Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1276973
AUGUST 2020 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 49 Almeida: Yes, the smart ones do. Matties: It seems like if you incentivize and monetize it, it's going to maybe be a catalyst for some shift in thinking. Almeida: And the other problem is that fabri- cators' margins are already so thin that it's a catch-22 for them. It's like, "I'm going to put some of that margin back into this with the hope that it's going to make the aggregate big- ger." They tend to look at it as, "I know what this is going to be. I'm better off with the devil I know versus the one I don't, even though that one couldn't really help us out financially." It creates another conundrum. Matties: Right, that's a whole different topic. But we have been talking about the profitabil- ity of fabricators and how there's still quite a bit of profit left in fabrication if you start elimi- nating the waste in the process. Almeida: Exactly. It's like leaning into a punch a little bit, or when your car's out of control, you turn into it as opposed to away from it. It's not a very intuitive reaction. Matties: This has been great. Is there anything we haven't talked about that you feel should be included in this conversation? Almeida: It's just interesting that we could have had this same conversation 15–20 years ago. Matties: Thank you both for your insight. Almeida: It's always a pleasure speaking with you all. Fugitt: Thank you. DESIGN007 Visit I-007eBooks.com to download Down- Stream Technologies' book The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to... Assessing Your PCB Doc- umentation and other free, educational titles. possible a tightly synchronized combination of fine digital edge placement, as well as wideband 5G new radio generation and analysis with the mmWave Vec- tor Signal Transceiver (VST). These technologies helped Eta Wireless demonstrate a data rate improvement of 3X and the doubling of the PA's output power, address- ing core power and thermal problems of 5G mmWave deployments. This makes ETAdvanced technology a key enabler for mmWave 5G radios. "At NI, we equip our customers to engineer ambitiously by providing the tools and expertise required to help them test new ideas," said Ritu Favre, senior vice president and general manager of NI's semicon- ductor business unit. "Connecting Eta Wireless with technology that helps solve one of the biggest chal- lenges facing 5G adoption is at the heart of our vision to accelerate 5G commercialization." (Source: Business Wire) International Microwave Symposium (IMS)-NI is col- laborating with Eta Wireless to implement and demon- strate full support of ETAdvanced, the industry's first ever Digital Envelope Tracking (ET) technology for mmWave 5G RF front-end devices. Developed by Cambridge-based Eta Wireless, the technology enables extended battery life in smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices, improving both data rates and connectivity range. ETAdvanced addresses the power efficiency challenges that have historically plagued RF front ends. Wideband power ampli- fiers (PAs), such as those found in 5G devices, waste a significant amount of power in the form of heat, greatly reducing battery life. ETAd- vanced uses the signal's envelope information to increase the amplifi- er's efficiency by delivering only the power needed at that instant. Full support of ETAdvanced was a c h i e ve d u s i n g N I s of t w a re - connected PXI systems, making NI, Eta Wireless Accelerate Wideband Digital Envelope Tracking