Electronic Design Weekly: June 29-July 3, 2026
In This Issue
Jump to a section or scroll down to see the latest technology content this week on Electronic Design.
- Editorial: Spec-First, Looping and Embedded AI
- Featured Content
- New Products
- Special Section: Embedded Systems and Generative AI
- Multimedia on ElectronicDesign
- Editor's Choice: From the ElectronicDesign Archives
- Editor's Weekly Picks
- Illustrated Engineering
- Electronic Design Week Word of the Week
- New in Electronic Design's Member Library
- More Electronic Design Weekly
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Editorial: Spec-First, Looping and Embedded AI
Generative AI and chatbots have taken over internet search whether you like it or not, since they’re embedded into every major search engine. Added to that mix are dozens, if not hundreds, of standalone chatbots to choose from. It comes as no surprise, then, that most users are overwhelmed by artificial intelligence (AI) alternatives.
Basic chatbot prompting is what many people do these days. Prompt programming was all the rage, but there are challenges with this approach. Hence, we’re seeing the emergence of spec-driven development (SDD) and loop engineering, two terms that aren’t even in Wikipedia yet. So, is it worth diving down these rabbit holes yet?
Embedded Systems and Generative AI
While my editorial is on chatbots, spec-first, and looping, this section highlights some of the articles from the Generating AI TechXchange. This content focuses on large language models (LLM), generative AI and artificial general intelligence (AGI) in embedded systems. As with all our TechXchanges, we continue to add new content in the topic area as it becomes available.
Editor's Choice: From the ElectronicDesign Archives
These articles were chosen by the editors at ElectronicDesign that complement the new articles above. They are included in our regular newsletters.
Bill Wong's Picks of the Week
Sticking with the generative AI theme this week, here are a few articles I looked at this week.
- How can generative AI simplify complex PLC programming? @ Control Design
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) tools help large language models improve code program organization units - Legal Brief: Generative AI and Privacy Clash @ Security Infowatch.com
Records of conversations with AI assistants could be used as evidence, creating a new data risk for you and your company. - The Big Productivity Gains Will Come from Cross-Functional AI @ IndustryWeek
The interaction of generative AI, agentic AI and machine learning across different areas of an organization holds the greatest promise for optimizing talent.
Andy's Picks from Around the Web
Sales of electric passenger cars in Thailand rise 61.2% YoY, comprising 31.2% of new vehicles sold. Link
Philippines electric vehicle (EV) sales reached 24,356 units in the first five months of the year, up from 10,431 units in the same period in 2025. Link
Ford Rehires 350 Engineers After Management's AI Expectations Blunder. Link
AI Execs are Running a 1948 Circus Trick [seemingly coincident with valuation rounds]. Video
Make AI talk like caveman - not use too much token. Link
Click here to see Andy's full list of the latest articles and news.
Politicians' Support of Data Centers Trigger Voter Backlash, Getting them "Primaried." Link
Morgan Stanley doubles China humanoid robot shipment forecast [to 50,000 units] as commercialization accelerates. Link
OpenAI considers IPO delay as tech stocks plummet. [with coined term of the week: "Financial Afghanistan"]. Video
Gen Z’s hiring hell is real: 1 in 3 employers admit they’re replacing entry-level roles with AI—and tech and manufacturing jobs are most at risk. Link
Ferrari Luce launches in China at 586,600 USD, all 88 cars sell out immediately. Link
Ferrari’s Chief Marketing Officer Has Stepped Down [too soon?] Amid Backlash From the Marque’s First EV. Link
Microsoft quietly extends Windows 10's extra security updates program for free: Users can now stay on Windows 10 until October 2027 securely. Link
A rocket reentry spiked metal levels in the atmosphere. Link
Chat GPT-5.6 "Sol" caught trying to hack the test code during evaluation. "As training and iteration continues, we need to ensure the models aren’t just learning to be more successful at evading the monitoring system." Link
Chinese Consortium Achieves World’s First 1.2Tb/s Per-Wavelength Transmission Over Hollow-Core Fiber. Link
Gemini in Chrome can now see exactly what you’re looking at on screen. Link
Tech giant Oracle cuts 21,000 jobs as it embraces AI. Link
Analog Computing: The Infinity Between 0 and 1 — an IT History Society panel. Video
Unexpected pathway turns water and CO₂ into climate neutral methane on nickel–zirconia. Link
The History of Aluminum. Video
Andy's Video Pick of the Week
An interesting video on analog computing, complete with a demo of a a 2-mass automotive damping system.
