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Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 2009-9 (VOL. 60, NO. 5)

Special Issue: Cutting-Edge R&D

  • Fujitsu Laboratories R&D Strategy—Towards Human-Centric Networked Society—

Since Fujitsu brought the message "Everything on the Internet" to the world more than ten years ago, Fujitsu Laboratories has made progress in information technology, leading to innovations in services and business models. Fujitsu Laboratories holds to the vision of a "human-centric networked society". Enormous amounts of data and knowledge will be acquired by sensors, processed by Cloud computing, transformed into new forms of value, and fed back to the real world to bring about big social and business changes. "What Mankind Can Dream, Technology Can Achieve" is our mission. We are going to innovate ourselves as 21st century laboratories, contribute to create the human-centric networked society, and offer a fruitful and hopeful future to the whole world.

  • Fujitsu Laboratories Global Activities

Fujitsu Laboratories has established three laboratories in the USA, China, and Europe and has been building a global R&D system. Each overseas laboratory is developing technologies utilizing the region's characteristics and working with local universities and research institutes. The activities that have taken root in the region were promoted in order to start up R&D functions at the initial establishment. Since 2005, R&D management has been shifted to focus on outputs more strongly in harmony with all laboratories worldwide and on open innovation. Overseas laboratories have established deep relationships with the local communities and benefit from the outstanding environments and talents in those regions. They are carrying out R&D and business incubations and producing remarkable outputs.

  • Activities of Fujitsu Laboratories for Environmental Innovation

Ongoing company activities should have a precise correspondence to environmental problems. In its fourth assessment report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that the average global temperature might be 2-6° higher at the end of the 21st century unless fast action is taken and there is a risk of mankind dying out. To reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases by half by 2050, innovations in information technologies are essential and Fujitsu Laboratories has been developing a lot of environment-protecting technologies. We plan development strategies using a technology roadmap that includes the environmental viewpoint and we estimate the energy saving effect using the life cycle assessment method in advance. We also promote total development from material/device technologies to system/solution technologies and construct the ecological value chain through a combination of these technologies to obtain effective energy savings.

  • GaN-HEMT Technology for Future Applications

We investigated future power applications of GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) after successfully developing a high-efficiency GaN-HEMT amplifier for mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) base stations. Its excellent material properties also make the GaN-HEMT a good candidate for future power electronic devices, which must operate with a high drain current and high voltage. Fabricated normally-off GaN-HEMT devices showed a threshold voltage of 3 V, maximum drain current of 800 mA/mm, and off-state breakdown voltage of 320 V. These characteristics are attributed to the novel cap layer that enhances the electron density, a recessed gate structure, and a metal-insulator-semiconductor structure. These results show the potential of normally-off GaN based devices for future power electronic application.

  • On-Die Power Supply Noise Monitor and Its Application to Power Gating Technique

To reduce the power consumption of LSIs, the supply voltage should be set as low as possible using a supply voltage control technique. However, when the power gating technique or the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique is used, large supply voltage fluctuations may cause faulty operation during the power mode transition. To establish a precise voltage control technique, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a circuit for on-die monitoring of the power supply noise and applied it to the development of a new power gating scheme that enables faster restoration without any increase in power supply noise. Simulation results were sufficiently close to measurement results to verify this method's effectiveness: within 10% for a test chip using 90-nm technology. As a result, the noise can be reduced by 87.5% and power gating with a sub-microsecond wakeup time can be achieved.

  • Super-Multipoint Temperature Measurement Technology

Energy consumption in data centers has recently increased remarkably. For energy-efficient data centers, optimization of server room cooling is becoming very important because about 40% of the total energy is consumed by this air conditioning equipment. We have developed super-multipoint temperature measurement technology based on optical time-domain reflectometry of optical fibers to obtain accurate and detailed temperature distributions of data center server rooms. A special signal correction algorithm has been developed to enhance the spatial resolution to up to twice that of conventional equipment. We have also developed technology for laying out optical fiber as a sensor for obtaining accurate and efficient temperature distributions.

