IAR Embedded Workbench Provides Multicore Debugging for New NXP Dual-Core Series
Published on November 13, 2014 at 3:47 AM
IAR Systems® announces that its development toolchain IAR Embedded Workbench® for ARM® provides excellent performance and multicore debugging for the new ultra-low-power LPC54100 microcontroller series from NXP Semiconductor.
The series is targeted for applications with demands on always-on sensor processing and high sensor density, typically seen within implementations for wearable health and fitness applications, gaming, and industrial applications such as environmental monitoring, home and building automation, lighting and robotics.
IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM includes leading code optimization techniques that produce the fastest performing code on the market. The fast performing code has a significant impact on keeping the application’s power consumption to a minimum. Using IAR Systems’ probe I-scope™, developers can also test and tune their applications for power optimization and extend battery lifetime by learning the power consumed by individual modules and detect code design flaws causing unnecessary power consumption. The LPC54100 series features an asymmetric dual-core architecture based on ARM Cortex®-M4F and ARM Cortex-M0+. For maximal power/performance efficiency, developers can use the low-power ARM Cortex-M0+ core for sensor data collection, aggregation, and external communications and the ARM Cortex-M4F core for more math-intensive algorithms.
“We are excited to see early tools support in IAR Embedded Workbench for our new LPC54100 series microcontrollers,” says Brendon Slade, Director, Tools and Embedded Ecosystems, Microcontroller business line, NXP. “The advanced code optimization capabilities along with power analysis features enable users to extract the full potential of the LPC54100 series for always-on sensor processing applications, such as wearables, mobile devices, gaming, robotics, and more.”
NXP quotes...
n a major leap forward for sensor-based product
many older MCU sensor-processing architectures are just too power hungry or do not scale efficiently as the number of sensors increase.
We are excited to see the low power advancements made in NXP's LPC54100 series," said Shunnan Liou, general manager for CyweeMotion.
to offer the lowest power consumption for sensor processing than any other microcontroller in its class.
I know its NXP talking, but......................................................................................
Me, I so happy that the current best implementation of M0+/M4 is a paltry 20% lower power than an M4 alone.
Compute intense stuff, like Indoor location may use the M4 more and shrink the savings down and down......
Its the
The Emperor's New Clothes
is one conclusion.
But there are a LOT of folks who can code in C so it will be nice when QUIK can do that too?
QUIK keep that S3 on track....thanks in advance.
The Smart Timing ChoiceTM
SiTime to be Acquired by MegaChips for $200M
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the news?
•
MegaChips Corporation, a Japanese fabless semiconductor company, is acquiring SiTime
Corporation, a MEMS and analog semiconductor company, for $200M.
Largest acquisition in 2014 for a venture-backed semiconductor company
MegaChips acquires leadership position in MEMS, through SiTime’s 80% share in MEMS
timing
MegaChips’ revenues of $600M provides scale for growth of MEMS timing
2) SiTime Summary
•
MEMS and analog fabless semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, California, USA (Silicon
Valley)
•
Leader in MEMS timing solutions that replace legacy quartz products
•
80% share of MEMS timing market, according to market research firms Semico, Yole and CS&A
•
$5 billion TAM (total available market) for timing products: resonators, oscillators, clock generators
•
Began operations in 2005; founders came from Robert Bosch GmbH
•
Worldwide company: About 90 employees in US, China, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Taiwan and
Ukraine
• Target markets: Mobile, Wearables, Internet of Things, Industrial, Enterprise (Networking, Storage), Telecom, Consumer and Automotive
•
Key benefits: Silicon offers more features, higher performance, smaller size, higher quality and
reliability, lower power and better cost
•
Shipped 250 Million Units to over 1000 customers in 100 applications
• 100 patents
•
http://www.sitime.com
•
See SiTime Fact Sheet for more information
3) MegaChips Summary
•
Founded in 1990; the first fabless semiconductor company in Japan. Founders are still running the
company,
•
$585M revenue in FY ending March 2014
• Ranked 21st in WW fabless semiconductor companies by revenue; the only Japanese company in top 25 fabless semiconductor companies
•
813 employees in Japan, US, Taiwan, China, India
•
ASIC / ASSP / SOC provider to high-volume vertical industries
•
Applications: Game Systems, Image Processing, Panels, Office Automation, HPNA and PON
•
Publicly traded in the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
•
Successfully acquired companies in Japan, USA and Taiwan; recently acquired ST Micro’s
DisplayPort business in San Jose, California
•
Culture: Innovative, fast-moving, entrepreneurial
•
http://www.megachips.co.jp/english
4) How much is MegaChips paying for SiTime?
