Part 5: Continuous Demand For New Application Systems

Where these so-called “large” systems are concerned, there is such a wide diversity of variants that it shapes the entire development process. Embedded software is playing an increasingly important role in products manufactured (in Europe). For example, almost all technical products contain a significant amount of software. This is particularly so in the case of medical engineering, plant and automation engineering, telecommunications installations and vehicle electronics.

Telecommunications systems are among the most complex man-made products. Not only this complexity, but also the large number of variants and their long service life place high demands on software engineering. IT systems, and thereby software, form the very basis of the operations of many other sectors (e.g. mechanical engineering, production engineering, medical engineering) and many service sectors (financial service providers in particular, but also the retail industry). Without information technology, these companies would no longer be able to operate. New technologies (Internet, Web) and changing corporate strategies (globalization, acquisitions, company mergers) mean that there is a continual demand for new application systems. These must have sufficient flexibility so that they can be adapted and expanded. They must be designed so that existing standards and off-the-shelf products/ components can be used. To achieve this, frameworks must be defined for specific sectors and companies. This will enable a reduction in both production depth and width for application systems without losing the necessary flexibility in these systems. This is the basis for prognoses on the future growth of the software engineering market.New opportunities (…) will also result from computer research: In 6 to10 years time (i.e. about 2009-2013), the computing power of the PCs used by the average user at his or her desk will equal that of today’s supercomputers, such as those currently used to support the work of large research groups. Looking at initial developments in multiprocessor technology for PCs (SMP nodes), it is foreseeable that PCs and workstations will enter the lower end of the supercomputing range.