Hardware Development Trends

Want to build drones for the U.S. military? Step one: throw out half your parts bin. The Blue UAS list bans Chinese-made radios, flight controllers, and other critical components—which is a good thing. But the reality is, the U.S. doesn’t yet have a robust domestic supply chain to replace them. Motors, carbon fiber, certain chips—nearly everything off-the-shelf traces back to China. Neros Technologies shared what it actually took to get their drone on the Blue List: multiple custom PCB designs, in-house radios, a full QA pipeline, and months of field testing. That’s what it takes today to ship a compliant FPV drone at scale. It’s a massive lift, and it highlights the gap between what we say we want—China-free defense tech—and the infrastructure we currently have to build it. Good read about what it takes to build hardware for the DoD linked in comments.

Big news from the tech-world: Google unveils #AndroidXR, a platform for #VR and #AR, along with new #AI-powered smart glasses featuring the #Gemini voice assistant. 💡 I’ve spoken before about how the intersection of AI and XR is not just a futuristic concept but a transformative force that’s already in motion. So this announcement couldn’t have come at a better time - as I’m finalizing my 2025 #predictions, where, spoiler alert, the synergies between AI and VR/AR will play a pivotal role in reshaping industries. With Android XR, Google is positioning itself as a critical player in making this a reality. The potential #usecases are limitless: • Next-gen employee #training through immersive simulations that enhance learning retention and engagement 📚 • Breakthrough R&D applications, using VR environments to prototype and test in real-time without physical constraints 🛠️ • Streamlined #onboarding processes, offering new employees immersive walkthroughs and accelerated knowledge acquisition 🚀 At VRdirect, we’re already realizing many of these use cases, helping businesses unlock the potential of XR for real-world impact. I’ve attached our latest Siemens success story in the comments section, so take a look! This announcement underscores a trend I’ve been closely following: AI’s role as a catalyst for accelerating the adoption and utility of VR/AR. The big question now is whether Google can leverage its ecosystem to lead the XR revolution and compete with the likes of Apple and Meta. 🌐 Let’s discuss: How do you see AI and VR transforming industries in the coming years? 👇 #ExtendedReality #AugmentedReality #VirtualReality #Innovation #TechTrends #DigitalTransformation

Amazon's been designing its own chips for a decade, part of a hardware push that has cut its reliance on other companies and helped fuel the growth of its AWS cloud business. Their next assignment — taking on Nvidia in AI chips — is as tough as anything they've tried to date. I spent some time with Amazon's engineers, including folks at Annapurna, the chipmaking unit, as they gear up to release Trainium2, their latest AI accelerator. It's more powerful than the prior edition. But AWS engineers are just as likely to talk up the product's simplicity and design elements that aim to make things easier for the folks installing and maintaining the chips in data centers. Nvidia has a formidable advantage, particularly in the software tools that help their chips run AI tasks smoothly. Amazon's rival software isn't there yet. But the company is hoping marquee customers like Anthropic (recipient of $8 billion in investment), Databricks and some yet to be announced can help improve it quickly. read the rest here: @ Bloomberg News https://lnkd.in/gP-hX2t2

Some things never change. That’s where the real advantage is. Too many companies fixate on predicting what’s next. But what if the secret to AI hardware innovation isn’t in guessing the future—it’s in doubling down on what won’t change? In my latest conversation with Ron Diamant, Chief Architect of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Trainium, he shares a lesson from Jeff Bezos that shapes how Amazon builds AI accelerators: 📌 More compute power will always be in demand. 📌 Cost efficiency will always matter. 📌 Power consumption will always be a challenge. 📌 Flexibility will always drive innovation. These principles guide the design of Trainium2—balancing compute, memory, network bandwidth, and efficiency—not just for today’s AI workloads but for the models yet to be invented. How do you think about long-term bets in AI? What are the ‘constants’ shaping your innovation outlook? ⬇️ Watch the clip, and check the comments for a link to the full episode. #artificialintelligence #hardware #trainium2 #gpu #nvidia

Visage Imaging launches diagnostic imaging platform for Apple Vision Pro AR Headset>> 👓Ease VP will allow users to use Apple's Vision Pro, Augmented Reality headset, to examine diagnostic images in a virtual, spatial setting and collaborate with colleagues. The company says it helps improve radiologists' readings and workflow. 👓The company says the technology utilizes the "natural and intuitive input of eyes, hands and voice navigation to provide an end-user" with an enhanced imaging experience. 👓UC San Diego Health are the first health system to pilot the technology, and believe "The visualization of three-dimensional medical imaging in immersive space creates exciting opportunities to improve patient care," 👓"Technology that allows for sophisticated eye motion and gesture controls for reviewing 2D and 3D medical imaging could potentially help in efficient tumor board reviews and create collaborative spaces in healthcare." 💬 Of course VR/AR in Healthcare is not a new thing. The article (in comments) lists several other VR healthcare use cases that predate the Apple device. The question is, does this device justify the hype? 💬 My prediction is the high-spec device will be successful in a healthcare setting, capturing the broader imagination & interest of mainstream HCPs, not just the early adopters wearing the device in their bios. Some mention price, at $3500 I can see it ultimately widening the healthcare divide in the consumer sector, as only relatively wealthy patients could access their own. But in a clinical setting at less that 0.1% the cost of an MRI scanner I see the value significantly outweighing the cost. #DigitalHealth #AR #VR

