As Inside (formerly known as ARTEMIS) takes its next step forward, we’re shining an even greater spotlight on the achievements of our talented members. How can collaboration between large and small organisations enable the next generation of Intelligent Digital Systems? Dr Sara Bocchio takes a look at the role that the Inside community has played and still plays in her work.
The perfect environment
As Verification Manager at STMicroelectronics, a top IDM in Europe, Sara has seen the world of microelectronics change rapidly over the last decade while the importance of software-intensive embedded software has grown significantly. “It’s nothing less than Intelligent Digital Systems to be the focal interest for me,” she begins. “I mean, you only have to see the way that the cloud is ramped up to become the dominant force in our industry. It’s vital for our commercial interests in today’s (and tomorrow’s) market that we put ourselves at the forefront of developments and trends in this area. And Inside has certainly offered us the perfect environment, predominantly in the shape of the Arrowhead Tools project, with its focus on the IoT interoperability of platforms and services.”
Transformative for business
In addition to her role as Verification Manager, Sara is also the Technical Manager of Arrowhead Tools for the Italian subsidiary of STMicroelectronics. With a budget of about €9.5 million of eligible costs, STMicroelectronics is strongly committed to this project and aims to improve IT/OT integration via digitalisation and automation solutions for European industry.
“I guess you could say our role was to act as a bridge between research and industrial innovation. Our knowledge of what the customer wants brings a focus to the research that universities may not have. It drives the research towards a strategic impact and enables businesses to realise the relentless innovation in their products. I am very proud of being involved and of the many successes – too many to be mentioned here – that have been achieved. I suppose if I had to mention one, it is the advancements made possible by the cloud. The cloud has been, and still is, really transformative in our business and in our way of working, even down to the way it has facilitated us working from home during the pandemic. The technology has enabled us to keep on cooperating, perhaps in a more efficient way than even before.”
Exposure creates an advantage
Like all stakeholders within the Intelligent Digital Systems domain, Sara is also concerned with exponential growth of complexity which currently presents a major challenge. “To solve all the system problems and quality issues requires the concerted effort from a whole range of players, from universities to companies and even customers. The whole supply chain, in fact,” she notes. “Working in an ECSEL project like Arrowhead on a large variety of demonstration use-cases brings a terrific amount of exposure to competence and skills – from research to innovation, from concept to prototype. We realise at STMicroelectronics that being part of such a community – the exposure – puts us at an advantage. We find out how the world – at least in the competitive European context – perceives things, the developments and trends. This helps us consistently prepare for the future.”
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