2026 embedded world: “Build Once, Scale Anywhere” Keynote by Microchip COO, Rich Simoncic

March 19, 2026

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There were many themes and trends discussed at the 2026 embedded world exhibition and conference in Nuremberg, Germany this year. Those being energy-efficiency and sustainability, security regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and, of course, one that will likely continue to be a topic for years to come and for many embedded computing companies, artificial intelligence (AI).

I attended the keynote delivered by Microchip’s COO, Rich Simoncic, and was able to learn from one of the leaders in the semiconductor industry. Sitting in a room filled with engaged listeners, I was able to hear how Microchip is, as a company, working to evolve alongside the ever-evolving trends of intelligent and connected systems.

The analogy used in Simoncic’s talk was based around the octopus. The creature was imagined  to explain the connected, yet distributed and decentralized nervous systems of the octopus and how it should relate to today’s AI systems.

The tentacles of the octopus are meant to mimic connected devices and distributed intelligence. According to Simoncic, today’s need for decentralized intelligence can be represented by the octopus because “two-thirds of the neurons are located in the tentacles and skin, where they act independently.”

Simoncic discussed how systems must move from centralized to distributed, where the different tentacles within a systems act independently. Autonomous intelligence.

He also talked about the different challenges of connected systems, such as the power challenge at the edge, event-driven information instead of continuous pulling, and the concept of making changes to software when a system needs a change or an update, without making significant changes to the hardware first. And, of course, that security should not be entirely cloud-based.

Simoncic shared the idea of using AI that senses, decides, and acts locally, with systems that can make use of AI without needing a complete re-design. That it’s ideal to build AI directly into existing hardware systems, with the phrase, “build once, scale anywhere.” With the idea that AI is just another tool in the engineers toolbox, and AI nodes are that tool.

Overall, I believe the keynote shared some solid opinions, but also left ideas open-ended so that companies and individuals could take what the heard and mold as their own. We already knew the octopus to be one of the most intelligent and independent creatures in the sea, so maybe it’s time to start thinking of today’s systems, although they may be connected, as we do the octopus.