https://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/Business of Engineering: learn how successful electronic engineers have launched their companies. We explore important issues like how to protect your invention, different ways to set up your company, the realities of leaving your day job, and how to builden-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/b/blog/posts/pet-microchip-company-shuts-down-cats-and-dogs-lost-or-finally-freeFri, 27 Feb 2026 07:25:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:7d5c6fed-e877-4676-a1e7-daf2b573d481Catwell(Image Credit: RebeccasPictures /pixabay) Microchips are incredibly useful, as they provide information such as the owner's name in case their pet gets lost. However, that information may disappear if the chip is associated with a company that closed down. This occurred with Save This Life, one of America’s largest pet microchip companies, which ceased operations in January 2024. After shutting down, the pet owner database also became unavailable, leaving microchipped pets unregistered. The issue emerged when the Springfield Township police brought a 6-year-old shepherd to Cincinnati Animal CARE. While the dog, later called Phil Collins, carried a microchip, it was registered under Save This Life. The closure caught many off guard, including pet owners, veterinarians, and shelter partners. As a result, microchips registered under Save This Life no longer reveal pet owner information, leaving pets unprotected. So far, Cincinnati Animal CARE brought in 65 dogs that had microchips linked to Save This Life. Approximately 50% of them were reunited with their owners. However, other dogs stayed at the shelter before getting adopted. There are six dogs that have yet to be reunited with their owners. Those who registered with Save This Life won’t need to re-chip their pets. Instead, microchip companies will move or update the registration information, usually free of cost. Approximately forty companies across the country perform pet microchip registration. Pet owners can use The American Animal Hospital Association’s free online lookup tool at AAHA.org, which allows them to enter a microchip number to find the registered company. Several registries are stepping in to support affected pet owners with free or low-cost re-registration. HomeAgain provides free enrollment for Save This Life chips with no annual fees. 24PetWatch offers complimentary basic registration and works with AAHA for lookups. AKC Reunite accepts every brand for lifetime registration from $25-$30. There are also some notable alternatives like PetLink , Free Pet Chip Registry , and BuddyID . Seems like a vacuum ripe for a company to take over their operation. Surprised it didn’t happen. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.petchiprfiddatabasetrackingbusiness_of_engineeringhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/m/managed-videos/150989Wed, 04 Feb 2026 21:01:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:e47264af-818f-488b-ad6e-0a66e14a1e7aCatwellThis is Circuit Lab ⚡ ️ — my final project at Fab Academy, a global hands-on program on digital fabrication, created by the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at MIT and powered by the Fab Lab Network. I learned how to design, prototype, and integrate...camila lunacreadoresMoonMakersdiego lunamakersmexicohttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/b/blog/posts/the-modular-magic-of-circuit-lab-an-innovative-teaching-toolWed, 04 Feb 2026 20:59:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d683fccd-c3c3-4d80-a8ec-abd536fa3c95Catwell(Image via Fabacademy) When Ana Camila Luna Lopez set out to build her final project for the 2025 Fab Academy, she didn’t just want to make any circuit design; she wanted to make an innovative teaching tool that could help kids learn through interaction. “The idea came from my own journey learning — I often found traditional approaches very text‑heavy and intimidating for beginners,” states Lopez. “I wanted to design something that felt playful and welcoming, especially for kids and curious beginners who wanted to learn by doing. This age group is full of creativity and imagination, and I believed that giving them a tool where they could ‘play’ with circuits, instead of just reading about them, could spark a lifelong interest in STEAM.” Circuit Lab is an innovative learning tool that teaches students circuit design through interactive learning. (Image via Fabacademy) That tool manifested into Circuit Lab , a modular, interactive educational book (Fig. 1) that teaches electronics through hands-on engagement. More than a textbook or kit, Circuit Lab is a fully tactile learning experience where every page is a functional module featuring real components, including LEDs, sensors, displays, capacitive touch pads, and more. Each page is designed to connect to a central “learning board,” acting as a hub where users can plug in and play. One page features custom-designed touchpads that light up when touched, another displays feedback on an OLED screen, while yet another allows users to see a functioning circuit in action. It’s circuit design education broken into chapters you can actually hold, feel, and build. Lopez’s development process was just as modular as the book itself. She designed and milled her own