•
$200M in cash
again Megachips made a good move here and I did expect someone to acquire them. QCOM missed a good one here, others also should kick themselves................Sand 9 :-)
SiTime,
I'm sorry I never got to invest in your business as I really liked what you are focused on.
Where did they go?
SiTime to be Acquired by MegaChips for $200M
Largest acquisition of a venture-backed semiconductor company in 2014
MegaChips becomes a leader in MEMS with SiTime’s 80% share in MEMS timing
MegaChips’ revenue of $600M provides scale and growth for MEMS
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – October 28, 2014–SiTime Corporation, a MEMS and analog semiconductor company, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement under which MegaChips Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6875), a top 25 fabless semiconductor company based in Japan, will acquire SiTime for $200 million in cash. This transaction combines two complementary fabless semiconductor leaders that provide solutions for the growing Wearables, Mobile and Internet of Things markets.
“SiTime’s founders, Markus Lutz and Dr. Aaron Partridge, started the company with a vision of developing game-changing MEMS and analog technology to revolutionize the $5 billion timing industry,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO of SiTime. “Through innovation, passion and focus, we’ve successfully delivered on this vision. Today, SiTime is the overwhelming leader – we have 1000 customers, 250 million units shipped, major design wins in all electronics segments, and a roadmap that extends SiTime’s MEMS technology to all timing markets.”
“Every SiTime employee is excited to be part of MegaChips as we share a common entrepreneurial culture,” continued Vashist. “MegaChips’ financial strength and scale, with SiTime’s innovation and passion, will rapidly accelerate the adoption of MEMS timing solutions.”
While the world of electronics has delivered many innovations, the clock function, which is the heartbeat in all electronics, still uses 75-year-old quartz technology. SiTime’s innovative MEMS timing solutions replace dated quartz products in the telecom, networking, computing, storage and consumer markets, with the benefits of higher performance, smaller size, and lower power and cost.
“MegaChips has an aggressive growth strategy with a vision to become one of the top ten fabless semiconductor companies through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions,” said Akira Takata, President and CEO of MegaChips Corporation. “MEMS components are fuelling the growth of the semiconductor industry. Through the acquisition of SiTime, MegaChips becomes a leader in MEMS. SiTime will help us expand our portfolio and diversify our customer base. SiTime technology is the perfect match for MegaChips’ solutions that target Wearables, Mobile and IoT markets such as “frizz”, our ultra-low-power smart phone Sensor Hub LSI and BlueChip Wireless, a sub-GHz RF LSI.”
“As a founding investor in SiTime, Bosch recognized early on the tremendous vision and innovation behind SiTime’s approach to MEMS timing,” said Dr. Volkmar Denner, Chairman, Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH. “We have closely followed their success from a Silicon Valley startup to a revenue-generating company that sells to some of the world’s largest electronics companies. We are pleased that MegaChips is acquiring SiTime and we expect a bright future for the combined companies.”
“We are delighted by this merger. MegaChips and SiTime are very complementary companies with similar innovative and entrepreneurial cultures, and a unified vision that can transform the electronics industry," said Joe Horowitz, Managing General Partner at Jafco Ventures and a SiTime Board Member. “By leveraging SiTime's proprietary technologies and highly differentiated products, I have no doubt this combination is just at its opening act with a great future ahead."
“Over the past ten years, SiTime has built an extraordinary technology platform and a family of products that is in high demand at leading customers,” said Brooke Seawell, a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates and a founding investor and Board Member at SiTime. “With MegaChips’ operational and global scale, SiTime’s future is bright. The combined company will accelerate the adoption of MEMS timing solutions and will become a leading supplier to the electronics industry.”
Upon closing, scheduled for November 2014 pending regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, SiTime will retain its name and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of MegaChips. During this transaction, Needham & Company, LLC served as the exclusive financial advisor to SiTime.
MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange): 6875) was established in 1990 as an innovative fabless company dedicated to ASICs and system LSIs with the goal of integrating LSIs and systems knowledge and solutions. Its focus is on the development of cutting-edge system LSIs and systems products incorporating original algorithms and architecture in the areas of imaging, audio, and telecommunications, and using the advances it achieves to offer outstanding products and solutions that meet the needs of its clients. For additional information, please visit:http://www.megachips.co.jp/english/index.html.
Supporting Resources
I think Megachips did very well for themselves here..............
Friday, November 14, 2014
Speaking of Semico…the MEMS group is supporting an open source algo library to get folks up to speed.
Here is the news item to read.
Freescale Supports MEMS Industry Group’s New Open-Source Sensor Fusion Initiative with Advanced Development Resources
Sensor Fusion and New Sensor Interface Developments Open Up Innovation
published by Tony Massimini on Tue, 2014-11-11 23:36
Last week at the MEMS Executive Congress in Scottsdale, Arizona (Nov. 5-7, 2014) two separate announcements were made that will have long term impact on sensors. The MEMS Industry Group announced the first open source algorithm community for sensor fusion and the MIPI Alliance introduced a new sensor interface specification.
MIPI I3C
The I2C, also known as I Squared C, standard has been used extensively for sensor interface. Many sensor hub controllers, mostly microcontrollers, use I2C for connecting to sensors. But I2C has its limitations in terms of power, speed and scalability. SPI is another interface standard that is used for sensors, but this requires more pins.
MIPI is addressing the interface fragmentation and scalability issues with a new sensor interface specification, MIPI I3C. As that name implies it is backward compatible with I2C. But the new standard provides data throughput capabilities comparable to SPI. According to MIPI “the name MIPI SenseWire℠ will be used to describe the application of I3C℠ in mobile devices and the use of the I3C interface for mobile devices connecting to a set of sensors, directly or indirectly.”
This new standard has been developed because of the steadily growing proliferation of sensors in smartphones. A new standard was needed that could be scalable. MIPI has developed I3C with the participation of sensor vendors and other companies in the mobile ecosystem.
The I3C specification is scheduled for Working Group completion by the end of 2014. Ratification and approval is expected in 1Q 2015. Speaking with MIPI it is possible that I3C could be implemented in devices by the end of 2015.
MIG AIC
The Accelerated Innovation Community (AIC) is the first open source algorithm cooperative for sensor fusion applications. The inaugural AIC member is Freescale which has provided support and innovation to AIC.
AIC’s goal is to accelerate sensor algorithm development. It enables collaborative sensor data collection. The intent is to foster open innovation to spur sensor applications.
For many semiconductor companies, software is not their main strength. AIC will enable smaller players to move up the value chain. Larger players will be able to offload and share R&D costs. An open source community will encourage others to develop different use cases and ecosystems. This will lead to greater diversification, lower cost for software development, and shorten the R&D cycle.
To kick off AIC Freescale is offering its Open Source Sensor Fusion Library which includes C source library for 3-, 6-, and 9- axis Sensor Fusion. There is also a Sensor Fusion Starter Kit that includes a Kinetis based (ARM MCU) development board. Freescale also offers customization services through its software services.
Other companies have quickly added support to AIC. Coming on board are Analog Devices, Berkley Sensor & Actuator Center, Carnegie Mellon Univeristy, Kionix and NIST. PNI Sensor Corp. will contribute three algorithms: quaternion to heading pitch and roll; heart rate monitoring using PPG sensor; and step counting. Other MIG member companies are expected to join and provide further support over the next couple of months.
Semico Spin
The MIPI I3C standard and MIG AIC are completely separate developments that have no connection to each other. It is coincidental that they have been announced at the same time. Semico sees this as a serendipitous event. The two complement each other very well. MIPI I3C addresses the hardware side of Sensor Fusion and MIG AIC addresses the software side.
MIPI I3C offers a new topology that will enable more sensors to be designed in. While MIPI focuses on the smartphone and tablet markets, the technology is being leveraged into other applications. The standards are enabling other designs by expanding the capabilities of the ecosystem.
MIPI I3C will enable more flexible designs. Sensor data can be shared between an applications processor and a sensor hub controller. More than one sensor hub controller may be designed in sharing sensor data. Sensor Fusion algorithms can be partitioned among the application processor and sensor hub controllers for different applications. This will open up innovation for new applications.
