Smart meter chip market standard changes

Previously, due to the restrictions of the State Grid, perhaps due to security and reliability considerations, smart meter SoC solutions have been limited in the country, but the latest specifications are not limited in this regard. Some chip manufacturers have introduced integrated measurement, control and peripheral SoC solutions, and this type of solution has become popular in foreign countries. Will this kind of demand begin to appear in China?

The more integrated components inside the chip, although a way to reduce costs, will have an impact on reliability and design flexibility. The focus of Renesas is now to add RTC, LCD driver and peripherals to SoC programs to reduce the design cost under the condition of ensuring reliability. As for integrated measurement chips, there is no demand in the Chinese market. Qiu Rongfeng explained.

Another reason may be that the current domestic meter charges mainly use the plug-in card type, and no safety isolation is provided in the design. The use of integrated metering IC solutions may affect personal safety.

At present, competition in the meter market is fierce, especially in the single-phase market. Chinese manufacturers have already dominated the market. Metrology IC manufacturers such as Shanghai Belling, Ruineng Micro, and Quanquan Optoelectronics, and control companies such as Fudan Microelectronics, have obvious advantages. In the three-phase market, in terms of measurement, foreign companies such as TDK, ADI, TI, CirrusLogic and other companies still performed well. The main control was also divided by Renesas, TI, Freescale, and Fujitsu. However, with the driving of cost pressures and the issuance of new regulations, the SoC solution will be the next wave of demand. This is still a highland for foreign manufacturers. Once the SoC solution is prevalent, the market situation will definitely change again. How will the Chinese manufacturers meet? response?