A smart grid reference platform from Maxim Integrated Products (News - Alert), Inc., called Capistrano, allows designers of smart meters to reduce time to market, raise the bar for higher accuracy, and secure their designs.

Capistrano is powered by Maxim’s Zeus metering SoC. It protects a developers design with advanced cryptography, physical attack detection, and life-cycle security schemes. The system can protect more than just the smart meter it is also capable of securing any distributed node in the smart grid.

The platform also simplifies smart grid designs with the use of four complex processors: an applications processor, metering microcontroller, metering front-end/DSP, and security coprocessor.

Capistrano has high integration, advanced security, high performance, flexibility and it simplifies and speeds designs.

Kris Ardis, Executive Director of Energy Solutions at Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. says, "Capistrano offers the best performance and highest security for smart energy applications. It provides an excellent toolbox for building tomorrow's smart grid."

Jacob Rodrigues Pireira, IHS (News - Alert) Analyst for Smart Utilities Infrastructure says, "More than 100 million smart electricity meters are expected to be shipped in 2014. For designers, security, improving smart meter time to market, and adapting to changing policy requirements will all be critical."

Capistrano’s combination of advanced measurement, powerful security tools, and efficient processing allows the platform to support evolving application design requirements. It is ideal for a variety of applications, including smart meters, smart lighting, solar inverters, building automation, submetering, and other smart applications.

Maxim Integrated is an American, publicly traded company. It designs, manufactures, and sells analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products. Maxim develops integrated circuits for the industrial, communications, consumer, and computing markets. It is headquartered in San Jose, California. It has design centers, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices across the globe. In fiscal 2013 Maxim had $2.40 billion in sales, 9,200 employees, and 35,000 customers worldwide. The company recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.