MIG AIC will enable companies to address new applications which will utilize new designs developed around MIPI I3C. There will be more sensors, specialized algorithms which will become more complex. Many system designers are not familiar with sensors and sensor fusion. MIG AIC will provide tools and software they will need to proliferate sensors into new markets. A few months ago there were several mergers and acquisitions impacting sensor fusion. In May 2014, Fairchild announced the acquisition of Xsens, the Dutch company known for motion tracking software. On June 24, 2014 Audience announced it would acquire Sensor Platforms. On July 7, 2014 InvenSense announced it was acquiring two companies, Movea and Trusted Positioning, Inc. Thus, the only remaining independent third party sensor fusion developer without a competing chip is Hillcrest Labs. There was concern at the time that these developments might stifle sensor fusion development. Chip companies wanted to integrate more IP in their respective technologies. The recent announcement of MIG AIC opens up sensor fusion to many more developers. Semico believes that along with MIPI I3C, there will be accelerated development for sensor fusion across new markets.
What does Steve W. think of it?
“The availability of open-source sensor algorithms will catapult innovation in sensor-based applications to an unprecedented level,” said Stephen Whalley, chief strategy officer for MEMS Industry Group (MIG). “With our support, and through MIG member companies like Freescale Semiconductor, which is helping to drive AIC forward, we are realizing the very first open-source sensor algorithm community.”
So this is very good.
this snip
There was concern at the time that these developments might stifle sensor fusion development. Chip companies wanted to integrate more IP in their respective technologies. The recent announcement of MIG AIC opens up sensor fusion to many more developers. Semico believes that along with MIPI I3C, there will be accelerated development for sensor fusion across new markets.
The adjacent possible is moving faster than ever now, you can feel it in all the various news items there are to read.
The cc is far more useful if put into the rest of the items in the rich coral reef of sensors & algorithms.
Look ahead to CES. Commentary- the focus of MEMS at CES is the same general area where QUIK has invested the most in the past yr. This talent is in short supply yet QUIK has filled those positions with some seasoned ALGO veterans....
Also as you change the subjective probabilities I have been left to ponder this item from the cc.
I think I will call it the Appical effect. In the cc QUIK related that a Smartphone OEM had saidQUIK that their step counter was THE most accurate of those they tested. No I don't know if they tested them all, but any TOP 10 OEM would try many; INVN, SPI, Movea, Hillcrest, many of those.
How did QUIK become more accurate than them, with NO known, recognized, expertise in this arena?
Let's go back and get this snip; First the date....Oct. of 13, over a yr ago.
However, fitness monitoring products often fail in that they fail to recognize the user’s context — our CEO, Andy Pease, rides his bicycle to work almost every day, and his dedicated fitness monitoring device fails to recognize the fact he is biking, and doesn’t include the distance (and associated calorie burn) associated with it. With many manually-activated smartphone-based fitness programs, the sensor sub-system is quite adept at counting steps — as long as the device is in your pocket or hand. What is the user places the phone onto a baby stroller or cart they push in front of them? In this case, the steps aren’t counted. An always-on context aware sensor hub, coupled with intelligent sensor algorithms, solves these user experience issues. The sensor hub + sensor algorithms will recognize the user is biking, and automatically provide that information to device-based applications that will provide correct, activity-based fitness data. - See more at: http://blog.quicklogic.com/arcticlink-3-s1/what-does-always-on-context-awareness-enable/#sthash.v5fULtep.dpuf So they already were working on accurate step counting, ie this item suggests they were already at work on always on, because of their low power to add some context into step counting, and in the cc we have the phrase "best in class algorithms". They learned from Apical what happens when you don't own the algo IP- so as an investor in this business I really liked the phrasing in the cc about we control our own destiny- I also liked that they did not talk about it they just did it. Will CES hold some new algo IP for us? I think it will be a LOT of FUN to track along. 15 looks to be a yr., when it will be FUN to be an investor in their business. QUIK has invested a LOT in this area, they are writing some very complex fusion stuff for the S3, that promises to be well worth watching. What is one truth for algos? You can't dummy them down. 10 axis fusion is 30% more compute intense than 9 axis. Indoor location will run more cycles than many other important algos. QUIK will shine is this area in a comparison. They are hard at work. That new talent in context and gesture, are already doing neat things, maybe we will see some of them at CES?
