The Exploration Road of Embedded Software

"Among the first 10 of top 100 national software enterprises in 2006, we can see that there are 6 embedded software enterprises." Guo Chunxue, secretary-general of China's software industry committee, had a more unique feeling of those numbers. At the same time, due to the sudden emergence of ZTE, Huawei and other enterprises, as well as the market share of embedded software with 100 billion Yuan per year, the embedded software has moved from the behind of hardware to the front. In 2006, the total sales of China's embedded software reached 146.16 billion Yuan, compared to 106.14 billion Yuan in 2005 and 75.12 billion Yuan in 2004, the growth of embedded software maintained about 40% per year. Comparing with the outsourcing, middleware, application software and other industries supported by the government, the development of embedded software is strewing with thorns.

Requiring the support of policy

As a result of the rapid development of embedded software market, the embedded software has gradually become the backbone of China's software industry, but the embedded software facing such arduous task seems to be lack of adequate "care".

At present, we have not agreed on a unified knowledge of embedded software, especially lacking of scientific computing standard, although Notice about some Policy of Value-added Tax has resumed the policy of rebating the value-added tax of independent embedded software, some of embedded software bundled with hardware still cannot enjoy the software rebating tax policy.

The promulgation of software and integrated circuit "No.18 Document" support policy enable software to enjoy the preferential policy at a certain extent, but the product form of embedded software is closely relating with hardware, the software inside is too difficult to be peeled off from hardware, and the proportion of software and hardware is hard to define, so these have obstructed the embedded software to enjoy such a supporting policy.

So far, some software elements which are easily to be separated from the hardware and some products which can be classified can enjoy preferential policies according some certain formulas, but many embedded owner-occupied software and IC design researched and developed independently by the enterprises hasn't been included in the classification directory. Nevertheless, as the potential of these two products is further increasing in China's market, its driving effect has been shown out, which has led the embedded software becoming an important supporting force to promote China's software industry development.

Find Out the Key Points of Application

For those embedded software depending strongly on the whole industrial chain, separating from the protection of laboratory will become the key for embedded software to achieve great-leap-forward development.

"The embedded development should be a random state to meet a wide range of multi-level users' needs. We should not accept totally, China has its own special circumstances, it can walk out its own road relying on the advantage of large manufacturing." Most of domestic hardware manufacturing enterprises separate a part of their efforts to develop software, but the research and development of embedded software in India, Ireland, Europe, the United States, and other countries mostly undertakes the entrusted processing at home and abroad, enterprises don't conduct the mosaic work of embedded software. Guo Chunxue stated, "This involves the division of work about the industrial chain."

Guo Chunxue recommended, "Embedded mode is the application to meet the specific needs of services, this flexible and customized industrial feature is worth to use for reference by other industries, no matter to consider from the definition or the entire design method and idea, to achieve on-demand customized design pattern is very necessary."

Exploring the Core of Industry

As the automobile industry, the embedded software has a strong "cascade effect", its preferential development do will promote the development of the peripheral relevant industries. At the same time, from the perspective of informationization, this do will promote these industries to achieve the changes of digital, intelligent and network-based to boost the products upgrading, reform traditional industry, in order to realize from "made in China" to "created in China". Nevertheless, the current embedded industry chain is still facing the crisis of disjointing.

Firstly, from researching products to producing, and then to a series of services in the later period, the system continuity hasn't been formed yet. Guo Chunxue said, "China should set up so-called ‘incubators', this should be encouraged as a policy. Also, this will save a lot of research funding input and focus on products, market and socialized."

Secondly, the communication channels among the upstream manufacturers, the embedded software products manufacturers and the end products manufacturers are not smooth, the market information is blocked; the combination among chip design, chip production and embedded products production is not close enough; the industrial standard is relatively stagnant, the compatibility cost is too high, these all affect the quality and efficiency of the entire industry operation. There breakpoints is fatal to the embedded software with strong industrial linkage.

Therefore, it is imperative to integrate the industrial chain and strengthen the mutual cooperation between the upper and lower reaches of the whole industrial chain. Meanwhile, due to the core of embedded system is application, the center processor hasn't formed a completely uniform standard; it cannot become monopoly as easily as computer industry does. Difficult to monopolize and highly decentralized offer an opportunity for China to catch up with the world with its advantages on technologies, human resources, patents, fund, and other aspects.

The important means to build a harmonious industrial chain are focusing on standards, encouraging the innovation of business mode and commercial cooperation, constituting industrial alliance and promoting industrial development. In the whole embedded industry, it is impossible to promote the development of the whole industry breaking through from one side; we must integrate the industrial chain resources of upstream and downstream, straighten out the relationship between parties and concerting efforts together so that we can really achieve a leap.

