The proliferation of 1seg terrestrial digital broadcasting, digital cameras and more has not only made video and still images an integral part of our lives but has also led to growing needs for improved resolution. NEC Electronics, in collaboration with NEC Laboratories, has developed a super-resolution technology capable of sharpening out-of-focus images or smoothing rough edges in low-resolution video and still images when they are enlarged for display. Here we will take a closer look at the secret behind this new technology.

The world's most advanced interconnect technology was announced at the IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) 2008, held June 1 to June 4 in San Francisco. Engineers from NEC Corporation and NEC Electronics introduced their joint research results at this year's conference.

The "2008 Symposia on VLSI Technology and Circuits"—widely recognized as premiere conferences for presenting research results on the latest device, process, and circuit-related developments—were held this year at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel in Hawaii, from June 17 to 20. Here we introduce the papers presented by NEC Electronics or in collaboration with NEC Corporation.

A new ASIC solution that encapsulates a dedicated 32-bit V850E2™ CPU core-based microcontroller and a gate array in a single package has made its debut. This new ASIC not only aids in shortening development time and cost, it also reduces both the number of components and the size of the mounting area. We interviewed members of the Platform for embedded system-in-a-package (PFESiP) development team to get the story behind its development.

Amidst the increasing importance of extended battery operation and low power consumption in devices for all sorts of products, NEC Electronics has developed a 32-bit microcontroller capable of achieving class-leading power consumption that is more than 50% lower than existing products. Behind this achievement was a development team that faced its challenges head-on.

The next generation of car navigation systems is within sight!
NEC Electronics' NaviEngine® multicore platform is the world's first (*1) system LSI to be developed with a symmetric multicore processor (SMP) for use in car navigation systems. To learn more about the development of NaviEngine, a system LSI chip capable of conducting complex processing at high speeds and displaying multiple screens, we interviewed one of the engineers involved in its design.

*1: As of October 2007, according to an in-house survey

Along with the demand for fast and beautiful printing of business documents and pictures taken with digital cameras, there are mounting needs for high-resolution color laser printers in a wide spectrum of areas ranging from business to personal use. NEC Electronics has developed a laser control core (pulse-width modulator, or PWM) for cell-based IC use that is essential to further increasing the speed and definition of printers and copy machines. Here we will introduce the capabilities of this laser control core as well as the advantages of its implementation at the time of printer development.

The ZigBee® short distance communication protocol has recently been receiving a great deal of attention. With low cost and low power consumption, ZigBee protocol is an ideal technology for forming a mesh network. This article introduces ZigBee network solutions, which are realized utilizing the NEC Electronics' All Flash microcontrollers.

The ESD Association's annual "2007 EOS/ESD Symposium," a premier international event focused on electrical overstress and electrostatic discharge failures and solutions in electronic devices and parts, was held in Anaheim, California, USA, from September 16—21. Here we will briefly introduce the research findings presented by NEC Electronics engineers at this year's EOS/ESD Symposium.

Since becoming a premium member in AUTOSAR NEC Electronics has also assumed a very active role in the standardization work to build a common platform for software development. AUTOSAR is a consortium made up of vehicle manufacturers, ECU suppliers, and software development tool vendors. We asked an engineer of NEC Electronics Europe about the activities in AUTOSAR.