yet extremely powerful. We coined the phrase” The software is |
reason: software. We moved as many technical problems into the |
the instrument” to describe this approach, and seeing engineers |
FPGA as we could, and Moore’ s law( along with Xilinx) delivered a |
and scientists save valuable time and get to results faster was all |
vehicle capable of handling the computation. We, in turn, passed |
the market validation we ever needed. |
the keys to that vehicle over to our customers by allowing them |
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Evolving With Moore’ s Law
People talk about Moore’ s law like it’ s about hardware, but computational hardware exists only to run software( and maybe firmware). Once we made test and measurement all about software, we had effectively enlisted Intel, Xilinx, and many other billion dollar companies in our R & D staff. With customers and partners building proficiency with our software tools, we just had
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to customize that FPGA with LabVIEW. From 5G cellular technology development to automotive radar and driver assist algorithm development to reductions in the cost of Internet of
Things( IoT) devices, the VST and LabVIEW are helping customers achieve goals conventional instruments quite simply prevent them from obtaining.
The Future
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to follow the chips to deliver increasing value to test and |
We are seeing glimpses of the future everywhere we look. A |
embedded systems. This has happened, so far, along two key |
modern factory features what we call“ cyberphysical systems,” |
dimensions: multicore processors and FPGAs. Because LabVIEW is |
which combine software-centric computing technology with |
graphical and, therefore, not obviously sequential, it is tailor- |
electromechanical systems and human operators to improve |
made for parallel processing. LabVIEW users were among the first |
safety, efficiency, and cost structures. The acquire, analyze, and |
programmers to easily migrate from single-core processors to |
present concept is still valid, but we’ ve added“ sense, compute, |
multiple threads and multiple cores and see almost instant speed |
and connect” as a parallel flow for IoT devices. Wireless |
improvements. Obviously, it’ s possible to take advantage of these |
technology in general is pervasive. We’ ve been saying this a while, |
trends with other languages, just like it’ s still possible to write |
but if you aren’ t an RF engineer today, you will be. And the more |
highly efficient code in machine or assembly language, but why |
you connect things, the more you’ d be crazy not to take |
would you? The pace of change in modern electronics means you |
advantage of the data you can collect for billions of sensor nodes. |
can’ t waste time doing by hand what a tool can easily do for you, |
For us, this is Big Analog Data™ solutions, and it’ s the richest set |
and we hear that over and over from LabVIEW users. |
of data in the world. NI customers are acquiring terabytes and |
That goes to an entirely different level with FPGAs. Some |
terabytes of it every day. |
problems are just better solved in the highly parallel, |
But even as our capabilities become more advanced and the scale |
deterministic world of silicon. But the toolchains and |
of the problems we try to solve grows vaster, the tools we use |
programming constructs were inaccessible to most mechanical |
must be easier to navigate. Just as machine language migrated to |
engineers or medical researchers who were experts in their |
assembly and to object-oriented, other paradigms, including |
measurements and problems to solve( not digital design). We |
graphical dataflow programming, are critical to offer the right |
recognized this in the late 1990s with LabVIEW’ s graphical |
level of abstraction. The multirate diagram in our LabVIEW |
paradigm. We were on a quest to deliver the power of FPGAs to |
Communications System Design Suite is a great example; no |
LabVIEW programmers, and we’ ve done that. A quick look at our |
single software tool delivered the productivity needed to |
Engineering Impact Awards winners demonstrates the power of |
prototype 5G algorithms until we were bold enough to tackle |
this technology: applications ranging from regenerating and |
multiple models of computation inside a single flow that could |
restoring organ function damaged by disease or trauma to setting |
deploy directly to hardware. |
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a world record in 5G wireless spectrum efficiency with massive
MIMO.
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No great innovation will be done alone. The best platforms we use today are effective because they’ ve fostered an ecosystem. |
A Software-Centric Approach to Hardware Design |
Our software-centric approach at NI spawned a partner network |
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When you think about software as uniquely as we have, it’ s easy to think differently about hardware, too. Modular, PC-based plugbecause in boards were a natural by-product. Make the hardware as lightweight and cost-effective as possible( no dedicated screens, power supplies, fixed buttons / knobs, and so on) and focus on
ADCs, DACs, signal conditioning, and data movement.
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of a healthy ecosystem built on developer-friendly of more than 1,000 companies and 300,000 active LabVIEW users. The rise of mobile devices and“ apps” is possible only platforms. Team-based development, code sharing, and community support soon will no longer be novel or best in class.
They will be expected.
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I have yet to see a test and measurement vendor design a user interface better than a customer, for any specific task, that makes |
In Closing
It would be impossible to have witnessed what I’ ve witnessed in
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the customer more productive. Even the best front panels on box |
our industry for the past 40 years and not be excited about where |
instruments are cluttered with unused buttons or menu |
all of these technologies and trends are leading us. My advice to |
structures. Many of our hardware products have size constraints |
any new engineer is simple: develop a vision for the future and |
dictated by the I / O connector. Can it get more efficient than that? |
pursue it with intensity. And, at the end of the day, don’ t be afraid |
The reality is our strategy is more than just efficient; it’ s right. |
to have fun. |
Take the new Vector Signal Transceiver( VST), which combines an |
Thank you for 40 great years. I believe the following five |
RF analyzer, RF generator, parallel and serial digital interfaces, and |
selections from the Automated Test Outlook archive are as true |
high-performance signal processing into a 2-slot PXI module. This |
today as the day they were published initially. May they inform |
product delivers industry-leading bandwidth( 1 GHz), amazing RF |
your vision for the future and bring you and your organization |
performance, and scalability for MIMO applications for one |
prosperity and success. |