Finding the Protection of Hardware

Embedded system is the industry with software and hardware relating closely with each other, it is meaningless to discuss either one separating with the other. The development of hardware is inseparable from software, so does the development of software.

To vigorously develop embedded software industry, we must attach importance to the supporting role played by hardware to software. It is hard for embedded software to escape from the control of an invisible hand without the basic support from hardware. It is difficult to image that Microsoft can develop so well today without the development of Intel.

SoC (System on Chip), which was produced in the mid-1990's, is always at a high starting point no matter on the aspects of function, techniques and application technology. It uses reusable technology to VLSI-class IP core which has complex functions. As the VLSI-class IP core is a component, the efficiency of design and reuse is very high.

When SoC is researched a lot in China, SiP (System in Package) has begun to popularize abroad. During the 20-year development of embedded system and SCM, SCM has become a wide-used technology from a concept; China is also speeding up to catch up with the international advanced technology. But from the view of the practical application, the gap of China on the theoretical research is reduced, but the gap of practical application is still very evident, especially the leading of SCM is still a series of original Intel system application, it is difficult to see the fruit of China.

There is still a long way to go of developing embedded software industry. For China who has the foundation of hardware, it may be a shortcut to do a lot on chip; also China should change the traditional concept of application innovation. Although for SCM, the original innovation is difficult, especially the innovation of basic hardware parts which require the state to spend a great deal of energy, but for enterprises, innovation is everywhere, they should focus on the innovation on business mode and application. Germany is still one of the world powers, although it doesn't have its own processor, it wins with its innovation on application and business mode. Thereby, it is necessary for the enterprises engaging in SCM to make efforts to construct and perfect each tache of SCM industrial chain in order to maximize the profits of technical application. This is the best way for enterprises to develop and accumulate funds currently.

The Power of Cultivating Talents

Embedded technology is a comprehensive application industry; it takes relatively longer practice for embedded technical personnel to master the adequate skills, which requires more time and cost to accumulate sufficient professionals.

Although in recent years, the cultivation of embedded software professionals is speeding up, the overall volume has been increased a lot compared to the previous years; it still fails to keep pace with the demands. Currently, the cultivation of embedded professionals is mainly in colleges, universities and vocational schools. Because the embedded software has the notable application characteristic of facing the specific industries, it is difficult for people who just graduate to be familiar with the whole industry, application conditions and application demands at short notice, this leads a dislocation of the mechanism time about outputting talents, which has greatly constrained the development of embedded software to a certain extent. So it is also an important channel of outputting talents to encourage enterprises to train their own talents.

At the same time, the contradiction of human resources' structure is prominent. For a long time, in the embedded field, the personnel structure has been "dumbbell-shaped" all through, the compound talents are destitute. There is no big change of embedded technology on application, so the professionals who have electronic technology, as well as SBC and SCM technology, can quickly master the skills to develop embedded system with grasping the knowledge of integrated circuit and operating system base on these, this will alleviate the pressure of demanding human resources to a certain extent.

The R&D and application of embedded software have become the main force to drive the rapid development of China's software industry. It is the preponderant choice to combine software and hardware, as well as develop vigorously embedded technology, but there are still some people consider that the embedded software industry cannot be bigger and stronger due to its own characteristic limitation. Guo Chunxue stated, "Why the embedded software enterprises cannot be stronger and bigger? ZTE and Huawei are the good examples; Chinese enterprises still have great opportunities. Along with the clarity of scientific cognizance about embedded software, upgrading of policy support, perfecting of industrial chain, improvement of personnel training mechanism, and the specific requirements of embedded software to specific industrial application are matching with China's reality (the most advantage of software at home and abroad is versatility), Chinese embedded enterprises can embark on a path to achieve from localization to internationalization."

Method of Hardware Dissection:

To do dissection calculation according to the characteristic that embedded software and hardware are interdependent, remove the hardware cost and managing cost of embedded software. Software revenue = the average ex-factory price of complete appliance – (hardware cost + 10% hardware increment + labor cost + period cost)

Advantage: it can reflect the actual situation, the calculation is scientific, it is close to reality.

Disadvantages: the maneuverability is poor, it is short of uniqueness.

Method of Weights Distribution:

Through Hardware Dissection Formula:

Software revenue = the average ex-factory price of complete appliance - (hardware cost + 10% hardware increment + labor cost + period cost), weight each product of average distribution coefficient, and then form unified and standardized calculation weights.