Bonnie Ludwig, PhD, Product Development Manager, ResinLab

2017 was the best year in a generation for Data I/O, the leading provider of advanced data programming and security provisioning solutions for flash-memory, flash-memory based intelligent devices and microcontrollers. The company experienced the fifth consecutive year of growth with significant growth in the automotive market and the introduction of several new products to enable OEMs and electronics manufacturers manage and secure their programming process.

In March Data I/O announced the new SentriX™ Security Provisioning solution, a highly flexible cost-effective security provisioning and data programming system for authentication devices, secure elements and secure microcontrollers. OEMs for internet-of-things (IoT) devices are increasingly concerned with the risk of IP theft, product cloning and system hacking.

SentriX enables OEMs to embed hardware roots-of-trust during the programming process and secure their connected devices from design through manufacturing and beyond. The SentriX platform 'democratizes' security by allowing OEMs of all sizes to provide the best security provisioning at an affordable price.

In November we demonstrated new capabilities to our award winning Lumen™X programming technology to support Universal Flash Storage (UFS) technology. Automotive electronics programmable content is projected to grow from 32GB to over 1 TB and beyond by 2025; driven primarily by the infotainment systems in connected and autonomous cars. These applications will transition from eMMC Flash Memory to Universal Flash Storage (UFS) to meet the storage, power and application performance requirements.

2018 is the year of security. OEMs must address the challenges of securing their IoT platforms, and Data I/O will be announcing new partnerships, products, and capabilities to help OEMs of all sizes secure their products from design, through manufacturing and operation.

2018 is also the year where UFS becomes the platform of choice in automotive infotainment design. We released support for UFS flash memory on LumenX programmer in January with integration into the PSV7000 and PSV5000 doubling the UFS programming throughput of existing solutions.

Data I/O supports the transition to UFS with high performance solutions that protect OEM investments in Data I/O equipment Data I/O will continue to build on our momentum from 2017 with relentless focus to deliver programming solutions that are more cost effective, easier to use and more secure.