Articles – Page 4

Do You Want To Be An AI Plumber?

November 25, 2025

Increasingly, I find myself talking to people who say something like, “We have a 1-, 2-, 4-, or 8-core proof-of-concept AI chip that can—in the future—be scaled up to 1,000 cores.” But this is the first time I’ve been told, “We have a real-world 1,000-core AI chip that can—in the future—be scaled down to 1-, 2-, 4-, or 8-cores.”

Before we delve deeper into the fray with gusto and abandon, I’d like us all to cast our minds back to ye olden days when I wore a younger … Read More → "Do You Want To Be An AI Plumber?"

Ray Holt, inventor of the first microprocessor chip set, needs our help.

by Steven Leibson

November 24, 2025

Ray Holt, inventor of the first microprocessor chip set, which was used as the digital flight computer in the US Navy’s F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, is ill and needs our help. I first wrote about Ray in 2022 (see “Ray Holt and the CADC – The World’s First Military Digital Flight Computer”). That article detailed his development of the then-classified microprocessor chip set used in the aircraft’s CADC (Central Air Data Computer) with a variety of sensor inputs including air pressure, air temperature, … Read More → "Ray Holt, inventor of the first microprocessor chip set, needs our help."

Analog Neuromorphic Processors for ASICs/SoCs Offer Microwatt Edge AI

by Max Maxfield

November 20, 2025

We live in exciting times with respect to AI and the devices used to implement inferencing at the edge, where the “internet rubber” meets the “real-world road,” as it were.

It reminds me of those distant days in the 1970s when we were all “feeling our way” with 8-bit microprocessors. I’m thinking of devices like the Intel 8008 (1972), Intel 8080 (1974), Motorola 6800 (1974), MOS Technology 6502 (1975), Zilog Z80 (1976), and Motorola 6809 (1978).

If I might wax eloquent for a moment, life in those days was tremendously exciting for microprocessor mavens. Nothing was standardized, and every … Read More → "Analog Neuromorphic Processors for ASICs/SoCs Offer Microwatt Edge AI"

Want Nano-Scale, CMOS-Based MEMS Sensors?

by Max Maxfield

November 18, 2025

We’re talking about CMOS-based MEMS sensors that are 1,000 times smaller than their traditional silicon-based MEMS counterparts, offering greater bandwidth and higher sensitivity, while also being more cost-effective and reliable. Seriously—what’s not to love?

I’ve just been chatting with Dr. Josep Montanyà, who, along with Dr. Marc Llamas, founded Nanusens. Headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, with a Research and Development office near Barcelona, Spain, Nanusens has been focused on finding a solution to address the limitations associated with traditional MEMS … Read More → "Want Nano-Scale, CMOS-Based MEMS Sensors?"

Micro-Miniature Ethernet Switches and Routers

by Max Maxfield

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?"