When edge and enterprise collide
Microsoft has made Windows 10 IoT Enterprise available to OEMs to port to the Arm architecture. NXP has since developed a board support package (BSP) to run Windows 10 IoT Enterprise on its i.MX 8M system on chip (SoC). Boards based on the i.MX 8M, developed and manufactured by Avnet Embedded, support Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and are now available from Avnet Silica.
See a demonstration at this year’s Embedded World exhibition and conference in Nuremburg, Germany, March 14-16.
Hardware and software are the building blocks of a connected world. At the hardware level, processors and microcontrollers based on an Arm instruction set are in more connected products than any other architecture. The software in those products isn’t so uniform. There is still a lot of fragmentation in the embedded software market. The integrated device manufacturers supplying those Arm-based devices influence the software chosen by OEMS through the support they provide.
With no standard solution, functionality like connectivity, security, authentication and over-the-air updates must be developed at a low level. This creates complexity and increases design time as well as risk.
Outside the deeply embedded sector and up to the enterprise, Windows continues to be a strong option. Like other high-level operating systems, it provides a lot of that low-level functionality. It’s why PCs are so uniformly able to run desktop applications. It’s also why developers like the Windows operating system; it offers a standard platform for development.
In the past, choosing Windows also meant choosing the x86 architecture. Microsoft addressed this with a version of Windows that could run on Arm, and it continues to recognize how important Arm is to this part of the industry. A Windows experience on IoT devices has either required using a low power x86 processor or emulation of Windows on a different core architecture. Both options come with limitations. Low-power x86 MPUs may not have the performance needed. Drivers and other applications may not be supported in emulation. That also meant some Windows features and development frameworks were not available.
Many IoT applications can support a more powerful x86 architecture, and for those there are fewer compromises. Today, applications at or near the edge will have limited resources. They will need to use a low-power processor that requires minimal chip support. This is really where Arm has forged its success. With continued commitment to the embedded domain, the Arm architecture is likely to remain a top choice for developers and OEMs.
Why bother with Windows on Arm?
Bringing these two goliaths closer together has been a long-sought objective. Microsoft has made huge inroads into the embedded domain. The work continues because Arm-based processors are moving deeper into the enterprise space. There are many benefits of using Cortex-based application processors in the enterprise. At this level, Windows 10 and Windows 11 can run on PCs based on an Arm processor, with some limitations.
Avnet Silica has used NXP’s BSP to port Windows 10 IoT Enterprise to Avnet Embedded’s i.MX 8M SMARC 2.0 module
At a lower level, Windows 10 IoT Core was conceived for IoT applications. Early versions could only run natively on an x86 architecture, but that has changed. OEMs have developed BSPs that can build Windows 10 IoT Core for Arm-based application processors. This makes it ideal for smart devices and other IoT edge-based applications. But it still comes with limitations, which can be particularly impactful for developers.
More recently, Microsoft announced it would make Windows 10 IoT Enterprise available to OEMs aiming to port it to the Arm architecture. NXP has since developed a BSP to deploy Windows 10 IoT Enterprise to its i.MX 8M system on chip (SoC). The BSP comprises binary files, source code and support files. Engineers can now use the BSP to create a bootable Windows 10 IoT Enterprise image for the i.MX platforms.
This is a significant development that impacts the way Windows will be used in the IoT. The enterprise version of Windows 10 is essentially the same as the desktop version. It will offer full Windows application compatibility and support development frameworks including .NET, WinForms, WPF, UWP and WinUI.
The NXP SoCs able to run Windows 10 IoT Enterprise are small, cost efficient and power efficient. They still manage to integrate a lot of features and functionality. This makes them popular for embedded applications, and the ability to run Windows 10 IoT Enterprise will increase their popularity with OEMs.
This is an example of Avnet Embedded’s SimpleFlex platform, which combines a computer-on-module with a standard carrier board.
Show me, don't tell me
Avnet Silica, working with Avnet Embedded, can demonstrate how powerful it is to combine NXP’s i.MX SoCs with Windows IoT Enterprise. The demo, presented at Embedded World 2023, is enabled using Avnet’s IoTConnect® technology.
The demo features the FischerTechnik Robotic Sensor Station IoT connected to an NXP-based SMARC module. The module is connected to a cloud platform, controlled using a web-based dashboard generated by IoTConnect. Importantly, IoTConnect technology is also integrated into the cloud application and directly into Windows 10 IoT Enterprise running on the NXP module.
Because it is connected to the cloud, the demo can be monitored and controlled by multiple dashboards running anywhere. The robotic sensor station immediately responds to control actions initiated through any of the dashboards. Via the cloud platform, all dashboards immediately update to show the current operating mode of the sensor station.
Visitors to Embedded World 2023 can experience this and interact with the demo, which will be running on the Avnet Silica booth (Hall 3a, Booth 111). To demonstrate the full power of an IoT solution, two additional dashboards will be available to control and interact with the sensor station remotely. These dashboards can be found on the NXP booth (Hall 4A, Booth 4A-222) and the Microsoft booth (Hall 4, Booth 4-410).
Making IoT simpler
The demo is largely enabled by IoTConnect, Avnet’s solution acceleration software. It provides the middleware between the edge and the network’s core. This abstracts away a lot of the complexity of connecting an edge device to a cloud platform.
As well as working with cloud platform providers to integrate IoTConnect at the enterprise level, Avnet is working with integrated device manufacturers like NXP to build these elements into their BSPs. As such, IoTConnect’s software components are integrated at all the most critical points in an IoT solution. This means from the endpoint’s software up to the cloud platform. This tight integration creates a secure end-to-end connection that makes it easier and faster for OEMs to deploy connected products.
The demo is based on the MSC SM2S-IMX8PLUS module running on the MSC SM2S-MB-EP5 carrier board. Together, they form part of Avnet Embedded’s SimpleFlex application-ready platform.
If you want to see how enabling it is to run Windows 10 IoT Enterprise on an embedded platform the like the NXP i.MX 8M, contact your local Avnet representative to schedule your own demonstration.
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