PCBs using KiCad, wrote firmware for microcontrollers, modeled 3D-printed parts, and prototyped with laser-cut enclosures. She documented every step as well, from early sketches and board layouts to iterative testing and final assembly. The 3D printed enclosure allows the microcontroller to plug into each page using a magnetic connector. (Image via Fabacademy) The project leans heavily on embedded systems and fabrication, but also reveals her deep commitment to accessible learning design. Lopez designed Circuit Lab around an Xiao ESP32S3 microcontroller, ADXL335 or GY-521 accelerometer + gyroscope combo, OLED display and extra headers for connecting external modular sensor pages and an onboard battery. The hardware is housed inside a 3D printed enclosure with an adorable robot image on top ( Fig. 2 ), along with a magnetic connector that allows the device to plug into the other pages. When it came to the modularity and interconnectivity between pages, Lopez states that the mainboard design is key. “It connects seamlessly with each circuit page through a simple plug‑and‑play system. This design not only made the book modular but also allowed me to experiment with different page layouts and circuit types without redesigning the whole system. On the software side, I worked on the code to support this flexibility, so the book can continue to expand with new pages and activities in the future.” Lopez chose to code her project using the Arduino IDE, which acts as the brain of the book for controlling interactions, display logic, page recognition, and BLE communication. But, as any engineer can attest, most projects come with challenges, and Circuit Lab is no exception. “The biggest challenge was the integration with the companion application,” said Lopez. “Making the book and the app work together turned Circuit Lab into a complete experience — not just physical interaction, but also digital exploration, and finally getting the app ready for the App Store was one of the most rewarding parts of the project because it really brought the concept to life.” With that said, Circuit Lab is a powerful learning tool for educational settings. Its plug-and-learn format makes it ideal for young learners, students in underserved communities, or classrooms that want to merge theory with hands-on experimentation. It’s tactile, visual, and inviting, making it ideal for learning circuit design in a way that’s intuitive and engaging. It’s also designed for reuse and modular expansion, making it sustainable and adaptable for different skill levels. When asked what the future has in store for the Circuit Lab project, Lopez explains, “I’m working on Circuit Lab 2.0, which will expand the number of pages, improve design, and further develop the digital side through the app. The goal is to make the experience even more immersive, and I want to make it possible for educators to customize the content to fit their classroom or workshop needs. I’m also exploring collaborations to make the book available soon.” youtu.be/Xp4QdIBmUfE Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.educationstartupfabacademylearningarttoolsinnovationfunhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/b/blog/posts/ces-2026-takes-a-look-at-the-latest-embedded-products-driving-edge-ai-and-intelligent-systemsTue, 27 Jan 2026 14:18:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:2402214a-bd9c-4159-8352-487d8474a984Catwell(Image credit: CES ) CES 2026 in Las Vegas made one thing clear: embedded hardware and on-device intelligence are no longer interesting curiosities; they’re core technologies shaping robotics, industrial automation, AI at the edge, and even playful interactive platforms. From high-performance AI compute modules and vision systems to real-time software stacks and wireless-enabled sensors, this roundup spotlights the embedded products and technologies unveiled at this year’s show that engineers, makers, and system designers should know about. Geniatech’s i.MX95 SOM Series (Image credit: Geniatech ) Geniatech’s new i.MX95 System-on-Modules bring NXP’s i.MX95 application processor for compact embedded compute hardware applications in both OSM 1.1 and SMARC 2.1 form factors. The new modules are designed around a multi-core Arm Cortex-A55 SoC with dual real-time cores (Cortex-M7/M33), integrated Mali-G310 graphics, eIQ Neutron neural processing (for up to 2 TOPS of edge AI), and up to 16 GB LPDDR5 and 128 GB eMMC. These modules are ideal for industrial automation, intelligent transportation, and smart retail and medical gateways with robust industrial-grade support and long-term supply commitments. Leopard Imaging’s Dragonfly Series Imaging Sensors (Image credit: Leopard Imaging ) Leopard Imaging’s new Dragonfly USB 3.0 YUV series was also highlighted at this year’s CES, and offers compact, embedded-friendly machine vision cameras with onboard Image Signal Processing (ISP) and USB 3.0 interfaces for plug-and-play deployment across multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, and arm-based systems like NVIDIA Jetson). The imaging sensors feature an integrated Image Signal Processor (ISP) to provide optimized image quality, real-time performance, and direct YUV data output, eliminating the need for external image processing. The built-in ISP enables consistent image tuning, including