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Samsung wants to make its wearables more ‘glanceable’ to save you time
Above: Samsung VP and Head of Design Dennis Miloseski
SAN FRANCISCO — For Samsung, wearable devices are all about “glanceability.”
Speaking onstage at Fast Company’s Innovation Uncensored event, Samsung VP and head of design Dennis Miloseski explained that the company’s approach to wearable devices comes from the idea that we should be able to glance at them — and spend more time not looking at them.
“We actually pull our phones out of our pocket 150 times a day,” he said.
This means that we spend a tremendous amount of time not only pulling them out, but also looking at them. As part of its research, his team walked around San Francisco observing people too caught up in their phones to look around — one person even walked into a pole, Miloseski said.
“We started to a see a growing trend around … glanceability. We asked, ‘Can we build a glanceable future?’ It was about having the right information at the right time,” he said.
Miloseski then applied this to the common example of location-based check-ins: “Why do I have to take my phone out, unlock it, launch an app, and check in on Foursquare?”
In a glanceable world, a person would just raise their wrist, tap a button, and that’s it — they’d be checked in.
New technologies such as haptic feedback (such as an Apple Watch vibrating while you walk to tell you to turn left) also simplify things: Devices signal you when you do need to check them.
It should be noted that Samsung has now announced six separate smartwatches in the span of a bit more than a year, with the Gear S being the latest.
This naturally raises the question of whether or not these glanceable devices will work. The fact that they’re smaller, more efficient in showing us information, and easier to glance at might mean that we spend less time looking at them.
Or it could mean that we check them even more.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
In the cc QUIK wisely did not answer a Q regarding the innfer workings at Samsung. Only to say the relationship is good.
Thats where reading on the adjacent possible gives color and understanding. So please use the following paragraph to find the rest of the text. Great read on Samsung is a must for any investor in the business QUK is in...
Samsung's next big thing: Gaining street cred in Silicon Valley
Samsung's next big thing: Gaining street cred in Silicon Valley
The Korean electronics giant has been making a big push in California over the past couple years. CNET lays out its successes -- and what it still needs to do.
Samsung's push in Silicon Valley includes operating an accelerator, pictured here in its initial base in Palo Alto. The accelerator recently relocated to San Francisco.Shara Tibken/CNET
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Young Sohn knew if Samsung was going to make a splash in fast-paced Silicon Valley, he'd have to move quickly.
So the Samsung Electronics president and chief strategy officer put together a proposal during a long flight back to company headquarters in Korea in January 2013. Less than a day later, he won approval from Oh-Hyun Kwon, Samsung Electronics' CEO and vice chairman, for a new $100 million fund to invest in early-stage startups in the US. Sohn announced the plans for the Samsung Catalyst Fund at a press event the following month and since then has invested in 24 companies.
Samsung has a reputation for moving fast. But approving a large US investment in less than 24 hours is rapid-fire even by its standards. Sohn called it "the fastest $100 million decision ever."
There's a reason for that urgency -- and the bet. Even though Samsung is the world's biggest maker of TVs and mobile devices (nearly one in four smartphones sold today is made by the company), it largely remains a mystery. Most people can't tell you the businesses it's in (it makes everything from toasters to tablets), and its executive team doesn't have any household names like Apple co-founder Steve Jobs or Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Walk down any street in the US and ask a tech worker to name the CEO of Samsung and you'll get a blank stare.
And in Silicon Valley, where spontaneous meetings and random encounters on the street, at restaurants and on hiking trails are a part of daily dealmaking, Samsung has been seen as missing in action. Meanwhile Apple, its fiercest rival in the market for smartphones and tablets, is building a 2.8 million-square-foot circular campus in its hometown of Cupertino, Calif., so it can gather employees and partners under one roof and increase the odds they'll have the "serendipitous personal encounters" Jobs believed was key to success.
That's why investing in Silicon Valley isn't a nicety for Samsung. It's a necessity. Being here means Samsung can tap into local talent and have chance encounters with venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, partners and startups looking to innovate in areas where the company has struggled, such as software and services.
For Sohn and the other executives in Silicon Valley, it's also part of a bigger effort to change the company's mindset. Setting up shop where there isn't a stigma over failure and where there's more willingness to experiment runs counter to the corporate culture in Korea.
