
Embedded Executive Podcast
Each week, Embedded Computing Design’s EVP Rich Nass speaks to an executive in the embedded industry to understand what’s happening with the latest products, standards, and trends. The frank discussions reveal the real, behind the scenes issues, so the design community knows what’s coming down the pike. Topics covered in artificial intelligence, machine learning, embedded systems, internet of things, industrial automation, automotive applications, open source and more.
Latest episodes

Nov 8, 2023 • 14min
Embedded Executive: While Embedded Technology Progresses Slowly, Security Moves Super-Fast, Infineon Technologies
Thomas Rosteck, Division President for Connected Secure Systems at Infineon Technologies discusses the importance of security in embedded technology and the challenges of adapting to evolving threats. They explore the role of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity and the vulnerability of embedded devices. They also emphasize the importance of standardization and designing systems to mitigate damage from hacking.

Nov 1, 2023 • 13min
Embedded Executive: We Have an Engineering Shortage
We have an engineering shortage. Anyone who's familiar with our space wouldn't dispute that. And if you look at the projections, we’re going to need a whole lot more of us going forward. Why is that the case, and more importantly, what are we going to do about it?To try and understand this dilemma and the potential solution(s), I spoke to Marcus Webster, who is the principal of Webster & Webster Associates and a recruiter for most of the companies that you’re aware of. Check out this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

Oct 25, 2023 • 11min
Embedded Executive: The CHIPS Act, Take II, PQSecure
Quantum computing raises the potential for anything to be hacked, and that includes government systems. Hence, the people behind the CHIPS Act want to make sure that the money that’s used for semiconductor development is being used in the areas that it deems most important. To understand how that works, I spoke to Reza Azarderakhsh, the Founder and CEO of PQSecure Technologies on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast. Reza is tied pretty closely to this initiative, as his company specializes in implementing security measures.

Oct 18, 2023 • 11min
Embedded Executive: Quantum Computing Is Here Today, Really. Oxford Ionics
Quantum computing can be a very complex area. Many experts will tell you that it could be as long as a decade before quantum computers actually appear on the scenes. This week’s Embedded Executives podcast guest says that his company is providing quantum computing today. Hear it directly from Chris Balance, the co-founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics.

Oct 11, 2023 • 13min
Embedded Executive: 5G For Industrial? No Time Soon, Sequans
If you’re a consumer, 5G is likely in your universe. If you’re working on the industrial side, you’re likely not seeing 5G at all. And it may be many years before it’s even available in limited deployments. Why is that? That’s the question I asked of Olivier Pauzet, the EVP of Strategy for Sequans Communications in this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

Oct 4, 2023 • 10min
Embedded Executive: What Is STMicroelectronics Doing About Sustainability?
Sustainability continues to be a topic of interest. First, what does sustainability actually mean? Second, what are some of the industry giants doing about it? In our space, STMicroelectronics would be one of those giants, so I spoke to Mahesh Chowdhary, an STMicroelectronics Fellow and the Senior Director of MEMS Software Solutions, about what’s happening at his company in this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

Sep 27, 2023 • 13min
Embedded Executive: Get Your AI Platform Out the Door, SparkCognition
Bringing all the different elements together for an AI-based hardware platform is harder than it sounds, especially when you start considering the environmental conditions. Getting it to work in the lab is one thing, but the real world presents challenges you may not have thought of.SparkCognition has developed a test environment that considers everything because they are testing in the field, literally. To understand what that means, I spoke to Milton Lopez, the head of design for SparkCognition on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

Sep 20, 2023 • 10min
Embedded Executive: Let the Code Write Itself, JITX
There are better ways to write embedded code than the traditional methods. Doing it in a visual fashion is one of those ways. But how does that work, and how does it adapt specifically to my hardware? While you might have thought such technology was already available, Duncan Haldane, the CEO of JITX says that’s not the case. Hear what he has to say on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

Sep 13, 2023 • 12min
Embedded Executive: Why Aren’t There Enough Engineers? Arm
It seems like more and more engineers are graduating from universities, yet we still need more. There are a few reasons for this. First, there’s simply a demand for hardware and software engineers as our devices become “electrified.” And second, the universities are doing a less than stellar job of getting their graduates ready to dive right in. How do we fix these issues? Those are just some of the points we covered on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast, where my guest was Dr. Khaled Benkrid, Arm’s Director of Education and Research, and former college professor.

Sep 6, 2023 • 12min
Embedded Executive: ESG: Fact or Fiction? Hear Avnet's Take
ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance, and it’s something we are hearing a lot about lately. However, in my role as our industry’s devil’s advocate, I want to know if this is a real thing, or just a company line from some of the players in our industry. To try and vet that out, I spoke to Stacy Mendez, Avnet’s director of Global Strategic Planning and ESG. Stacy explained what ESG means, what Avnet’s take is on it, and why it’s a real thing. Hear what she had to say on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.