Teridian Semiconductor Corporation (Teridian Semiconductor) has introduced a new system-on-a-chip (SoC), 78M6612, for power outlet measurement and monitoring. The 78M6612 (6612) extends company’s wide smart metering product line with a new integrated circuits (ICs) designed to help end users understand the AC power they are consuming. The 6612 offers accuracy of +/-0.5%, over a 2000:1 dynamic range, with self calibration to facilitate rapid design time and optimal manufacturing efficiencies.
The company claims it’s the first to build a system on a single chip — integrating a processor, firmware and more — that can measure electricity use. This so-called system-on-a-chip design means Teridian’s technology is cheaper than other solutions on the market and can be more quickly integrated by equipment vendors, like those making server power supplies or power strips, according to Jay Cormier, vice president and general manager for Teridian. The data collected — current, voltage and power factor, a measure of how reliable a power supply is — can then be shuttled via a communications port, like USB, to a personal computer.
Like other companies targeting the growing energy management industry, Teridian’s move is based on the belief that companies and homeowners must first have more accurate data about when and where they use power before they can act to reduce their electricity bills. “In order for consumers or enterprises to learn how to be more energy efficient, they must first have the ability to track and analyze the power they are using,” Teridian Chief Technology Officer David Gruetter said in a statement.
Teridian’s new chip borrows from the company’s existing technology that has been used by major smart meter providers to measure electricity use outside of buildings. This announcement mark’s the company’s shift inside the home and office, Cormier said. The chip maker is initially targeting companies that make computer power supplies and power strips for homes and businesses. It will later market its technology to companies that make home appliances like air conditioning units, pool pumps and refrigerators. Cormier said he expects the home market to eventually be the larger of the two, but he wouldn’t estimate its size, saying only that it is potentially massive.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy today released a report highlighting the importance of semiconductors in driving energy-efficiency gains. Compared with technologies available in 1976, the council estimates that semiconductor-enabled technologies generated a net savings of about 75 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2006 alone. And with some $4 billion set aside by the Obama stimulus package for smart-grid technologies, it’s not surprising that large chip makers like Intel and Texas Instruments have started to position themselves for moves into the energy industry.
Teridian, which is backed by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, will probably use the communication protocol ZigBee when it adds the wireless communication feature to its new chip, Cromier said. “I believe the communications side will be far easier,” he said. “We’ll be able to integrate a lot of that functionality into our processor. But it is the energy measurement that will differentiate us.”
The move into wireless communication coupled with energy measurement will shift Teridian more directly into competition with a host of firms looking to provide energy-managing solutions for homes and businesses. Boston-based Ember claims it is the leader in the ZigBee industry, with a market share of more than 65 percent in smart metering, home automation and commercial building automation. Startups like Redwood City, Calif.-based Sentilla have raised millions from venture firms to roll out wireless sensor networks for energy management, often including their own chip designs.