Review D&E event 2021

The D&E event, where D&E stands for Design Automation & Embedded Systems, had a hybrid version in the 2021 edition: visitors could attend the lectures live in Eindhoven, but some could also be followed online in the form of a webinar.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

Carmen Bratosin, affiliated with TNO, gave the keynote lecture in the morning. She talked about how increasingly complex machines require different strategies to be maintained efficiently. FHI spoke Bratosin already in the run-up to the D&E event.

After the opening, the program divided itself again into a number of tracks. While Boy van Veghel (Fineline QPI) talked about the benefits of flex-rigids, William Baars from CN Rood spoke about the consideration of shifting testing to an earlier phase of the design process.

aOther topics discussed included the design challenges for developing a multi-sensor module for smart buildings (3T), the benefits of backing up with supercaps (Würth Elektronik) and model-based FPGA design (read our interview with this speaker).

Dirk Stans, almost as tradition, also spoke on behalf of Eurocircuits and talked about it building bridges between the CAD and CAM world. Arco Snoey (TOP-electronics) gave visitors insight into how in a world full of IoT sensors, these devices can sometimes run for a lifetime on one battery. On behalf of Telerex, Claus Giebert (Advantech) talked about the complexity of modern CPUs, USB-C interfaces and possible solutions for PCB designs.

The closing lecture by Jaap O. Mark (Bugreport) attracted a lot of attention. No wonder, because he delved deeper into the very topical topic of ransomware. This type of malware recently shut down large parts of companies such as Mediamarkt and VDL. During his story, he discussed the revenue model of cyber criminals and possible mitigations that companies can take to reduce the chance of a successful attack.

Once again D&E was a successful event. Developments in this market are happening very quickly, so it is only logical to discuss the latest developments each year. Moreover, networking is always fun on the trade fair floor. See you next year!