NXP EdgeVerse Techcast

Industrial Ethernet Protocols, Tools & Hardware for Faster Factory Automation

In this EdgeVerse Techcast episode, NXP welcomes port to the company and explains how the acquisition brings 30+ years of industrial communications expertise to deliver certifiable hardware and software for factory automation. Denis Noël discusses port's real-time protocol stacks—including PROFINET, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, CANopen, and Modbus—and how tight integration with NXP industrial chips like the i.MX RT1180 MCU and i.MX94 MPU (with networking switch) accelerates development, improves interoperability, and supports ongoing protocol and security maintenance, including cybersecurity regulations such as the European Cyber Resilience Act.

Episode Resources:

• www.nxp.com/port
• i.MX RT1180 EVK
• FRDM i.MX RT1186
• Remote I/O platform

00:00 Welcome and Why It Matters

00:54 Meet Denis and Port

01:37 What Port Does

02:54 Protocols Supported

04:14 Hardware Software Advantage

05:39 Tools Services Security

06:43 Developer Kits and Getting Started

08:27 Future of Factory Automation

10:33 Recap and Next Steps

11:44 Wrap Up and Subscribe

Celebrating 10 Years of the Zephyr Project: How Open Source is Powering Embedded Innovation | Edge Verse TechCast

Edge Verse TechCast hosts Bridgette Stone and Kyle Dando celebrate Zephyr RTOS's 10-year anniversary with guest Kathleen Jachimiak, an NXP Marketing Manager and Zephyr Marketing Committee member. They discuss why Zephyr stood out at launch—open source, vendor neutral, scalable, and built for security and connectivity on resource-constrained IoT devices—and what helped it become production ready through strong documentation, community support, and broad hardware portability. Kathleen highlights ecosystem maturity as a top factor for RTOS selection, citing Zephyr's tools, middleware, drivers, and extensive board support. Looking ahead, she notes focus areas like long-term maintainability, functional safety certification, CRA alignment, and continued security/connectivity improvements for applications including ML/AI. NXP is marking the milestone with global celebrations, new demos and training, meetup content, and a giveaway of 10,000 FRDM development boards, including a listener code for a free FRDM MCX A153 board while supplies last.

Episode Sources:

• FRDM-MCXA153 Shopping Cart
• FREE CODE: ATW30J45
• About the Zephyr Project
• https://www.nxp.com/zephyr

00:00 Zephyr Turns 10

01:40 Meet Kathleen

01:51 Why Zephyr Stood Out

02:33 From Eval to Products

03:13 Why Devs Stick Around

04:05 Ecosystem Matters Most

04:53 Next 10 Years Roadmap

05:48 NXP Anniversary Plans

06:33 Free Boards Giveaway

07:23 Wrap Up and Thanks

08:17 Birthday Banter Outro

NXP Dating Game: Guess the SoC Behind the Blinky (with PhyTec i.MX 8MP)

On the EdgeVerse Tech Cast, co-hosts Kyle Dando and Bridgette Stone run a throwback "Dating Game" with PhyTec, where three mystery computing platforms demo "Hello World" via blinking LEDs and Kyle must guess the NXP SoC behind each door.

• Door #1 uses VS Code, a SEGGER J-Link probe, and GDB to blink an LED with simple firmware
• Door #2 blinks LEDs from a Linux console using /sys/class/leds
• Door #3 runs Linux LEDs while also using remoteproc to start microcontroller firmware so both Linux- and MCU-domain LEDs blink simultaneously.

PhyTec applications engineer True Loan reveals all the platforms are the same i.MX 8MP SOM and explains the industry trend toward consolidating MCU and MPU workloads on one chip to simplify maintenance, team collaboration, and long-term product support.