"The mandate was really very simple," Sohn said in an interview at his office on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, Silicon Valley's equivalent of Wall Street for venture capitalists. "Can we look at things we cannot do in Korea?"
Samsung will be touting the success of some of its efforts so far at its developers conference, which kicks off Tuesday in San Francisco. The three-day confab returns to the city for the second year in a row and takes place at the same venue where Apple and Google host their annual developers conferences. The aim is to rally support among app makers and get them excited about building software specifically for Samsung's devices.
The company's not saying how many developers will attend, but last year's event hosted 1,300 people. Some partners are eager to talk about the work they've been doing with Samsung, praising many of the new hardware offerings and the number of users they gain by being featured on those devices. Others, meanwhile, say Samsung is still figuring out how to mesh with the Valley as they describe the difficulties of working with the Korean mothership.
"To do a significant partnership," said Marc Andreessen of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, "you have to go to Korea."
Early days in the Valley
Talk about Samsung and Silicon Valley and the surprise is actually how long it's been here. For more than 30 years, Samsung has run research and development and sales operations for displays and actual silicon -- the semiconductors that store data and serve as the brains of a device -- out of offices in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center is housed alongside venture capital firms like Shasta Ventures on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, Calif.Shara Tibken/CNET
Over the last few years, Samsung has stepped it up. The components business next summer will move into new 1.1 million square foot headquarters in San Jose, about 12 miles from Apple's headquarters. Samsung Research America, which focuses on software, user experience and services, is slated to occupy a new 385,000-square-foot R&D facility in Mountain View, about three miles down the road from Google's headquarters, this year.
Samsung has also been on a hiring spree, adding hardware, software and services expertise. It now has about 4,000 employees in the Valley, up about 30 percent over the past two years, said Sohn. While that's a small percentage of the 286,000 total Samsung employees in 80 countries around the world, it surpasses the global headcount for hot startups AirBNB, Dropbox, Pinterest and Uber -- combined.
Samsung, Sohn predicted, may be one of the largest 10 -- or even five -- employers in Silicon Valley within the next five years. That would put it in the ranks of top Bay Area tech employers including Apple, Cisco, Google, Oracle and Lockheed Martin, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Many of Samsung's new hires are for four businesses created to tap into the Valley's expertise. They include Sohn's Strategy & Innovation Center (SSIC), which seeks out new technology, partnerships and investments in hardware, generally with a longer-term view. There's also Samsung Design America (SDA), which built some of Samsung's flashier new gadgets, including the Gear Fit fitness band and curved Gear S smartwatch. The Open Innovation Center (OIC), runs an accelerator, forms partnerships and makes acquisitions and investments in startups focused on software and services. And the Media Solutions Center America (MSCA) creates its own software and services for Samsung devices, and works with developers making apps for the company's products.
"We're trying to change ... [Samsung] to a more agile, nimble, consumer-focused company that focuses on software and services," said Valerie Casey, head of Samsung's Silicon Valley accelerator, which is a part of OIC.
Successes, struggles
Those new businesses, created or revamped in the past two years, have some early successes. They include introducing a new sensor-filled wearable reference design, forming partnerships with popular app developers and buying startups such as smart home-focused SmartThings.
SmartThings, which was acquired by OIC in August after a two-month courtship, is expected to play a big role in Samsung's smart-home and connected-device plans, and it will talk about some of those steps at the developer conference. "We've seen how [Samsung has] really excelled in hardware," said Alex Hawkinson, CEO of SmartThings. "Where they haven't done as well is the entire synthesis of software and services. But they have a massive commitment to that."
OIC-led "road trips," in which Samsung executives visit the Bay Area and Silicon Valley companies travel to Korea, have helped bring the company both literally and figuratively closer to big names in tech, like venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, social networking giant Facebook and online magazine maker Flipboard.
"The 1-on-1 opportunities are invaluable," said Eric Feng, Flipboard's chief technology officer, who has participated in the road trips.
Other companies working with OIC have also lauded the group's ability to introduce them to executives at Samsung's headquarters -- and help them navigate the behemoth. "They're moving you around a massive corporation pretty well in the Valley," said one person who worked with OIC on deals and partnerships but asked not to be named.