We've written about analog computing and modeling an automotive suspension system, here, as well as covering an affordable ~$600 analog computer, "THAT" which was the brainchild of Bernd Ulmann the first panelist in this video.
Click on "learn more" to view it.
Get Started.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Error
Step 3: Throw
All to often boards don't work out of the box. I talk about it. You should share your experiences.
All this and more on the cartoon's page here.
Or see my whole Engineering on Friday cartoon catalog here.
New in Electronic Design's Member Library
Are you an Electronic Design member? It’s free and you get access to content like our latest eBooks and editorial webinars. You can also provide feedback about articles.
About the Author
William G. Wong
Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF
I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.
You can send press releases for new products for possible coverage on the website. I am also interested in receiving contributed articles for publishing on our website. Use our template and send to me along with a signed release form.
Check out my blog, AltEmbedded on Electronic Design, as well as his latest articles on this site that are listed below.
You can visit my social media via these links:
- AltEmbedded on Electronic Design
- Bill Wong on Facebook
- @AltEmbedded on Twitter
- Bill Wong on LinkedIn
I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.
I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence.
Roger Engelke Jr.
Managing Editor - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF
Roger manages the websites and print issues for Electronic Design and Microwaves &RF.
Cabe Atwell
Technology Editor, Electronic Design
Cabe is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design.
Engineer, Machinist, Cartoonist, Maker, Writer. A graduate Electrical Engineer actively plying his expertise in the industry and at his company, Gunhead. When not designing/building, he creates a steady torrent of projects and content in the media world. Many of his projects and articles are online at element14 & SolidSmack, industry-focused work at EETimes & EDN, and offbeat articles at Make Magazine. Currently, you can find him hosting webinars and contributing to Electronic Design and Machine Design.
Cabe is an electrical engineer, design consultant and author with 25 years’ experience. His most recent book is “Essential 555 IC: Design, Configure, and Create Clever Circuits”
Cabe writes the Engineering on Friday blog on Electronic Design.
See Cabe's cartoons & comic strips here.
James Morra
Senior Editor
James Morra is the senior editor for Electronic Design, covering the semiconductor industry and new technology trends, with a focus on power electronics and power management. He also reports on the business behind electrical engineering, including the electronics supply chain. He joined Electronic Design in 2015 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Andy Turudic
Technology Editor, Electronic Design
Andy Turudic is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design Magazine, primarily covering Analog and Mixed-Signal circuits and devices and also is Editor of ED's bi-weekly Automotive Electronics newsletter.
He holds a Bachelor's in EE from the University of Windsor (Ontario Canada) and has been involved in electronics, semiconductors, and gearhead stuff, for a bit over a half century. Andy also enjoys teaching his engineerlings at Portland Community College as a part-time professor in their EET program.
"AndyT" brings his multidisciplinary engineering experience from companies that include National Semiconductor (now Texas Instruments), Altera (Intel), Agere, Zarlink, TriQuint,(now Qorvo), SW Bell (managing a research team at Bellcore, Bell Labs and Rockwell Science Center), Bell-Northern Research, and Northern Telecom.
After hours, when he's not working on the latest invention to add to his portfolio of 16 issued US patents, or on his DARPA Challenge drone entry, he's lending advice and experience to the electric vehicle conversion community from his mountain lair in the Pacific Northwet[sic].
AndyT's engineering blog, "Nonlinearities," publishes the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Andy's OpEd may appear at other times, with fair warning given by the Vu meter pic. His cartoon series, "Inventors", appears each week in Electronic Design Weekly.
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