auto-exposure, white balance, and color correction, making Dragonfly cameras ideal for rapid prototyping, machine vision, robotics, smart factories, AI-enabled systems, and more. Ambarella CV7 Edge AI Vision SoC (Image credit: Ambarella ) Ambarella’s CV7 is a powerful 4 nm AI vision SoC that merges a quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 CPU cluster with Ambarella’s third-gen CVflow AI engine, hardware vision ISPs, and multi-stream video processing up to 8Kp60. The CV7 offers advanced HDR imaging pipelines and on-chip neural inference, providing high-performance imaging + AI for edge devices including drones, robots, industrial gateways, and smart cameras. According to Ambarella, the CV7 comes equipped with the company’s proprietary AI accelerator, image signal processor (ISP), and video encoding to deliver 2.5x the AI performance of the previous-generation CV5 SoC. This allows the CV7 to support a combination of CNNs and transformer networks running simultaneously. Sapphire EDGE+ VPR-7P132 Mini-ITX AI Edge Motherboard (Image Credit: Sapphire ) Known for its gaming video cards, Sapphire unveiled its EDGE+ VPR-7P132 Mini-ITX Motherboard , which combines AMD’s Ryzen AI Embedded P132 APU with an AMD Versal AI Edge Gen 2 VE3558 SoC FPGA. The hardware splits workloads between a high-performance Zen 5-based CPU (handling OS/networking/visualization), an XDNA 2 NPU for up to 50 TOPS, and programmable logic for real-time sensor and inference applications. Outfitted with LPDDR5, UFS storage, 10 GbE networking, USB-4 and USB-3, and compatibility with Yocto Linux, Ubuntu, QNX, and VxWorks, it’s an ideal board for real-time embedded AI, robotics, and industrial automation projects. Synaptics Astra and Veros Edge AI Platforms (Image credit: Synaptics ) Synaptics used CES 2026 to highlight its Astra AI-native SoC family and Veros wireless edge systems, designed to embed low-latency voice, gesture, and motion sensing directly on devices without requiring the cloud. The Astra line is based on a scalable family of AI SoCs designed around Arm-based CPUs, integrated neural processing units (NPUs), DSPs, and GPUs. The SL2610 line is capable of multi-modal AI workloads, including audio, vision, voice, and sensor fusion, and offers performance scaling up to 8 TOPS of inferencing power in certain SL-Series devices. Synaptics also unveiled its Veros wireless portfolio of high-performance connectivity SoCs that integrate tri-combo radio stacks and are designed for embedded IoT and edge devices. The Veros SYN438x and SYN461x families offer multi-band 2x2 Wi-Fi (2.4/5/6 GHz), Bluetooth 5.x with LE Audio and advanced coexistence, and low-latency, low-power wireless modes, all in a compact, power-optimized package. Veros chips also support secure boot and integration with Astra compute platforms, making them ideal for smart home, industrial automation, robotics, wearables, and other embedded Edge systems. Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (Image credit: Qualcomm ) Qualcomm’s CES 2026 announcements included expansions to its Snapdragon X2 Plus platform and to its high-performance SoC family, with Oryon CPUs that can deliver up to 80 TOPS of NPU performance. The Snapdragon X2 Plus targets embedded PCs, agentic AI, and on-device AI workflows, with high compute and up to 128 GB of unified memory. Designed around Qualcomm’s third-generation Oryon CPUs, the X2 Plus comes in two main SKUs (a 10-core X2P-64-100 and a 6-core X2P-42-100) with clocks up to 4.0 GHz, up to 34 MB of combined cache, and an Adreno X2-45 GPU. Qualcomm pairs this with a Hexagon NPU rated at 80 TOPS of AI throughput, and up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. According to Qualcomm, devices using the X2 Plus are expected in thin-and-light laptops and other devices beginning in the first half of 2026. LEGO SMART Play System (Image credit: LEGO ) LEGO was on hand to showcase its new SMART Play System , which transforms a standard 2x4 brick into an embedded interactive device with a custom 4.1 mm ASIC chip that packs motion sensors, an accelerometer, RGB LEDs, a speaker, wireless mesh (BrickNet), and near-field magnetic sensing. The tiny embedded controller reads Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures to trigger context-aware sound and lighting effects, all without the need for screens. The SMART PLAY System uses a trio of technologies to bring builds to life, including the Smart Brick, LEGO Smart Tags, and Minifigures that respond to external actions during play. e-con Systems DARSI Pro AI Compute Box (Image credit: e-con Systems ) e-con Systems unveiled its DARSI Pro , a ruggedized AI compute box powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX, and capable of delivering up to 100 TOPS of AI performance with multi-sensor fusion, synchronized GMSL camera support (up to 8), and NVIDIA JetPack compatibility. Designed for autonomy, robotics, intelligent transport, and perception-heavy use cases, the DARSI Pro integrates high-speed GbE, USB, GPIO, CAN, wireless modules, and cloud-based device management for remote OTA updates and fleet monitoring. QNX Embedded Platforms (Image credit: QNX ) QNX demonstrated how its real-time embedded software frameworks, including QNX Cabin (cloud-first digital cockpit development) and QNX Sound (software-defined