Getting started resources:

• PhyCore i.MX 8MP dev kit
• JTAG expansion board
• PhyTec's developer wiki
• More About i.MX 8MP SOM

00:00 Welcome and Setup

01:15 Door Three Hybrid Demo

01:54 Dating Game Rules

02:31 Door One Blinky MCU

04:18 Door Two Linux Console

06:06 Final Guesses and Reveal

07:30 Meet True from PhyTec

08:51 Why MCU Plus MPU

11:33 Getting Started Resources

12:19 Key Takeaways and Wrap

MCUXpresso SDK Updates & Roadmap | EdgeVerse Techcast

In this EdgeVerse Techcast episode recorded during an MCUXpresso SDK leadership workshop in San Jose, Kyle and Bridgette speak with Petr Lukas (Middleware/NPI) and Jerry Zeng (Drivers/NPI) about recent SDK progress and what's next. They explain NPI as day-one software enablement—from register layers and debug files to board/peripheral readiness and optimization—and how drivers and middleware work together for customer applications.

Key SDK improvements over past 12 months:

• Added "Repo Zip" packaging for smaller downloads while retaining Git/west workflows
• Optimized release cadence delivers 4 major releases and 8 previews per year
• Delivered 40+ new drivers and 16 new boards,
• Improved Freestanding project workflow
• Revamped Sphinx-based documentation
• Large-scale CI provides daily and weekly test coverage

SDK Looking ahead:

• Expanded static analysis
• Continued Zephyr-aligned strategy
• Edgefast Open BT/BLE leveraging Zephyr
• Introduce MCUXpresso SDK LTS
• New multimedia framework.

The episode also covered highlights in the recent SDK 26.03 release.

Episode Resources:

• MCUXpresso SDK Tools for MCU Solutions
• MCUXpresso SDK Documentation
• Release MCUXpresso SDK 26.03.00 release (GitHub)

00:00 Bay Area Workshop Kickoff

00:59 Meet Petr and Jerry

02:07 SDK Leadership Roles

04:22 What NPI Means

06:19 Biggest SDK Improvements

06:32 Repo Zip Packaging

07:50 Release Model and Docs

09:57 CI Coverage and Quality

11:04 Next Year Roadmap

11:59 Zephyr and Connectivity Plans

13:34 LTS and Multimedia Framework

15:33 SDK 26.03 Release Highlights

16:56 Middleware and Security Updates

17:58 NPI Preview and Ethernet

18:33 Wrap Up and Subscribe

Agentic AI at the Edge: Bringing Model Context Protocol (MCP) to Microcontrollers with Zephyr

In this episode, NXP Systems Enablement Engineer David Piskula talks about Agentic AI at the edge and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and how NXP is bringing MCP down to the microcontroller level using Zephyr. The discussion covers why edge computing matters (security, confidentiality, low latency), how MCP standardizes JSON message exchanges between clients and servers, and how self-describing "tools" enable plug-and-play device integration. Critical in scenarios like smart homes and factory automation. David shares the challenge of implementing MCP on resource-constrained MCUs. He highlights the benefits of Zephyr providing a hardware agnostic path for evaluation. The NXP solution is available now to evaluate with an LED-control demo using NXP's eIQ Agentic AI framework.

Other episode resources:

• LED-Control Demo project (GitHub repo)
• Zephyr Upstream mcp_server contributed by NXP
• www.nxp.com/zephyr

00:00 Welcome to EdgeVerse

01:07 Meet David Piskula

01:47 What Systems Enablement Does

03:09 Why Edge AI Matters

04:15 MCP Explained

04:56 How MCP Works

05:45 Smart Home Example

06:45 Factory Automation Use Case

07:26 MCP on Microcontrollers

08:32 Biggest Engineering Challenges

09:31 Plug and Play LED Demo

11:11 How to Get Started

12:22 Wrap Up and Next Steps

Go Long Range with Sub-GHz UBX100 Projects on NXP Application Code Hub

In this NXP EdgeVerse TechCast episode, NXP Systems Engineer Tony Trujillo covers sub-GHz wireless connectivity and new Application Code Hub projects for evaluating and integrating the NXP UBX100 transceiver. Tony explains where sub-GHz appears in everyday life and why it's chosen for long range, better signal penetration, lower energy consumption, and reduced interference versus 2.4 GHz. The discussion highlights four radio-modem-path resources now available: the UBX100 SDK (including the Host Radio Modem Library), a Flash Loader Demo for programming an unprogrammed UBX100 using a FRDM MCX N947 board, an RF Toolbox for lab testing and certification, and a FreeMASTER Lite web-based Evaluation GUI for out-of-box configuration and testing (including TX/RX, range tests with packet error rates, and a simplified Wireless M-Bus sniffer). They also cover preset PHY configurations for Wireless M-Bus and Wi-SUN, field upgradability via boot/flash loader, and upcoming Sigfox modem support.