  • Application of Environmental Load Analysis to Branch Office Monitoring

Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan have increased by 9.0% from 1990, which is the base year of the Kyoto Protocol, and those from the commercial and other sectors including office buildings are especially large. In these sectors, greenhouse gas emissions caused by the use of information technology (IT) are large, so reductions require adequate IT solutions. Fujitsu is proposing a branch office monitoring that provides operation, operator, and space analysis to find problems in branch offices and improve the work flow and IT system. Furthermore, we provide environmental load analysis developed by Fujitsu Laboratories in order to clarify the environmental load reduction effect achieved by introducing IT solutions at branches. This paper introduces a detailed case study of environmental load analysis applied to branch office monitoring at a branch of a bank.

  • Protecting Future Society through High-Performance Computing

Society is facing challenges from many directions, such as climate change through global warming, the spiralling cost of new medicines, and the threat of viral pandemics. High-performance computing will play a vital role in tackling these challenges to protect society. Fujitsu Laboratories of Europe Ltd. (FLE) has established strategic collaborations with leading European institutions to bring Fujitsu's next-generation computing technologies to bear on these pressing societal problems. In this article we describe collaboration with Imperial College London for multi-scale modelling of ocean dynamics, the European Union funded preDiCT project for heart simulation, and collaboration with Oxford University and others for virus-protein simulation.

  • High Quality Prosody Generation in Mandarin Text-to-Speech System

A text-to-speech (TTS) synthesizer is a computer-based system that can automatically read text aloud. Fujitsu is developing a Mandarin TTS system using state-of-the-art technologies. The prosodic structure of synthesized text provides important information for making synthetic speech produced by a TTS system more natural and understandable. This paper describes a global probability estimation method for predicting prosodic words, which are the lowest constituent in the prosodic structure. Experimental results for this method are very promising. They are better than those for our previous binary prosodic tree method in terms of both accuracy and memory cost.

  • Data Loss Prevention Technologies

We introduce our research and development of data loss prevention technologies for securing sensitive information in single- and multiple-organization environments. Three technologies are described: 1) a secure data usage solution with a USB memory that erases data automatically in case of loss or attack, 2) an E-mail filter for intercepting messages with non-allowed addresses, and 3) secure information lifecycle management for ensuring the protection of sensitive data. In addition, future steps for improving security technology for software as a service (SaaS) and Cloud computing are discussed.

  • Networking Technologies for Next-Generation Service Platform

We introduce two service networking technologies of a service platform: these are the service element architecture and the messaging technology. The service elements are the components of network services and are used by the applications of the service providers. The messaging technology connects the service elements to applications or terminals. These technologies improve service element scalability and enable easy service creation by application developers. To meet the needs to utilize applications, computing resources, and storage over the network, network service providers and telecommunication carriers are investigating a service delivery platform that provides not only communication services but also service elements that provide commonly used functions for network services. Fujitsu is pursuing a service platform that can deliver highly reliable network services quickly and economically by leveraging the technological edge it has gained in building systems and its accumulated expertise in operating data centers.

  • Technologies for Rapid Recovery from Information Technology System Trouble

Since certain problems in information technology (IT) systems reoccur many times, it is becoming necessary to utilize previously acquired knowledge in order to achieve rapid recovery from IT system trouble. This paper outlines a troubleshooting navigation technology that uses a symptom database. After explaining the problems with today's IT system troubleshooting processes, it describes the architecture of a troubleshooting system that has a symptom database storing symptom information and prescriptions acquired from past problems, along with the data structure. It then presents evaluation results that demonstrate the system's effectiveness. Finally, a roadmap for a troubleshooting system is shown.