audio/compute for vehicles), drive mission-critical systems for automotive and other industries. The QNX Cabin digital cockpit platform garners mission-critical functions (instrument clusters, audio, sensor fusion) from less critical features (Android Automotive or Linux infotainment) via virtualization on supported embedded SoCs from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and AMD. This allows developers to run safety-certified QNX components side-by-side with user environments without degrading real-time performance. The company’s QNX Sound provides a software-defined audio stack that’s designed to replace legacy DSP hardware with a centralized, embedded audio processing solution that runs on the same SoC as other vehicle controllers. SECO Pi Vision 10.1 CM5 (Image credit: SECO ) SECO showcased its Pi Vision 10.1 CM5 , an industrial-grade human-machine interface (HMI) designed around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5), transforming it into an embedded compute platform for industrial IoT, smart buildings, vending, retail kiosks, and factory interfaces. The Pi Vision 10.1 CM5 integrates a 10.1-inch capacitive multi-touch display (1280x800) with a rugged IP66-rated front panel and fanless, panel-mount aluminium enclosure. The CM5 module is equipped with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 + A53 SoC, up to 8 GB LPDDR4-4267 RAM with ECC, and up to 64 GB of eMMC flash storage. The Pi Vision 10.1 CM5 also packs Gigabit Ethernet with IEEE 1588 support, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.0, PCIe M.2 expansion, HDMI outputs, and a 40-pin GPIO for additional expansion via add-on boards and modules. The platform ships with both Raspberry Pi OS for rapid prototyping and Yocto-based Clea OS for secure edge deployment, OTA updates, and remote fleet management. CES 2026 clearly reminds us that the edge isn’t just a niche development; it’s the foundation of embedded computing, AI, and real-world autonomous systems. From high-performance AI compute platforms like DARSI Pro and Snapdragon X2 Plus to innovative embedded input devices like the LEGO SMART Play brick, this lineup spans vision systems, neural accelerators, rugged embedded compute, and next-gen SoCs that are already driving how developers build the future.pisensorsartificial intelligenceCES_2026embeddedaicesedgesensorhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-work/231714Sat, 08 Nov 2025 19:05:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a9b454bf-6e40-4975-9603-e35a1245f528DABThe more you know the easier it is to exploit a great idea.https://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-work/231711Sat, 08 Nov 2025 09:16:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d31a8479-7ef1-4477-af3b-5396b1d722bfJan CumpsThe CE/FCC certification is for the device you're putting on the market, It needs a mix of knowledge of bureaucratic process, how to perform testing, and access test gear / location. Rumor is that this can be a large cost and effort in product design.https://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-work/231707Sat, 08 Nov 2025 02:01:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a5523797-d5f0-4dbc-9a5f-8a0a94feffe2cstanton[quote userid="17018" url="~/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-work/231705"]For individuals, certification costs are too high[/quote] True, the cisco and crest certifications were personally a blocker. Do we think CE/FCC certification costs are the barrier for individuals to push what they're creating on to a wider market?https://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-work/231705Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:52:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:769f47dc-dd60-4b2a-9bfc-11f51917f433Jan CumpsThe sticking part is often the price. Many certifications are only affordable if your company sponsors. My company sponsored the UML certification that I wanted to have for my personal growth . I did the self-study, they paid for the exam. For certifications that I need for my job (agile, ITIL, ...) , they pay training and certification fee. For individuals, certification costs are too high.https://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-work/231702Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:16:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:39063b05-6789-4bb6-92f5-762a1c5497bccstantonI'm sure that certification is a sticking point for a lot of people and hopefully this will be helpful to them! Thanks for sharinghttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/f/forum/56369/free-masterclass-ce-vs-fcc-certification-how-does-self-certification-really-workFri, 07 Nov 2025 20:48:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:019d90e2-11f9-4c5b-8422-ff28fd8a96femayermakesObviously I will be joining this Masterclass by DENPAFLUX, not just because it is a very important to know how the CE certification process actually works, but also because I will be hosting the Event as part of Smander.com If you want to get a practical view into the differences , responsibilities and the inner workings of CE / FCC systems and its corresponding rules and regulations, this session might be for you. NO prior knowledge needed. We start from the very beginning in human friendly terms. It is free, you