But there have been setbacks, too. Some of the apps made by MSCA have been deemed lackluster, and many partners say they're still confused about who they should be working with at Samsung. Some of Samsung's Silicon Valley businesses have also gone through reorganizations, and the ultimate decision-making always returns to Korea. That's been frustrating for both US-based Samsung employees and the companies working with them.
Other partners CNET News spoke with complained about cultural misunderstandings, unreasonable expectations on the part of Samsung's Korean project managers and, at times, a lack of results when it comes to Samsung helping their businesses. While some app developers have benefited from working with Samsung, others who have worked closely with the company in the past say they're now being more careful before committing resources to Samsung projects.
And at least one developer says his company won't work with Samsung at all anymore. "We felt in their development process, once you get turned over to Korea, with the lack of support, lack of understanding, and arrogance, we don't need them," the developer said, speaking only on the condition of anonymity.
While MSCA and OIC try to work across Samsung's operations, it's also been hard for them to break down the company's traditional silos. The TV business still doesn't work well with mobile, observers said, and Samsung has started to move away from creating its own software and services in favor of using Google's programs or apps made by big name developers.
Several Samsung-created apps have been scrapped over the past year, including My Magazine (replaced by Flipboard Briefing), Samsung Books (replaced by Kindle), and Samsung Video and Media Hub (replaced by M-Go).
Getting the various Samsung divisions to work together is "a complex problem to solve," said Marc Shedroff, the OIC vice president in charge of partnerships. "The way you do it is have products that prove out the thesis" that software should work across devices. Some examples he pointed to included the MSCA-made Milk Music app that runs on Samsung smartphones, TVs and wearables, and SmartThings, which not only works on Samsung devices, appliances and other Android products but also gadgets running Apple's iOS software and Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system.
Playing the long game?
Change is afoot. Some partners say Silicon Valley may be gradually influencing Samsung, but Samsung also is influencing Silicon Valley. "We've actually learned a lot from Samsung," said John Lagerling, vice president of business development at Facebook. "It's...more about the way they run their business and have made big and bold bets in their history."
The question is whether Samsung's dedication to the Valley will make any true impact longer term or whether it's a "dog and pony show," as one developer put it.
A former Borders store in Palo Alto, a couple blocks from an Apple Store, has housed various Samsung operations over the past year. SmartThings is moving into the space formerly occupied by Samsung's Silicon Valley accelerator.Shara Tibken/CNET
Samsung vows that its push in Silicon Valley won't be short-lived. The Bay Area will remain the center of Samsung's innovative tech development and ecosystem efforts, Sohn said. Within the next five years, Samsung may run some of its businesses from the US, instead of taking all big decisions back to Korea. That's something that would "be a change in our DNA," he added.
Still, it won't be easy for Samsung to become synonymous with Silicon Valley, like Google or Apple. There are cultural and geographical issues, and the lack of understanding about how the company works. There's actually a complicated hierarchy at Samsung, with three CEOs: Kwon, who approved Sohn's investment, oversees the other CEOs and Samsung's components business; JK Shin heads mobile operations; and Boo-Keun Yoon is chief of Samsung's consumer electronics division.
At the end of the day, Samsung remains a conservative, family-run organization, albeit one the size of a nation-state (about 20 percent of Korea's GDP comes from Samsung). As much as Samsung has expanded in Silicon Valley, the Bay Area still remains Apple's backyard. If Apple comes calling, it would be almost impossible for an app developer to turn the Cupertino company away in favor of Samsung.
"With developers, [Samsung has] done so much better than any other handset maker," said one app developer who's worked with the Korean giant. "But anybody would jump way higher for Apple than they would for Samsung."
That sentiment comes as Samsung's feeling the heat from Chinese vendors willing to undercut its products, and from the competition it faces daily from Apple's iPhone franchise. Samsung has also struggled to develop apps and services that are widely used by consumers, and its homegrown Tizen software -- an alternative to Google's Android mobile operating system -- has been a nonstarter in smartphones.
While it's too early to say whether Samsung's Silicon Valley push will be a success, the company knows it can't step back. At the very least, the Android operating system running on most of its devices is developed in the region, as are the apps most used by its smartphone customers.
"Their fate depends on what's going on in Silicon Valley," said an executive at an influential Valley tech company who asked not to be named. "They have to stay really close to that."
