Addressing Advanced Embedded Applications

Society is undergoing major changes, such as decarbonization, the electrification of mobility, advances in AI and high-speed communications, and demographic shifts. This evolution in the application space demands new solutions and technologies that also must continue to evolve. We talk to Samira Amani and Fabrizio Petris of Aratas about the embedded marketplace and the company’s plans to address it going forward. 

Wide-bandgap technologies, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), are transforming power applications by enabling faster switching, higher efficiency, and greater power density than traditional silicon devices, allowing engineers to design smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient power systems. We spoke to some Nexperia executives, Filippo Scrimizzi and Olaf Vogt, about their impressions and perspectives on the power semiconductor marketplace. 

In this episode of Inside Electronics, host Alix Paultre interviews Karthik Vasanth, vice president and general manager for data converters and clocks at Texas Instruments, about the technologies supporting rapidly evolving data centers. Vasanth explains how rising GPU and CPU performance increases demands on power delivery, cooling, communications, and reliability. The conversation explores optical networking, efficient power conversion, and the transition from air cooling to liquid cooling. Vasanth describes how high-voltage DC architectures could simplify power delivery while introducing safety challenges. Precision sensing and fast control help operators manage power budgets, monitor processor health, detect leaks, and respond immediately to dangerous conditions. He also outlines Texas Instruments’ shift from supplying individual components toward providing integrated reference designs and software that accelerate customer development. Both speakers emphasize that power efficiency, thermal management, and reliability are interconnected. Vasanth concludes that suppliers must evolve quickly as computing advances push infrastructure requirements and development timelines at an unprecedented pace.

Emerson’s Nigel AI is built on the latest industry models, leveraging them to take advantage of rapidly evolving technology using the latest test methodologies, test system design, and data analysis. In this episode, we talk to Rudy Sengupta, Senior VP and CTO at Emerson, about the company’s efforts in next-generation AI-based test and development.

Quality problems discovered on the production line — or worse, in the field — can often be traced back to decisions made much earlier in the design process. In this special episode of Inside Electronics, sponsored by PTC, Machine Design Editor-in-Chief Rehana Begg speaks with Dr. Florian Harzenetter, senior director and global advisor for industrial customers at PTC, about how manufacturers can address quality issues before they become costly problems. Engineering design quality depends on more than testing and inspection. Harzenetter explains how virtual design validation, simulation, and closer collaboration among engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and service teams can help organizations identify potential issues earlier. The conversation also examines the role of the digital thread and product lifecycle management (PLM) in creating a reliable flow of product information and bringing real-world performance data back into engineering decisions. The discussion looks ahead at digital twin technology, AI-assisted engineering, digital product passports, and the growing range of data engineers may need to consider when making design decisions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools have changed how software is designed and tested but developing safe and secure software that must meet safety requirements like ISO 26262 and DO-179C or security standards like ISO/IEC 27001.  In this episode, we talk with Chuck Brokish, Director of Automotive Business Development at Green Hills Software, about developing safe and secure software and how AI may come into play.

For AI to migrate properly into edge environments, like those needed in wearables, trackers, drones, and camera systems out in the field, we need milliwatt-level, always-on sensing that doesn't force developers to choose between battery life and sophisticated edge performance. In this episode, we talk about EMASS’ flagship ECS-DoT chip offering high-performance AI processing for vision, audio, and sensor data directly on-device, maximizing energy efficiency through its RISC-V architecture and non-volatile memory. 

Energy companies need new solutions to meet rising demand without causing price spikes or slowing the energy transition, and battery storage could help optimize existing power grid infrastructure – the tools and capital exist; now, resolve and regulation are needed.  In this episode, Gareth Foulkes-Jones discusses the growing role of battery storage in European energy markets and considers the commercial and financing factors that sit alongside the technology. 

In this episode of Inside Electronics from Electronic Design, host Alix Paultre interviews Mayrim Verdejo, product line manager-high voltage amplifiers at Texas Instruments (TI), about the growing complexity of embedded-system design. Mayrim notes engineers must add functionality and bring products to market faster while managing such challenges as power, sensing, signal conditioning, control, timing, wireless connectivity, and other essential functions. She says that trusted, proven components free designers to focus on product differentiation rather than rebuilding basic circuits. Alix and Mayrim identify autonomous vehicles, AI, medical equipment, and data centers as major drivers of integration, yet emphasize that these technologies depend on reliable foundational components. Mayrim says designers weigh performance, cost, design time, long-term availability, supply-chain reliability, and quality when selecting parts. Mayrim also presents TI’s differentiation as a broad analog and embedded portfolio, application support and design tools, pin-compatible options, rigorous qualification, and long-term reliability. The closing message: Designers should consider revisiting existing designs and consider TI’s newer general-purpose and application-specific offerings to improve cost, size, and performance.

Unlike traditional radio frequency communication, optical communication uses narrow and highly focused beams of light that enable up to 100 times higher data transmission rates and make links harder to detect, jam, or intercept. Laser communication can also reduce dependence on congested radio frequency spectrum, where operators face regulatory scrutiny, licensing delays, and interference bottlenecks.