just need to register at the link below. https://www.denpaflux.com/ce-vs-fcc-what-every-hardware-team-should-know-before-certification If you are wondering why Clem of #element14presents suddenly does Webinars on Product Compliance topics.. that's because analogous to many Engineers who are Makers on the weekends ,some Makers run more serious businesses when nobody is looking. And i can assure you having a "real" Job, next to doing your Hobby at a full time level is as relaxing as having a Hobby alongside your daily serious Job. Through Smander.com I get to help small businesses and makers bringing their ideas to market, which brings me equal joy compared to inspiring people to get into electronics through Videos. Its like doing the same thing but from a different perspective and level. hope the webinar is helpful to some of you and thanks to cstanton for poking me to post it in this group!business of engineeringceemcmythbustingfreeelement14presentswebinarfcccertificationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/b/blog/posts/walmart-announces-new-tech-upgrades---worth-itWed, 05 Nov 2025 20:39:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:6b9be076-e526-4943-a4d3-680466dd6079CatwellWiliot and Walmart are collaborating to deploy millions of Wilion ambient IoT sensors across U.S.-based Walmart stores. (Image Credit: Wiliot ) All of this seems useful. What do you all think? We often power IoT devices through light, radio waves, motion, heat, and other ambient energy sources—a method called ambient technology. Walmart is rolling out millions of Wiliot battery-free ambient IoT sensors across its U.S. supply chain. According to Wiliot, this is its first large-scale ambient IoT deployment in the retail sector and the largest implementation to date. So far, 500 Walmart locations expect the deployment, which will expand nationally in 2026. Rollouts target 4,600 Walmart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and over 40 distribution centers, producing high-res supply chain data that feeds into Walmart's AI systems. These ambient IoT Pixels sensors collect location, humidity, temperature, and dwell time data. Walmart uses the signals with its advanced AI systems, boosting supply chain efficiency, cold chain compliance, and inventory accuracy. This provides Walmart with real-time insight into inventory management, determining where the products are and whether the retailer owns them. It's projected to track 90 million pallets of inventory at full scale by the end of 2026. With this partnership, Walmart can eliminate manual roles while providing automated alerts. Workers will then respond quickly, spend more time serving customers, and make smarter decisions. With the improved visibility, inventory discrepancies have also been resolved, leading to improved customer experiences and smoother operations. Walmart and OpenAI are working together to allow customers to place orders through ChatGPT. (Image Credit: Walmart ) In addition, the giant retail store partnered with OpenAI in a move that allows customers to shop through ChatGPT using instant Checkout. Customers chatting with the AI tool can browse Walmart's catalog and make in-app purchases. ChatGPT unveiled Instant Checkout in September. This new feature enables users to request product recommendations from the AI tool, such as "best PC for $1,000," and purchase them directly within the app, eliminating the need to navigate to a retailer's website. However, Walmart expects to make its shopper data available to a tech partner, a surprising move, as retailers protect this information more tightly than their earnings. Younger customers have largely influenced this move as they demand smarter, AI-driven interactions, a strong indicator of where the next wave of purchasing power lies. Demographic shifts aren't the only cause of Walmart's accelerated strategy. Competitive pressures also play a role in this. As large language models change how customers search and shop, the retail giant sees an opportunity to close its long-standing digital gap with Amazon. Working with AI and data has the potential to yield a strong return and strengthen its position in the changing retail landscape. The numbers are also very suggestive. Approximately 70 million ChatGPT users show purchase intent, and this audience could generate significant gains for Walmart. According to analysts, Walmart could experience a projected 20% digital growth annually for the foreseeable future. If that trend continues, Walmart could inch closer to the trillion-dollar market cap. Walmart is ensuring this partnership delivers lasting results. Its main focus is on its workers, in addition to the software and new tools it aims to implement. Starting next year, each one of Walmart's employees can access free, personalized AI education and certifications through Walmart Academy . This investment aims to empower associates and store teams to thrive in an AI-driven workplace. The new program continues Walmart's promise to invest nearly $1 billion in developing employee skills through 2026. This is more than a tech upgrade, too, as it indicates how rapidly AI changes retail. Overall, the goal is to track how much traffic comes from ChatGPT referrals, how the traffic performs on Walmart's digital storefronts, and which categories lean into