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Asia's Electronics Engineers Boost Use of Advanced Components in Embedded Design -- Global Sources-Gartner Survey

Posted on: Friday, 24 March 2006, 06:00 CST

HONG KONG, March 24 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Sources' sixth annual Embedded Systems Development Trends: Asia Survey shows that the region's engineers are working with more complex designs and components, with 55 percent expected to use 32-bit or higher microprocessors this year-up from 49 percent in 2005.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041008/HKF003LOGO )

The survey was conducted by Global Sources publication Electronic Engineering Times-Asia (EE Times-Asia) and Gartner, Inc. . It attracted 547 engineers from mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and India.

EE Times-Asia publisher, Mark Saunderson, said: "As Asia moves up the silicon value chain, not only are engineers using more advanced components, project teams are also expanding and becoming increasingly specialized.

"Thirty-nine percent of engineers surveyed primarily design software and firmware-up from 34 percent in 2005. Meanwhile, the proportion of system designers has fallen to 39 percent, from 47 percent."

Mainland China project teams more specialized

Saunderson added: "In mainland China, the trend toward specialization is also accelerating. System designers still comprise the largest category of mainland China respondents-at 44 percent-but the proportion is significantly lower than last year's 57 percent. Forty-two percent of mainland China engineers now focus on software and firmware design."

As projects grow more complex, Asia's engineers increasingly use third-party modules or cores to reduce design time and costs. Sixty-six percent of surveyed engineers specify the use of cores.

Consumer electronics, communications, industrial controls, key design applications

Gartner research vice president, Daya Nadamuni, said: "Consumer electronics shares the spotlight with communications as the electronics industry's main growth drivers, while industrial controls are increasingly important as more factory floor appliances are networked.

"Twenty-three percent of respondents said consumer electronics is the main application for their designs, while 21 percent cited communications and 22 percent cited industrial controls."

Engineers to start an average of five new projects in 2006

Saunderson added: "Demand for embedded components and development tools will continue to grow robustly in Asia and China-67 percent of surveyed engineers plan to start an average of five new design projects this year." In evaluating component suppliers, respondents rated component/system size as the most important factor with a rating of 2.1 on a 2.5-point scale. Other important factors include support for BDM/JTAG; availability of on-chip memory; power consumption and availability of evaluation kits/reference designs.

Complete results of the Embedded Systems Development Trends: Asia Survey are available at EE Times-Asia Online at http://www.eetasia.com/SITE/EmbeddedSurvey.HTM .

EE Times-Asia is an integral part of Global Sources' product portfolio that serves Asia and China's electronics industry from design to export. The portfolio includes EE Times-China, EE Times-Taiwan and EE Times-Korea magazines and their complementary websites and technical events.

About Global Sources

Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade with Greater China. It provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers.

The company helps its community of more than 479,000 active buyers to source more profitably from complex, overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing as many effective ways as possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in 230 countries.

The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. Suppliers using its four primary channels -- online marketplaces, magazines, trade shows and direct online sales -- are supported by its advertising creative, education programs and online content management applications.

Global Sources delivers information on 1.4 million products and more than 130,000 suppliers annually through 10 leading online marketplaces and monthly magazines, more than 100 sourcing research reports, and 14 China Sourcing Fairs and other trade shows. Buyers send more than 5.8 million inquiries annually to suppliers through Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com/ ) alone. Global Sources Direct is the company's new initiative that helps suppliers sell online.

In mainland China, Global Sources has a 25-year track record and 1,400 team members in 44 locations. Its services are backed by 35 years experience as a trade magazine publisher, 14 years as an organizer of trade shows, and 10 years as an online marketplace operator.

Electronic Engineering Times-Asia is published by eMedia Asia Ltd., a joint venture between Global Sources and CMP, a leading integrated media company providing essential information and marketing services to the entire technology spectrum. The joint venture is a leading provider of new technology content, in print and online for the 150,000-plus technology specialists that drive the electronics industry in China and Asia. eMedia Asia Ltd. serves this community's ongoing need for the right information, at the right time through its integrated, local-language web networks, premier technical events and industry-leading publications -- Electronics Supply & Manufacturing-China, Electronic Engineering Times-Asia and Electronic Design-China.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. Gartner serves 10,000 organizations, including chief information officers and other senior IT executives in corporations and government agencies, as well as technology companies and the investment community. The Company consists of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 3,700 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 75 countries worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gartner.com/ .

Global Sources Press Contact in Asia: Camellia So Tel: +852-2555-5023 Email: cso@globalsources.com Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia: Eddie Heng Tel: +65-6547-2850 Email: eheng@globalsources.com Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.: James W.W. Strachan Tel: +1-602-978-7504 Email: strachan@globalsources.com Global Sources Investor Contacts in U.S.: Kirsten Chapman & Moriah Shilton Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc. Tel: +1-415-433-3777 Email: kirsten@lhai-sf.com Gartner Contact: Tom McCall Tel: +1-408-468-8312 Email: tom.mccall@gartner.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-bhttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041008/HKF003LOGOPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Global Sources Limited

CONTACT: For media in Asia, Camellia So, +852-2555-5023 orcso@globalsources.com, or in U.S., James W.W. Strachan, +1-602-978-7504, orstrachan@globalsources.com, both of Global Sources; For investors in Asia,Eddie Heng, +65-6547-2850, or eheng@globalsources.com, in U.S, Kirsten Chapman& Moriah Shilton, +1-415-433-3777, or fax, +1-415-433-5577, orkirsten@lhai-sf.com, both of Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc., for GlobalSources; or Tom McCall of Gartner, +1-408-468-8312, or tom.mccall@gartner.com

Source: PRNewswire

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