In late October 1986, the first academic exchange meeting on microcontrollers in China was held at Fudan University in Shanghai, marking the beginning of the microcontroller industry in China, which has just celebrated its 30th anniversary. Moreover, 2016 also marks the 80th anniversary of the Turing machine, the 70th anniversary of the first electronic computer, and the 40th anniversary of the 8-bit microcontroller MCS-48, making it a year worth remembering in the field of microcontrollers.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the China Microcontroller Society, Secretary-General He Xiaoqing of the Embedded Systems Association, in collaboration with the North University of China Press’s Embedded Systems Division, has compiled the “Commemorative Collection of 30 Years of Chinese Microcontrollers”. The history of the development of microcontrollers in China is vivid and thought-provoking. At the same time, the Embedded Systems Association is honored to invite pioneers and witnesses of this history, as well as experts from universities and enterprises, to review the history of microcontroller development and look forward to its future on November 19 at North University.
Professor He Limin, an advocate of early microcontroller applications in China
As an advocate of early microcontroller applications in China and the editor-in-chief of the journal “Microcontroller and Embedded System Applications”, Professor He has unique insights into the origins, history, and future of microcontrollers. He believes that, broadly speaking, the origins of microcontrollers lie in the thoughts and explorations of Turing scholars on computation 80 years ago. The Turing scholars laid the theoretical foundation for artificial intelligence’s software and hardware, and the concept of the Turing machine laid the hardware foundation for modern computers; the research on algorithms that can compute everything opened up the independent software development process of modern computers. The first electronic computer embodies the soul of the Turing machine, while the microprocessor is a kernel realization of the Turing machine and its ultimate form. The journey from the Turing machine model to the practical microprocessor of modern computers has taken over 30 years.
Professor He Limin, an advocate of early microcontroller applications in China, speaks, with Secretary-General He Xiaoqing hosting the meeting
In the past 30 years, we have experienced a transition from the enlightenment era of microcontrollers to the era of intelligent transformation of traditional electronics, the era of innovation in intelligent electronic systems, and the era of service in IoT applications. The IoT era is the era of mature embedded system technology; it is also the era when the independent industry of embedded systems gradually disappears; it is the application service era of embedded systems.
Associate Professor Yuan Tao, Department of Automation, Tsinghua University
Recalling the grand event of the “2001 International Academic Exchange Conference and Product Exhibition on Embedded Systems and Microcontrollers,” Associate Professor Yuan Tao of Tsinghua University still feels emotional. At that time, various academic societies across the country were not very prosperous, yet the participation in this conference was exceptionally enthusiastic, with the number of registrants far exceeding expectations, necessitating changes to the venue three times. According to incomplete statistics, there were nearly 6000 participants, and more than seventy domestic and foreign enterprises exhibited. It is no wonder that Beijing TV sent reporters to cover the event, with three different reports aired multiple times. It was indeed a glorious era for embedded systems!
Associate Professor Yuan Tao of Tsinghua University reports
Today, with so many ways to obtain information, it is naturally difficult to recreate such an incredible scene. However, the IoT era brings unprecedented development opportunities and vast market space for embedded systems. If practitioners in embedded systems can work together to seize these opportunities, they will surely create brilliance again!
Professor Shao Beibei, Founder of the Motorola-Tsinghua University Microcontroller Laboratory
As the founder of the Motorola-Tsinghua University Microcontroller Laboratory, Professor Shao Beibei has had an inseparable bond with microcontrollers for a long time. The “Commemorative Collection of 30 Years of Chinese Microcontrollers” includes an article he wrote ten years ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Chinese microcontrollers. At the conference, Professor Shao vividly shared his thirty-year journey with MCUs, feeling as if 30 years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Professor Shao has a rich experience, having worked at CERN in Europe before teaching at Tsinghua University, coinciding with Motorola’s establishment of a factory in China and setting up the Motorola Center at Tsinghua. Professor Shao became the founder of the Motorola-Tsinghua University Microcontroller Laboratory. To this day, the university’s planned funding has never ceased, and the university student car model competition has reached its eleventh session.
