Bluewater Systems Wins International Award

Bluewater Systems Wins International Award

Bluewater Systems, the Christchurch-based ARM technology specialist, received the prestigious EDN Innovation Award for Best Application of Programmable Logic at the 2006 Technology Futures Conference in Melbourne. The company is believed to be the first New Zealand company to win such an award in Australia.

Bluewater Systems’ entry related to the complex programming required to successfully complete a multimillion dollar project for NEC in 2005. The company was contracted to develop a data storage unit as a replacement for the traditional magnetic tape drives used in NEC telephone switches.

Controlled by an ARM processor, the product uses programmable logic, an Altera FPGA, to emulate the timings and commands expected by various legacy switch models. This enables a single product to communicate and operate seamlessly across multiple switch models and interfaces.

Scott McCallum, General Manager Programme Delivery at Telecom, said he was “particularly appreciative of the universality of the solution. Bluewater’s significant technical competence and capabilities enabled tight deadlines to be met, rolling out the solution to 178 exchanges with no performance impacts and achieving the planned business outcomes.”

“To be recognised in Australia with an Innovation Award is a major achievement," says Tim Trewinnard, General Manager of Bluewater Systems. "We are delighted to be acknowledged as one of the leaders of embedded electronic development in this region.”

The EDN Innovation Awards recognise excellence in innovative electronic design. Now in their second year, the Australian Awards follow in the tradition begun by EDN USA 16 years ago. Open to companies operating from either Australia or New Zealand, the award is further confirmation that Bluewater Systems is one of the leading electronic design houses in Australasia.

The Award continues Bluewater’s string of successes in 2006. With a large development contract nearing completion for the Defence, Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), part of the Australian Department of Defence, the company has started development on a number of automotive and agricultural projects for local customers. Its impressive rate of growth has enabled Bluewater to recruit additional hardware and software engineers and plan a marketing push into the US.

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