predictive, AI-assisted shopping. Walmart+ subscribers could receive a few months of ChatGPT Plus at no cost to keep them hooked on using AI for their shopping needs. Walmart's trial run with this project has shown some encouraging results. We can expect the integration to capture a few percent of holiday transactions. After one year, that number could increase to double digits if it behaves as analysts expect. Walmart believes that developing AI commerce from scratch is worth the risk of sharing highly protected data. After spending the past few years catching up with Amazon, Walmart might be setting the pace. In June, the retail giant announced new AI tools for its store associates, improving their roles and experiences. These tools are designed to improve work efficiency, eliminate friction, and simplify actions. This AI is beneficial for associates as it significantly boosts productivity and changes how teams plan and execute daily tasks, making the experience more seamless rather than complex and tool-heavy. The AI tool was originally deployed for overnight stocking workers, assisting with real-time store priorities, recommending what needs attention, and directing associates. This results in faster decision-making, fewer missed steps, and clear focus. Early pilots showed promise, with leaders reporting a reduction in shift planning time, taking thirty minutes rather than ninety minutes. Additionally, Walmart is deploying a live translation tool that simplifies communication between customers and employees. It supports up to 44 languages and has text-to-text and speech-to-text conversation translations on the spot. The Walmart-specific knowledge base makes this tool so unique. For example, customers can ask, "Where's Great Value Orange juice?" and the AI recognizes "Great Value" as the retail brand, keeping that context in translation. This generates precise answers and an improved experience for customers and staff. This translation model always improves via iterative feedback loops, learning from interactions to improve accuracy and cultural nuance. Going forward, Walmart expects to expand language support and introduce the feature to international markets. Walmart is enhancing its Ask Sam mobile AI app for retail workers. (Image Credit: Walmart ) Associates have typically relied on conversational AI to quickly get answers for questions like "What's my schedule for tomorrow?" or "What aisle is hand soap located in?" With the new GenAI upgrade, the system solidifies workplace assistance by turning lengthy guides into clear step-by-step instructions. For example, associates can ask questions like "How can I process a return without a receipt?" and receive guidance instantly. Over 900,000 Walmart associates use the conversational AI tool every week, with over three million questions per day. This tool, essential for associates, is becoming more powerful now that GenAI is in the picture. Walmart has also introduced VizPick augmented reality for its workers in the apparel section, which has high volume, fast turns, and constant movement, making inventory accuracy challenging. Walmart solved this issue by deploying a smart pairing of RFID with this AR tool, assisting employees with locating merchandise to stock on the sales floor and reducing backroom inventory management time. Associates can use the VizPick AR tool to scan apparel racks and receive visual guidance on which items must go on the sales floor, ensuring a faster, more precise workflow. This announcement is part of Walmart's growing suite of AI innovations, including MyAssistant , an AI creative partner for corporate teams and an AI assistant for merchants. These are built on Element , Walmart's machine learning platform that enables rapid, secure deployment of AI at scale. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.walmartconsumeropenaiaiiotconnectivityhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/b/blog/posts/amd-and-the-doe-form-a-partnership-to-build-and-deploy-two-ai-supercomputersTue, 04 Nov 2025 19:54:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:9bedf477-bccd-4ca3-9a62-7ee7b5f09b59Catwell(Image Credit: HPE ) AMD and the DoE collaborated on a $1 billion investment to build two next-gen supercomputers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, pushing the boundaries of AI and high-performance computing (HPC). The systems, called Lux AI and Discovery, advance energy research, scientific discovery, and national security innovation, while supporting the U.S. AI Action Plan to accelerate domestic AI infrastructure and competitiveness. With this partnership, AMD, industry partners, government agencies, and the ORNL will help researchers and innovators tackle challenges in energy, medicine, materials science, and advanced manufacturing. “We are proud and honored to partner with the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to accelerate America’s foundation for science and innovation,” said Dr. Lisa Su, chair and CEO, AMD. “Discovery and Lux will leverage AMD’s high-performance and AI computing technologies to advance the most critical U.S. research priorities in science, energy, and medicine – demonstrating the power of public-private partnership at their best.” Lux AI is scheduled for a 2026 launch as the first U.S AI Factory supercomputer designed for