenges of teaching advanced topics and the sharing of solutions.

Homework-oriented workshop
At the end of day 1, faculty members received “homework” of identifying the topics that they would include in the seven sections of a course on SoC design.

The faculty presented their ideas on Day 2 and through lively debates were able to align on the teaching materials, the kind of seminars the students can be asked to give as part of the course, the kind of mini-projects that can be given to students, and typical questions that can be included in the course.

Professional development opportunities
Prof. C.R. Venugopal, chairman of the Board of Studies, VTU, advised the faculty members on career development opportunities.

He said: “Becoming a member of a professional society such as the IEEE, IET, or VSI can open up many doors in personal and professional development. I have been mentoring the IEEE Student Chapter at SJCE Mysore. I have also been regularly attending the VLSI Design and Test symposium organized by the VLSI Society of India. These have provided me great opportunities to network with professionals from the industry. There are also many opportunities for submitting research proposals with the university as well as to national bodies that promote academic R&D.”

“The workshop has allowed faculty members to come together to engage in a healthy debate, seek/propose solutions to their problems,” was one of the several enthusiastic feedbacks for the workshop.

It was also decided that a website will be created to share the proceedings of the workshop as well as the links to teaching materials for a course on SoC design.

Bluetooth low energy should contribute to WSN via remote monitoring

This is the concluding part of my discussion with Mike Foley, executive director, Bluetooth SIG, which looks at how the market for in-home wireless in smart energy will be developing in the years ahead, as well as the scope in wireless sensor networks (WSN).

Focus of Bluetooth Smart Energy Group
First, a bit about the focus of Bluetooth Smart Energy Group and what it has achieved so far.

The Smart Energy Study Group, includes major players like Emerson, and illustrates the Bluetooth SIG’s commitment to this market. The Study Group is working closely with other standards bodies to help define future global standards for smart energy and the products that form that ecosystem.

Foley said: "Within the next few years, your utility will start to replace your existing meters and you will be able to buy household appliances that can connect to your smart meter. The Bluetooth SIG is working with the industry to ensure that such a connection is cost effective, reliable and secure.

"Currently, Bluetooth is used around the world in smart energy applications -- from simple energy monitors to complex mesh networks controlling solar arrays. With a ubiquitous presence in mobile phones, it also provides an ecosystem for controlling smart energy devices that users already own. The group has come together to make a strong case for Bluetooth in the smart energy market, and to push for next steps in this growing industry."

Market for in-home wireless
Given this scenario, it will be interesting to survey the market for in-home wireless in smart energy developing in the years ahead.

According to Foley, remote control and home automation have a bright future in the smart energy space. If Bluetooth is selected for the connectivity link to appliances, the integration of a smart ecosystem throughout the home will be significantly easier and faster. Once home appliances start to connect, they will likely also require their own wireless connections.

Zpryme Research has predicted that by 2015, 19.2 percent of washing machines, 17.4 percent of refrigerators and 17.3 percent of dryers sold in the US will include smart connections. Also, Whirlpool has publicly announced that by 2015, all of its electronically controlled appliances will be capable of receiving and responding to signals from smart grids.

Scope for wireless sensor networks
Where do things such as scope for wireless sensor networks, or even wireless USB stand, if at all?

Foley added, 'Bluetooth low energy technology, which will be used in the SIG’s smart energy implementation, will be a significant contributor to the overall wireless sensor network market."

According to Kirsten West, principal analyst with West Technology Research, Bluetooth low energy will represent nearly half of all shipments in 2015. If Bluetooth is adopted as the short range wireless standard, Bluetooth low energy will contribute to the WSN through remote monitoring -- i.e., temperature monitoring, home automation, in home displays, etc., and more.

Finally, where do the other competing technologies stand?

Though some technologies may appear to have a head start here, the reality is that the long term success of the standards in this realm remains to be seen. Bluetooth is a proven, globally accepted short range wireless standard. Proven in its use cases, ubiquity, and ease of compatibility.

Additionally, Bluetooth stands apart from competitors in how it diminishes frequency issues, which is a challenge most competitors are still trying to overcome.

"While I believe Bluetooth technology has the most potential to be the go-to wireless standard for smart energy, I do believe that there is room – necessity even – for all types of technologies in this space," Foley concluded.

Intel opens manufacturing doors to Achronix! Becomes mini foundry?

For those who are not aware, yesterday, Achronix Semiconductor Corp. announced strategic access to Intel's 22nm process technology, and plans to develop the most advanced FPGAs.

According to the release, the Achronix Speedster22i FPGA family will shatter existing limitations of FPGAs, allowing cost effective production of high performance devices over 2.5M LUTs in size, equivalent to an ASIC of over 20 million gates.

What's really interesting in all of this is the involvement of Intel and Achronix's use of Intel's 22nm technology.

Now, about two weeks ago, Intel announced investment plans between $6-$8 billion on future generations of manufacturing technology in its American facilities. This will fund deployment of Intel’s 22nm manufacturing process across several existing US factories, along with construction of a new development fab in Oregon. The projects will support 6,000-8,000 construction jobs and result in 800-1,000 new, permanent high-tech jobs.

Following this Achronix activity, could it be just the beginning where Intel also allows several others to make use of its latest process technologies, or is it going to be a one-off thing? Probably, the first one! Here's why!

On visiting Intel's site, there's a blog post by Bill Kircos, director, Product and Technology Media Relations, Global Communications Group at Intel.

