Development Kits Decoded: Bridging OEMS Needs and Supplier Solutions

January 15, 2026

Whitepaper

Engineering follows tried-and-tested processes, from proving a concept to building a prototype through early production to mass manufacturing. The development kit has emerged as perhaps the most essential tool used in new product development.

Manufacturers and distributors are investing more resources into turn-key solutions enabled by software intended to accelerate development. As a result, these kits are closer to a finished product and can often be priced comparably to a custom PCB if we factor in assembly and testing. Some OEMS are even shipping development kits in place of custom PCBs and single-board computers (SBCs) in products, although our survey didn’t ask if this was in pre-production or large volumes.

Similarly, modular design continues to be adopted, leading to a parallel trend of using System-on-Modules (SoMs) and baseboards as a development platform that can be moved straight to production The driver for this shift in OEM practices seems to be the increased dependence (and development cost) of embedded software. The close integration of application-specific hardware and software provided as a development kit addresses the challenges OEMs face.

The emergence of AI-enabled processors, microcontrollers and sensors is placing greater emphasis on that integration. AI’s efficacy relies heavily on optimization at the hardware/software boundary. This dependence reverses the level of abstraction from the underlying hardware platform, which has been rising ever higher for many years. This trend is set to continue, as the integration of machine learning and AI at the edge is expected to accelerate.

All these factors are testing the status quo of product development. Engineering practices are changing as teams come under greater pressure to integrate features with more complexity into new products. Platforms like SoMs and highly integrated development kits present an opportunity and must form part of the solution. Suppliers and distributors have a responsibility to acknowledge these market pressures and react. Avnet’s development kit survey provides insights into the drivers behind the way OEMs leverage development kits, and what manufacturers and distributors must do to support product development in the future.