What does making the world smarter really mean? Essentially, more data needs to get to more places so faster, smarter decisions can be made. The new MSP430 Microcontrollers with embedded FRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory) from TI enable a wide range of applications with additional flexibility, unprecedented low power and reliability. For example, there are over 600,000 bridges and remote structures in the United States alone that could benefit from continuous safety and security monitoring. According to the US Department of Transportation, one in four are classified as functionally obsolete or structurally deficient. By monitoring these bridges, lives could be saved and the infrastructure could be improved by anticipating the need for updating and proactively making repairs. In Japan, a network of seismic sensors has been constructed in the subway system. This network helped provide an early warning for citizens and more detailed information to public safety personnel during the recent earthquake. Asset tracking is a non-critical application where advances in technology will benefit manufacturers and consumers alike. Beyond basic positional data, asset tracking can be used for detailed monitoring of perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals to ensure that quality is maintained from the factory to the consumer. There are many other areas where distributing low power, reliable sensors would make the world a better, safer place as well as making them more energy efficient. For example, by distributing humidity and temperature sensors throughout a building, climate control by way of variable HVAC systems could be made more energy efficient throughout the world. Clearly these options could make the world smarter, but so far, power consumption in these sensors has been the challenge. Systems that require frequent, costly maintenance are not ideal.