Professor Shao leads students working at the forefront of scientific research. In addition to cooperating with the military, his projects also involve high-speed rail, autonomous driving protection systems, and container detection, all closely related to microcontrollers. Through continuous practice, Professor Shao has accumulated rich experience in software and hardware development and has written and translated many works. The book “Embedded Real-Time Operating System μC/OS-II”, published in 2003, has influenced an entire generation and made an indelible contribution to the promotion of μC/OS-II in China and the rapid development of embedded systems.
Professor Shao Beibei of Tsinghua University reports
Professor Shao believes that technology is not the main factor; market factors are often more critical. ARM’s dominance is due to its winning marketing model. He also emphasized that currently, there is a serious disconnect between higher education and industry, and from the student’s perspective, a deeper understanding of the underlying technology is necessary.
Professor Lin Jinlong, Department of Microelectronics and Software, Peking University
With the development of integrated circuits and IT technology, the structure, development model, and ecological environment of the entire microcontroller industry have undergone significant changes. Professor Lin Jinlong analyzed the profound impact of the open-source hardware movement on MCU development from the perspective of open-source hardware. It is well known that open-source software has developed rapidly and has had a significant impact, while the development of open-source hardware has been relatively slow. It was not until the establishment of the Open Source Hardware Association in 2011 that a definition of open-source hardware was officially released. The open-source hardware movement is mainly driven by hobbyists and enterprises, and although it has not been as successful as the open-source software movement, it is gradually changing the MCU development model and ecosystem, making MCU development easier.
Professor Lin Jinlong of Peking University reports
Professor Lin shared some currently successful open-source hardware projects, including open-source robots, 3D printers, and open-source wearable devices, covering almost all aspects of life. At the same time, he repeatedly emphasized that although open-source hardware has a bright future and high attention, it has not yet formed application-level large-scale products, so its impact on the entire industry is still at a preliminary stage.
Wang Pengpeng, Market Manager of NXP Semiconductors Greater China
Wang Pengpeng, market manager of NXP Semiconductors Greater China, entered Philips Semiconductors in 2004 and has 12 years of frontline experience in the MCU industry. She combined the recent developments of the company’s products, software, and ecosystem to analyze the evolution of MCUs in detail from aspects such as process, packaging, product structure, peripherals, development tools, and software development environments, sharing many personal insights.
The changes in MCU software development have even surpassed the changes in the products themselves. In the 8-bit era, one person mastered all software, was proficient in the entire system, and directly operated the underlying hardware using assembly or C language, with a small amount of code and a simple structure; whereas in the current ARM era, software development heavily relies on software development libraries provided by vendors or third parties, and users care less about low-level operations, focusing more on upper-layer application development. Software portability and inheritability have increased significantly, greatly shortening the product development cycle, and the proportion of software work in the entire system has also increased significantly.
Wang Pengpeng from NXP Semiconductors reports
In the ARM era, the concept of the ecosystem has become deeply rooted in people’s minds, and its importance even surpasses that of the products themselves. The ARM ecosystem is becoming increasingly perfect, further promoting its dominance in the 32-bit MCU field. At the same time, the market share of 8-bit MCUs remains high and continues to grow. The future direction of MCU development will focus on security, scalability, and more efficient energy consumption, and the driving force of the ecosystem for MCUs will also become increasingly significant. In recent years, innovative companies in China have begun to emerge on the international stage, and Wang Pengpeng sincerely hopes to see more local MCU design companies rise in the future!
Deng Yu, General Manager of the MCU Product Division at GigaDevice
At the end of 2013, General Manager Deng of GigaDevice participated in an event of the Embedded Systems Association, at that time the GD32 MCU had just been born for a short time, with a total shipment of only a few hundred thousand pieces in 2013. At that time, there were probably doubts about whether GD32 MCU could succeed. It is gratifying that in just the first half of 2016, the shipment of GD32 MCU reached tens of millions of pieces, developing very rapidly.