Episode Resources:

• UBX100 Application Code Hub Examples
• UBX100 Product Details
• OM-UBX100 Breakout Board: Expansion Board Hub
• Wireless M-Bus Stack Partner: STACKFORCE
• SigFox Build website

00:00 Welcome and episode focus

01:14 Meet Tony Trujillo

02:45 Sub GHz explained

04:40 Why sub GHz matters

05:36 UBX100 and use cases

05:55 Code Hub project overview

07:02 SDK and flash loader

08:32 RF toolbox and FreeMASTER GUI

09:29 FreeMASTER Light walkthrough

12:23 What makes UBX100 special

13:55 Custom stacks and Sigfox path

15:53 More resources to get started

17:20 Wrap up and next steps

Physical AI & Humanoid Robotics: NXP + NVIDIA Holoscan Sensor Bridge Reference Designs

In this EdgeVerse TechCast episode, hosts Kyle Dando and Bridgette Stone speak with NXP's Altaf Hussain about Physical AI and a new NXP–NVIDIA collaboration delivering integrated, real-time robot body solutions built around NVIDIA's Holoscan Sensor Bridge (HSB). They explain how Physical AI differs from cloud AI by requiring deterministic sensing, decision, and actuation under strict latency and safety constraints, and how NXP's real-time control and networking complements NVIDIA's AI compute. The collaboration launches with two HSB-ready reference designs targeting the hardest robotics problems: perception and motion—an i.MX 95 machine vision design with 10Gb low-latency data paths to the NVIDIA pipeline, and an i.MX RT 1180 distributed motor control design supporting EtherCAT and TSN for synchronized control. Reference software will be published on GitHub.

Episode Resources:

• https://www.nxp.com/hsb-solutions
• https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/technologies/holoscan-sensor-bridge/
• https://docs.nvidia.com/holoscan/sensor-bridge/latest/introduction.html

00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup

00:39 Why Physical AI Is Hard

01:03 NXP and NVIDIA Collaboration

01:59 Defining Physical AI

03:20 Holoscan Sensor Bridge at the Edge

05:27 Two Reference Designs

07:00 Machine Vision i.MX 95

07:43 Motor Control i.MX RT1180

09:19 Software Enablement and Roadmap

10:53 GitHub Access and Wrap Up

11:48 Final Thanks and Next Steps

EdgeVerse TechCast — Embedded World 2026 Preview! | NXP Demos, FRDM Lab, Zephyr Anniversary & More

Welcome back to the EdgeVerse TechCast! In this episode, Bridgette and Kyle take you on a fun, fast‑paced tour of everything NXP is bringing to Embedded World 2026 in Nuremberg — one of the biggest global gatherings for embedded engineers.

Whether you're attending the show or tuning in from your lab bench, this episode walks you through the innovations, demos, giveaways, and technical sessions shaping the future of embedded design.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Explore the FRDM Lab. Get hands-on with AI/ML, security, connectivity, motor control, graphics, sensors, and low-power demos — plus small-group technical sessions led by NXP engineers. And yes… free FRDM boards are involved.
• Introducing FRDM Automotive. The FRDM ecosystem expands into automotive! Discover the new automotive-focused development boards debuting at Embedded World.
• Zephyr Project's 10-Year Anniversary. NXP is celebrating by giving away 10,000 boards throughout 2026 to accelerate open-source development. Learn how to get yours at the show.
• Industrial & Robotics Demos. See how edge AI, real-time control, TSN, and robotics toolkits are enabling smarter factories.
• Healthcare & 🏡 Smart Home Innovations. AI-driven infant monitoring, Matter-enabled devices, UWB-based access systems, and more cutting-edge demonstrations.
• Live Technical Sessions at Embedded World. Hear from the engineers building the future — from CRA strategies to UWB plug‑and‑play to AI-powered vehicle architectures.