  • 10 Gigabit Ethernet Switch Blade for Large-Scale Blade Servers

Blade server application fields have recently been expanding rapidly. The switch blade module—a key network component of the blade server—must provide high performance to accommodate growing data communication demands for network consolidation such as Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), have a compact low-power-consumption design, and have switch control software optimized for blade server systems. To meet these requirements, we have developed a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) switch blade suitable for large-scale blade servers. This paper focuses on the 10GbE switch LSI MB86C69, whose features have been optimized for blade servers, the high-speed transceiver circuit integrated into this LSI, and the switch control software for easy network configuration of switch blades.

  • High-speed File Transfer Solution for Cloud Computing

Recently, many enterprises have become interested in Cloud computing. It provides various services through a network such as the Internet. Though there are frequent data transfers between Cloud servers and users, it is difficult to speed up the transfer speed when using conventional transfer methods because of the long network distance. We propose both a hardware solution and a software solution for this problem. Although each solution has its own advantages, the initial cost of the hardware solution is very high. We have therefore used an original erasure correcting code to develop some high-speed data transfer software called BI.DAN-GUN. This paper describes the original erasure correcting code called RPS and some typical applications of BI.DAN-GUN. It also describes their future development.

  • Digital Coherent Receiver Technology for 100-Gbps Optical Transport Systems

Digital coherent receivers are expected to be the most important building block of 100-Gbps optical transport systems. As a platform for evaluating their real-time operation stability and thus helping to realize product-level reliability, Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu have fabricated a test circuit to implement basic algorithms such as carrier phase recovery and optical frequency offset compensation. The experimental results showed an excellent performance that is only 1 dB away from the theoretical limit.

  • Technology for WiFi/Bluetooth and WiMAX Coexistence

Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Mobile WiMAX) is useful as next-generation wireless broadband access technology based on OFDMA. For it to proliferate, the radio interference between WiMAX operated on bands (2.3 GHz/2.5 GHz) and WiFi/Bluetooth located on the ISM band (2.4 GHz) needs to be resolved. Fujitsu has developed some proprietary coexistence technology as a way to do this until a countermeasure by having an enhanced IEEE specification is deployed in a few years. The developed coexistence technology does not need any modifications with the current specifications for backward compatibility. It works by using automatic repeat requests (ARQ). There were concerns about the technology's effect on system throughput, but no such effect was observed when operating at 75% of system capacity or less. This was evaluated by making a simulation. This paper describes the issues regarding WiFi/Bluetooth and WiMAX coexistence, and Fujitsu's proprietary coexistence technology.

  • Paper Encryption Technology

Since April 2005, some laws have been enforced in Japan to protect personal information. Various measures have been developed including not allowing documents to be printed or keeping logs of who prints documents. Recently, watermark technologies for paper documents have been developed and applied to some systems. These technologies can embed into a document some information about who is printing it so that that person can be traced if an information leaks occurs. But the measure of not allowing documents to be printed is not suitable for some business process, and watermark technology is only a countermeasure for after information has leaked. So we have developed some new encryption technology for paper documents. It can encrypt sensitive areas on a document and decrypt information hidden on it, the same as conventional cipher algorithms for electronic data. Our technology is for use before information has leaked, so it is a very powerful tool for business activities.

  • System Giving Wraparound View of Vehicles

In recent years, vehicle-mounted cameras have grown in popularity as a tool for enhancing driver safety. We have developed a new driver assistance technology that adapts to different driving situations, enabling the driver to peripherally view the entire surroundings of a vehicle, from the point of view and field of view that is most appropriate for each driving situation. This new technology is comprised of the MB86R01 SoC graphics chip for automobiles from Fujitsu Microelectronics Ltd, and a video-processing chip that combines video images from four cameras. As a system to enhance the view of a vehicle, it achieves real-time operation with a video processing time of 30 ms. This paper outlines the technology that improves driving safety by assisting the driver in a variety of situations, such as when parking, passing another vehicle on a narrow street, or when at intersections with poor sightlines when it helps the driver see around corners.