A company based on FLASH technology to develop MCUs has developed so rapidly in just a few years, which naturally cannot be separated from its differentiated market positioning. After in-depth research, GigaDevice directly entered the MCU market from the ARM Cortex-M3 core, maximizing its advantages in the FLASH field and carefully developing high-performance, cost-effective MCUs.
Deng Yu from GigaDevice reports
Currently, GigaDevice has ten series, all based on Cortex-M3 products, and has just released products based on the Cortex-M4 core, with plans to develop products based on ARM’s latest M23 core, indicating a clear future development path. General Manager Deng frankly stated that the disconnect between embedded teaching in universities and the industry is quite serious. Last year, GigaDevice signed a university cooperation plan with ARM and will strengthen efforts to promote close cooperation between embedded teaching and the embedded industry in the future.
Lin Renlie, Vice President of New Tang Technology MCU Application Division
New Tang Technology was established in 2008, splitting from Winbond, and is one of the senior Taiwanese companies in the microcontroller field. President Lin of New Tang Technology is a longtime friend of the Embedded Systems Association and came specifically to the conference to share his views on the future technology and development of microcontrollers.
Lin Renlie from New Tang Technology reports
New Tang Technology’s product line includes both traditional 8051 and M0, M4 products. President Lin stated that currently, the market share of both 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs is continuously growing, but the 32-bit MCUs are in the mainstream position, with a larger growth rate. The IoT will inevitably promote the further development of MCUs, and the future market space for 32-bit MCUs will be even larger. In terms of MCU technology, low power consumption, security, integration of analog devices, and power management will be key factors to consider in the future.
President Lin emphasized that in the future, microcontrollers will not just be simple microcontrollers; there will be innovative space in both hardware architecture and software development platforms in future applications.
Many voices, all for the bright future of embedded systems
Among the more than 70 participants, there were pioneers filled with infinite emotions about the history of microcontrollers, entrepreneurs who have fought to carve out a new territory, and newcomers who have just entered the embedded industry and are uncertain about the future. They have experienced different periods of microcontroller development and have different insights and attitudes towards the embedded industry. Under the moderation of He Limin and He Xiaoqing, participants spoke freely and exchanged ideas enthusiastically. Wang Longjiang, Zheng Xiaolong, Guo Chunxue, Li Zhaoqing, Zhou Tao, and Peng Jianchao made wonderful impromptu speeches at the meeting, and everyone present felt deeply moved and benefited greatly.
Veteran from the microcontroller community shares his insights
Here, we pay tribute to the pioneers of the Chinese microcontroller industry and all those who have contributed to the rapid development of Chinese microcontrollers! Currently, embedded systems are ushering in unprecedented development opportunities, and we hope that embedded practitioners will join hands to seize opportunities, expand their horizons, and jointly promote the improvement and development of the embedded industry.
Group photo of the 30th anniversary event of Chinese microcontrollers
This article is written by Lu Xiaojing, deputy editor of “Microcontroller and Embedded System Applications”, reviewed by He Xiaoqing, with meeting records provided by the Xiaoming Laboratory of Taiyuan University of Technology, for which we express our gratitude!
The Embedded Systems Association, initiated by well-known domestic scholars and industry professionals, was officially established in Beijing at the end of 2008. The association provides an environment for academic and industrial information exchange for experts, scholars, engineering technicians, market personnel, and technology media personnel in different fields of embedded systems in China, and serves as a technology salon for enhancing personal friendships. Since 2009, the association has held 19 thematic discussions, with enthusiastic responses, and the total number of participants has accumulated nearly a thousand, with nearly a hundred media reports. The role and positioning of the association as a platform for communication and connection between the academic, industrial, and technology media communities in the field of embedded systems have been widely recognized.
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