Author: Christian Eder, Marketing Director at congatec AG
It’s a well known fact that the market for embedded computers is growing faster than the market for standard PCs. But will this trend continue? And if so, what are the reasons?
Embedded computers enable applications that a standard computer can not handle. Whenever special functions come into play, development effort is required to provide them. In the past, the computer part itself was often developed in parallel, but because the development effort is now simply too high, this happens less.
Instead, standardized computer modules such as COM Express and Qseven are used more often, even for very large production runs. That this is not just a theoretical assumption is underlined by the rapid and steady growth of congatec AG, which specializes exclusively on computer modules.
Use of the COM format is also spreading from it’s traditional stronghold of industrial automation to more vertical sectors. Medical, gaming, retail and transporation are all growing COM markets. This is because the COM factor provides a standard platform which is inherently upgradeable as higher performance processors become available, but equally flexible in moving to more power-efficient platforms if an OEM needs to retarget a device for, by way of example, the portable medical device market.
Another trend, fuelled by recent NSA data breach revelations and the trend towards the “Internet of Everything”, is data security. On a technical level, computer modules have long been able to provide an integrated TPM chip. While this guarantees the highest security standards for data encryption, it was rarely integrated into an application in the past. I expect that most new applications will in future incorporate appropriate security features.