  • Development of Service Robot "enon" and Its Applications

There are concerns that there will be a labor shortage caused by the declining birthrate and aging society in Japan. Therefore, a service robot is required as an alternate measure to provide service functions in place of humans. Such a service robot has to coexist with a number of people so that it can provide various services at the same time. The robot must be able to provide effective services suitable for the situation. In 2005, Fujitsu Labs developed a service robot called "enon" that can provide guidance and information via a network. This robot has an autonomous locomotion function using 3D vision to provide services in various locations. In addition, we are currently conducting practical tests on enon in a shopping center to verify that it can provide effective services. In this paper, we describe the results of the practical test performed in the shopping center, the network specifications for providing services, and the 3D vision processing technology and its processing results.

  • Graphene—Novel Material for Nanoelectronics

Graphene is a flat monolayer of carbon atoms with a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice, and many layers of it constitute graphite. One-layer graphene has been discovered recently and found to have excellent electrical and thermal properties, making it a promising material for future electronics. We performed first-principle calculations which do not use empirical parameters and elucidated the electronic states of graphene under an electric field. We also clarified the electronic states of graphene at the interface with an electrode. We further simulated electron transport in graphene and found that it can be a channel material for high-speed and high-frequency transistors with a performance better than InP-HEMT. Moreover, we succeeded in synthesizing graphene and a composite structure consisting of graphene and vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes on a substrate. In this paper, we describe our theoretical and experimental approaches aimed at future applications of graphene.

  • Design Technology Based on Symbolic Computation

A wide variety of problems arising in the fields of science and engineering, such as design problems in monozukuri (manufacturing), can be formulated as constraint-solving or optimization problems. Currently, most technologies for constraint solving and optimization are based on numerical computation. Unfortunately, it has turned out that many important practical problems cannot be reduced to non-convex optimization problems. In general, non-convex problems cannot be reliably solved by numerical optimization techniques. Thus, making progress in solving non-convex optimization problems has a significant impact on those applied areas. This paper presents an algebraic approach for parametric optimization which can be utilized for non-convex design problems. First, we introduce the symbolic optimization method based on quantifier elimination (QE). Second, we extend this symbolic method to design a robust control system which satisfies multiple specifications. Finally, we show the application of this method to shape optimization in magnetic head for HDD design.

  • Novel Applications of Compact Binary Decision Diagram Library to Important Industrial Problems

Fujitsu Laboratories of America has, over the course of many years, worked to develop the frontier of binary decision diagram (BDD) technology under a project called ParDD. Our technology allows us to partition Boolean functions, represent them very compactly, and process them on a massively parallel computing platform. It has been used to create numerous applications in the field of electronic design automation. Recently under this project we have developed a novel BDD library (NanoDDs) where the storage requirement at each node closely tracks the total size of the stored representation. The compact nature of this data structure allows the solution of interesting problems to which BDDs have seldom been applied before. For example, we have used NanoDDs to create a compact inverted index, an essential matrix for indexing documents in any corpus, including the World Wide Web. We have also characterized the performance of NanoDDs for Web query satisfaction as well as for the creation of compact representations of access control lists, a core component of Internet routers.

  • Multilevel Interconnect Technology for 45-nm Node CMOS LSI

We have developed a novel porous low-k material called nano-clustering silica (NCS) which has a low dielectric constant (k = 2.25) and high film strength (Young's modulus E = 10 GPa), and established 45-nm node multilevel Cu/Full-NCS interconnects which use NCS in trench layers and via layers. Our Cu/Full-NCS interconnects are reliable enough to prevent the Cu interconnects from being damaged by the mechanical stress that occurs in wire bonding, packaging, and other processes. This paper describes the NCS characteristics and the problems that can occur when applying porous low-k material in Cu interconnects. Then, this paper describes the performances and reliability of our 45-nm node CMOS LSI.