science, energy, and national security. Developed by AMD, ORNL, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and HPE, Lux AI will feature AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs, and AMD Pensando networking, delivering high performance for AI and data-intensive workloads. The system will train and deploy new AI models to improve energy efficiency, reshape modern medicine, and discover new materials. It expects to deliver three times the AI capacity of modern supercomputers. By 2028, Discovery will be delivered to Oak Ridge, with installation, testing, and full operational use to follow. Once deployed, it will also become one of the most advanced HPC systems. Discovery features the AMD EPYC Venice CPUs and AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs, part of AMD's new MI400 series for large-scale simulation and AI, essential for supercomputing. Thanks to the system's Bandwidth Everywhere design, applications can run faster and more efficiently, allowing researchers to run complex system simulations and develop breakthroughs in materials, energy, biology, and national security. Discovery expects to deliver greater AI capability, improved energy efficiency, and higher performance, enabling scientists to design next-gen batteries, reactors, semiconductors, and sustainable materials. “The Discovery system will drive scientific innovation faster and farther than ever before,” said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer. “ORNL’s leadership in supercomputing has dramatically shortened researchers’ time from problem to solution across a host of fields and industries. With Discovery, the integration of high-performance computing and AI promises breakthroughs at the accelerated speed and scale necessary for continued U.S. leadership in an increasingly competitive global environment.” Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.usapartnershipepycamdbusiness_of_engineeringsupercomputerhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/businessofengineering/b/blog/posts/qualcomm-acquires-arduinoTue, 07 Oct 2025 23:35:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d0d7255e-7d87-4f4b-8f8d-1105761d642fCatwellQualcomm has acquired Arduino, which will operate under its brand. (Image Credit: Qualcomm ) Qualcomm has recently announced it acquired Arduino, the Italian firm that manufactures open-source hardware and software for prototypes of robots and electronics. Qualcomm is a key distributor for mobile phone chips. The company has also focused on expanding its edge computing space. This includes wireless earphones, laptops, industrial machines, and connected vehicles. Despite the acquisition, Arduino expects to preserve its independent brand, tools, and mission. “Following this acquisition, the 33M+ active users in the Arduino community will gain access to Qualcomm Technologies’ powerful technology stack and global reach. Entrepreneurs, businesses, tech professionals, students, educators, and hobbyists will be empowered to rapidly prototype and test new solutions, with a clear path to commercialization supported by Qualcomm Technologies’ advanced technologies and extensive partner ecosystem,” Qualcomm wrote in the press release. University and high school students largely use Arduino for their electronic building projects, which also includes programming. Engineers around the world use it as well to rapidly build prototypes. The software and hardware work with chips sourced from various providers. Both Qualcomm and Arduino expect to remain compatible with processors produced by other makers. “Joining forces with Qualcomm Technologies allows us to supercharge our commitment to accessibility and innovation,” said Fabio Violante, CEO of Arduino. “The launch of UNO Q is just the beginning— we’re excited to empower our global community with powerful tools that make AI development intuitive, scalable, and open to everyone.” Additionally, Qualcomm plans to release Arduino Uno Q , a development board running on its Dragonwing QRB2210 processor. It supports Linux, AI workloads, and real-time microcontroller functions. This chip would be practical for robots requiring as much power as a computer or phone. It also provides control over wheels, wings, or other robotic parts. Qualcomm mentioned its upcoming board will be the first to support a new development platform called AppLab, which enables AI, Python, and Linux workflows. It's designed to help Arduino programmers connect the coding frameworks used in robotics with those found in advanced AI applications. “With our acquisitions of Foundries.io, Edge Impulse, and now Arduino, we are accelerating our vision to democratize access to our leading‑edge AI and computing products for the global developer community,” said Nakul Duggal, Group General Manager, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Arduino has built a vibrant global community of developers and creators. By combining their open-source ethos with Qualcomm Technologies’ portfolio of leading edge products and technologies, we’re helping enable millions of developers to create intelligent solutions faster and more efficiently—including a path towards global commercialization by leveraging the scale of our ecosystem.” Have a story tip? Message me here at element14industryqualcommbusiness_of_engineeringarduino