Articles – Page 3

Micro-Miniature Ethernet Switches and Routers

November 13, 2025

In a moment, I’m going to tell you about the slightest and slimmest Ethernet switches and routers you’ve never seen, but first… I’ve told this networking narrative before, and doubtless I’ll tell it again (it’s too good to waste). I graduated with my degree in Control Engineering in the summer of I980. My first position was in a team designing CPUs for mainframe computers at International Computers Limited (ICL) in West Gorton, Manchester, UK.

The tale I’m about to tell took place somewhere … Read More → "Micro-Miniature Ethernet Switches and Routers"

Who Doesn’t Need Battery-Powered, Cloud-Free AI?

by Max Maxfield

November 11, 2025

Way back in the mists of time, in those halcyon days we used to call 2010, I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), India. Formally founded as a fort in 1537, Bengaluru offers an eclectic mix of stone watchtowers and ancient temples, spectacular colonial-era architecture, and gleaming technology parks and skyscrapers.

Something else I just remembered about my brush with Bengaluru was the sensory overload associated with the tumultuous traffic. Two-lane-each-way roads routinely hosted six or more de facto lanes of vehicles jostling … Read More → "Who Doesn’t Need Battery-Powered, Cloud-Free AI?"

Make It So: Agentic AI Comes to Flux

by Max Maxfield

November 6, 2025

I remember “ye olden days” when we (humans) designed electronic products by hand—conceiving circuits, selecting components, drawing schematics, laying out printed circuit boards (PCBs)… Can you imagine instead just telling an AI, “Make me a [your product here] for consumer use,” and it actually does it? Well, that day has arrived.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll doubtless say it again—things are moving fast in AI space (where no one can hear you scream). For example, GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant developed in collaboration between GitHub and … Read More → "Make It So: Agentic AI Comes to Flux"

From Code Chaos to Cyber Confidence: Inside the World of Firmware Obfuscation

by Max Maxfield

November 4, 2025

In the context of programming, the term “obfuscation” is typically taken to mean “deliberately making source code hard to read or understand while keeping it functionally correct.” The reason I used the “typically” qualifier is that I’ve just been exposed to the concept of obfuscation at the machine code level. Now my head hurts.

Since we’re already talking obfuscation, I feel it would be remiss of me not to mention the International Obfuscated C Code Contest (IOCCC). This started in 1984, … Read More → "From Code Chaos to Cyber Confidence: Inside the World of Firmware Obfuscation"

Model-Based Design Is Transforming System Development

by Max Maxfield

October 30, 2025

As I’ve mentioned on occasion, my degree is in Control Engineering. Well, that’s what we used to call it deep in the mists of time (circa the late 1970s) when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed student—although the years, it must be said, have not been kind.

The idea was to have a core of math, accompanied by electronics, mechanics, hydraulics, and fluidics. In hindsight (the only exact science), my cohorts and I were blithely ignorant that we were balanced on the cusp of a significant transition (the “blithely ignorant” part … Read More → "Model-Based Design Is Transforming System Development"

Will ECS-DoT Be the Processor-of-Choice for Battery-Powered AI at the Edge?

by Max Maxfield

October 28, 2025

We live in exciting times. Sometimes I’m unsure just how much more excitement I can take. I can imagine one day talking to my grandchildren, saying something like, “I remember the days before AI,” and hearing them gasp in astonishment and disbelief.

I know what you’re thinking. When you first ran your orbs over the title of this column, I could practically hear you muttering, “Oh no, please tell me that Max isn’t going to waffle on about yet another AI processor chip!”

Would that I … Read More → "Will ECS-DoT Be the Processor-of-Choice for Battery-Powered AI at the Edge?"

Inside the RISC-V Hardware Wars: A Streetfighter’s Unfiltered Take

by Max Maxfield

October 23, 2025

In which we learn about a maverick founder’s RISC-V crusade to reshape the chip industry—without permission, funding, or patience.

I’ve known Jonah McLeod for more years than I care to remember. In fact, I’ve known him for so long that I no longer recall when, where, or how we first met (either virtually via the interweb or physically at a conference).

Suffice it to say that he’s a well-seasoned … Read More → "Inside the RISC-V Hardware Wars: A Streetfighter’s Unfiltered Take"

Is It Time to Bring PCB Assembly (PCBA) In-House?

by Max Maxfield

October 21, 2025

I’ve said it before, and I’ll doubtless say it again—I’m constantly amazed by how the metaphysical theme of the “interrelatedness of all things” that permeates the Dirk Gently books by Douglas Adams manages to manifest itself in my own humble journey through the cosmos.

For example, just a few weeks ago (at the time of this writing), I was chatting with Josh Elijah, who is the co-founder and CEO at BotBlox. Josh is an interesting guy who is obsessed … Read More → "Is It Time to Bring PCB Assembly (PCBA) In-House?"

Next-Gen Multimodal GenAI Processors for the AIoT Edge

by Max Maxfield

October 16, 2025

I’m having “one of those days.” During a recent chat with someone who has a lot to answer for, I was informed that IREE is the execution layer for MILR and that I can think of MILR as a newer version of LLVM. Now I know what I sound like when I’m talking to my family and friends. Also, my head hurts.

This all came about when I was chatting with John Weil, who (a) is Vice President and General Manager for the IoT and Edge AI Processor Business at Read More → "Next-Gen Multimodal GenAI Processors for the AIoT Edge"

Lies, Damn Lies, Benchmarks and ML Perf Auto?

by Robert Bielby

October 15, 2025

MLCommons, in collaboration with AVCC, the Autonomous Vehicle Compute Consortium, recently released the ML Perf Auto 0.5. benchmark suite. The suite is intended to compare the performance of different AI engines in real-world vision/perception applications for ADAS and autonomous driving.

Will it live up to that ambitious goal? Let’s go back a few years…

Early in my career, I was a working group member of the Programmable Electronics Performance (PREP) corporation, which was chartered to establish a suite of benchmarks that could be used to compare the different … Read More → "Lies, Damn Lies, Benchmarks and ML Perf Auto?"