He says: "With Achronix, we are selectively offering access to our 22nm fabs. For perspective, this deal would only make up a tiny amount of our overall capacity, significantly less than 1 percent, and is not currently viewed as financially material to Intel’s earnings. But it’s still an important endeavor for us that we’re committed to deliver on. I can tell you the folks over at Achronix are very excited about the opportunity and the expected performance boosts they will see in their Intel manufactured products. We are too."

Bill has asked for readers' views on Intel opening up its manufacturing facilities to others. I have given a thumbs up!

Intel has become a mini foundry for the time being. Depending on whether customers find some 'alignment' -- which am sure they will -- this looks to be a good move on part of Intel.

Finally, I had a very excited caller this morning -- an industry friend -- who simply gushed -- 'you should write about this'!

My guess: he and several others are likely to approach Intel for assistance, if not now, then surely in the near future. Smaller companies would stand to benefit in the long run if they can have access to Intel's latest process technologies. Of course, we are talking about really sophisticated chips here!

While we have to see what GlobalFoundries and TSMC have to say, Intel's latest move will probably make it an interesting level-playing field among foundries.

Bluetooth set as short range wireless standard for smart energy!

Back in early 2003, I'd done a story with Anders Edlund, marketing director, EMEA of Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Those were the days when Bluetooth was just overcoming its teething problems. At that time, the SIG had unveiled a 'five-minute ready' program created to challenge and guide Bluetooth product developers and manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region to deliver devices that give consumers a "five-minute out-of-the-box experience."

Fast forward to 2010! Nearly a fortnight ago, the Bluetooth SIG announced an enhanced focus on the needs of manufacturers of consumer devices in the smart grid environment. This effort, called Bluetooth Smart Energy, addresses the needs for wireless connections of sensors and actuators in the residence.

It is a great pleasure to hook up again with the Bluetooth SIG after quite a few years. Bluetooth as a technology, and Bluetooth SIG itself, have come a long way, very successfully, as well.

In the first part of a two-part discussion on Bluetooth Smart Energy, Mike Foley, executive director of Bluetooth SIG, discusses the rationale behind the Smart Energy effort, how it will benefit users, and whether it can stand up to possible challenges from other technologies.

May I also take this opportunity to thank Ms Jennifer Lopez, who made this possible, along with Starr Million Baker. Back to the story!

Rationale behind Bluetooth SIG's Smart Energy effort
First, obviously, why the effort behind the Bluetooth SIG's smart energy effort and why now!

According to Mike Foley, the smart energy market is a rapidly growing arena and one that the SIG is very interested in expanding its presence.

He said: “As different smart energy projects are planned, developed, and implemented, it is clear that there are different national requirements for each. However, there is an agreement that smart energy within the domestic environment will require the introduction of smart meters – and that is where we come in.

“These meters, which monitor and control our use of electricity, gas, and water, will need to provide real time information to consumers and interact in some form with energy consuming appliances. The interaction will take place with the help of short range wireless connections that are based on an existing standard.

“Bluetooth technology has proven itself to be a universally accepted wireless standard, implemented in a variety of use cases, and is now set to be established as the short range wireless standard for smart energy.”

Challenges from various technologies
Given the case that Bluetooth is positioned to be the short range standard for smart energy, how will it stand up to possible challenges from technologies such as ZigBee, RF4CE, Wi-Fi Direct, ANT, etc?

Foley said: “In my opinion, there is room for different types of technologies in this space. The one thing that has always set Bluetooth technology apart from competitive technologies is its ubiquity. Bluetooth technology is used in a variety of devices and is the go-to wireless standard for mobile phones, which are devices that could play a key role in remote energy monitoring.”

If utilities are going to adopt a short range wireless standard – why not adopt one that already has a presence in a number of key devices that users already own?

Bluetooth is by far the most successful of any of the short range wireless standards. It has been around for just over 10 years (twice as long as ZigBee) and outsells all of the other short range standards put together, with over 1 billion chips shipped every year.

“The very first Bluetooth products can still communicate with new ones that you buy today – something that neither 802.11 nor ZigBee can claim. Equally importantly, over the decade it has been shipping, it has evolved to address all of the key requirements of the smart energy market,” Foley added.

How will users benefit?
The key question: how will users like you and me stand to benefit from the smart energy initiative?

Foley said: “Remote monitoring of energy use is a definite benefit that users will experience through this smart energy initiative. By adopting Bluetooth as the short range wireless standard for the metering domain, the goal is to give users up-to-the minute information on their current energy use.

“The first stage of implementation will happen as new smart meters and energy monitors are deployed, which inform consumers of their energy use. These products are already available, such as Bluetooth enabled energy monitors (Zen and Plogg). They provide a wireless link from a meter or clip-on sensor to a display that can be programmed to show the current cost of electricity consumption. Users will no longer only receive energy usage information at the end of month, when there is nothing they can do to lower their bill or to take back the energy they have already consumed.”

This is said to be just the tip of the iceberg! In the next stage, smart energy will allow the utilities to turn off high energy consuming appliances, where necessary, to balance the grid, eventually lowering a user’s electricity bill as their energy consumption is monitored and balanced appropriately.

Bluetooth SIG also released two key strategy documents. The first document describes the market for in-home wireless in smart energy, domestic HVAC, and home appliances. The second document is a technical justification of Bluetooth technology as the choice for these markets. Both papers are available on the Bluetooth SIG website.

The concluding part of this discussion will look at the market for in-home wireless in smart energy developing in the years ahead, as well as scope of this technology in wireless sensor networks.

Stay tuned folks!