Embedded Internet Systems: Poised for Takeoff [Embedded Systems]

This issue of IEEE Internet Computing highlights recent developments and industrial applications of “embedded Internet” technology. This technology supports devices and operating environments outside the traditional desktop PC envelope, where onboard memory, CPU power and speed, display capability, persistent storage, and costs are usually severely limited. At the “soft” end of the spectrum are embedded systems with close-to-desktop-PC resources and no real-time operating constraints, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants, and handheld terminals. At the “hard” or “deeply embedded” end are factory automation and machine controllers, instrumentation and data collection systems, and telecommunications equipment; these systems are typically highly resource constrained with stringent real-time operating system (RTOS) response-time requirements—on the order of tens of microseconds. The embedded systems industry is at an important inflection point: analysts see embedded Internet systems poised for a major surge in growth, largely driven by Internet phones, gaming devices, and smart handheld communications devices. Market forecasts suggest US $1 billion in embedded PC sales by the year 2000, and 40–50 million in “soft” nonPC devices by 2001 (see Figure 1). The Microsoft Windows CE market entry in September 1997 has shaken the traditional RTOS vendor community and may portend either industry consolidation and standardization or increased fragmentation in the near-to-medium term. At the same time, the embedded industry is moving away from 16-bit to 32-bit development tools, compilers, and CPUs.