Attending Embedded World? Visit NXP Booth 4A‑222 and dive into live demos, hands-on labs, and technical Q&A sessions with NXP engineers.

Episode Resources:

• NXP at EW Booth 4A-222
• FRDM lab at EW Booth 3A-128
• Zephyr at EW Booth 4-170
• Webinar | Build with FRDM: Your Getting Started Guide and Embedded World 2026 FRDM Lab Highlights

00:00 – Intro: Danke Schoen & Embedded World vibes 01:12 – What's happening at Embedded World 2026 03:00 – Inside the FRDM Lab: Hands-on demos & sessions 05:42 – Free FRDM board giveaways 07:15 – Launching FRDM Automotive 09:30 – Zephyr Project 10-year celebration & 10k board giveaway 12:05 – Automotive demos: S32N, EV orchestration & Cabin IQ 15:48 – Industrial demos: Robotics, edge AI & software-defined factories 18:30 – Healthcare & smart home technologies 21:05 – Technical sessions & expert talks 23:10 – Can't attend? Upcoming FRDM Lab webinar 24:40 – Wrap-up & closing thoughts

MCUXpresso Installer: End Embedded Setup Nightmares (MCUXpresso, Zephyr & Matter)

In this EdgeVerse Techcast episode, co-hosts Bridgette Stone and Kyle Dando interview Alexandra Maracine, a software engineer on the MCUXpresso Installer team, about how the MCUXpresso Installer simplifies embedded development environment setup. Alexandra explains the common pain points—scattered tool downloads, dependency and version conflicts, broken PATHs, and team-wide consistency issues. Then she covers how the Installer centralizes sources, manages multiple coexisting versions across MCUXpresso SDK, Zephyr, and Matter, configures environments automatically, supports offline installs, and works across Windows, macOS, and Linux. She contrasts monolithic IDE installers with modular, package-driven approaches and describes key engineering challenges such as isolating installs from unpredictable user systems (including Python virtual environments) and handling enterprise constraints like proxies and restricted networks.

Episode resources:

• MCUXpresso Installer Overview
• Download MCUXpresso Installer (MacOS, Linux, Windows)
• MCUXpresso for VS Code: Getting Started

00:00 Welcome to EdgeVerse

00:49 Why Setup Is Painful

01:29 Meet Alexandra

02:12 Furniture Analogy

03:35 Real Dependency Nightmares

05:35 Key Benefits Breakdown

06:56 Offline and PATH Magic

08:05 Alternatives and Trends

10:16 Hardest Engineering Challenges

11:40 Respecting User Systems

12:24 Enterprise Constraints

13:32 How to Get and Update

14:16 VS Code Integration

14:50 Wrap Up and Takeaways

CRA Week Ep. 4: Maintaining CRA Conformity Across the Product Lifecycle

In the fourth and final episode of CRA Week, hosts Kyle and Bridgette wrap the series up with 3 CRA experts Asim Zaidi, Julien Delplancke, and Louis Rodriguez.

Asim explains why CRA compliance continues long after a product ships and highlights key underestimated challenges. (Architecture drift, maintaining secure configurations, Crypto agility, Documentation (including SBOMs).

Julien describes manufacturing-stage security needs and how EdgeLock 2Go centralizes secure credential provisioning, supports secure over-the-air updates, and enables credential renewal and crypto agility for devices in the field.

Louis outlines the role of a PSIRT, and reviews core lifecycle vulnerability processes including intake, triage and impact assessment, remediation, coordinated communications, multi-vendor coordination, and notification obligations.

Episode Resources:

• NXP CRA web page: EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)
• NXP PQC web page:Post-Quantum Cryptography
• EdgeLock 2GO | IOT Service Platform for Secure Deployment and Management
• NXP PSIRT: Product Security Vulnerability
• Security Certification: Security Certification

00:00 Welcome to CRA Week Finale

01:39 Why Lifecycle Matters

01:58 Hidden Long Term Challenges

05:00 Future Proof Architecture

06:41 SBOM and Crypto Agility

08:16 Manufacturing Security Basics

09:51 EdgeLock 2Go for Updates

11:50 PSIRT and Governance

15:14 Vulnerability Management Processes

16:49 CRA Week Recap and Closing