According to the latest privileged information acquired through in-depth industry analysis and targeted consultation of recent open sources (OSINT), the current state of China's low observability (stealth) program represents the most serious and complex challenge to traditional concepts of electronic warfare and aerial maneuverability. China is systematically constructing a cohesive, dynamic warfare architecture designed to establish omni-directional stealth supremacy across the air, space, and electronic warfare domains. This massive, state-funded effort integrates cutting-edge nanotechnology, fluidic control, and AI-driven tactics. The program focuses on eliminating the historical compromises of stealth. This involves using reconfigurable metasurfaces that actively control electromagnetic waves, eliminating the need for passive, fixed radar absorbing materials. Simultaneously, researchers are mastering thermal camouflage through multilayer film supports, allowing platforms to continuously tune their surface emissivity (documented range of 0.356 to 0.96) to perfectly match the background temperature and defeat thermal sensors. This capacity is crucial for multi-spectral camouflage. For aerial platforms like tailless flying wings (UCAVs), maneuverability without compromising stealth is achieved through Fluidic Flight Control Systems (FFCS). This technology uses engine bleed air to generate "virtual rudders," avoiding the shape-altering deflection of mechanical control surfaces, thus preserving the aircraft's stealth contour during maneuvers The control system is powerful enough to provide greater moment increments than traditional rudders deflected by ±30°. The Chinese strategy also extends to systems-level optimization and tactical deception. AI-driven techniques like Multi-Fidelity (MF) Assessment and Bayesian Optimization (BO) accelerate design cycles by reducing complex simulation time by over 60%. This is applied to critical components like the Double Serpentine Nozzle, resulting in stealth improvements up to 40.25% for UCAV RCS. Finally, in the spatial domain, China is developing new interception tactics using Motion Camouflage. This strategy, solved via Differential Game Theory and the State-Dependent Riccati Equation, allows a pursuit spacecraft to approach a target while its relative motion remains visually concealed against a background reference, ensuring robust, furtive anti-satellite and reconnaissance capabilities. This comprehensive program establishes China as a major force driving the next generation of stealth warfare. Our OSINT analysis: https://lnkd.in/dgFskrfv #ChinaStealthTech #Metasurfaces #FluidicControl #UCAV #StealthSupremacy #IRCamouflage #ActiveStealth #MotionCamouflage #ElectronicWarfare #AerospaceInnovation #ChineseMilitary #AIinDefense #NextGenStealth #HypersonicTech #RCSreduction #SpaceWarfare #DefenseResearch

Design for Hardware Security (DfHS) is a methodology for designing integrated circuits (ICs) or electronic hardware systems with security features built-in from the start. The goal is to protect devices against threats like tampering, reverse engineering, side-channel attacks, and IP theft. ⸻ Purpose • Prevent hardware attacks (e.g., IP theft, cloning, counterfeiting) • Protect sensitive data and cryptographic keys • Ensure trustworthy operation of devices, especially in IoT, automotive, aerospace, and defense systems • Comply with security standards and regulations ⸻ Common Hardware Security Threats 1. IP Theft / Reverse Engineering- Competitors or hackers extract intellectual property from ICs 2. Side-Channel Attacks-Attacks using power consumption, electromagnetic emissions, or timing to extract secrets 3. Fault Injection-Introducing glitches or spikes to force malfunction and bypass security 4. Tampering-Physical manipulation of hardware to change behavior 5. Counterfeiting-Creating fake chips to replace genuine parts Design Techniques for Hardware Security 1. Secure Boot • Ensures only authenticated firmware runs on the device. 2. Hardware Root of Trust (RoT) • A trusted hardware module that stores cryptographic keys securely. 3. Encryption / Decryption Engines • Hardware accelerators for AES, RSA, ECC to protect data. 4. Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) • Unique hardware fingerprints used for device authentication. 5. Side-Channel Attack Countermeasures • Noise addition, masking, and hiding power or EM signatures. 6. Tamper Detection • Sensors to detect physical attacks, triggering memory erasure. 7. Obfuscation / Logic Locking • Prevent reverse engineering of hardware logic. 8. Secure Key Management • Keys stored in secure memory or fuses; not exposed externally. ⸻ Security Validation & Verification • Simulation of attacks in the design phase • Formal verification of security policies • Penetration testing of hardware prototypes • Compliance with standards like Common Criteria, NIST SP 800-193, ISO/SAE 21434 (automotive) ⸻ Applications • Automotive ECUs → Protect firmware, keys, and communication (CAN/CAN-FD) • IoT devices → Prevent cloning, data leaks, and unauthorized access • Smartcards / Payment Systems → Secure transactions and keys • Aerospace & Defense → Ensure tamper-proof, trusted devices AI/ML for Hardware Security • Using machine learning to detect anomalous behavior or hardware attacks. • Applications: Detect hardware Trojans, side-channel anomalies, or abnormal power signatures. • Trend: Real-time AI-assisted monitoring on-chip. Newer trends in hardware security focus on unique device authentication, secure execution environments, AI-assisted attack detection, post-quantum cryptography, and robust protection for IoT and automotive devices.

At Future in Review today on “The New Era of Resilient Defense Production” Panel followed by a breakout session. As a mental warmup, I started wondering: what if Sun Tzu had access to Machina? :) Here’s how six of core principles from art of the war translate into modern defense strategy with Robocraftsman at Machina Labs: 1- “He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.” Agility to adapt weapon designs: wWith Robocraftsman, designs aren’t fixed. Commanders can adjust systems mid-campaign. Need more lift for a new drone payload? Redesign the wing and form it in 48 hours. The factory moves as fast as the battlefield shifts. 2- “…rely not on the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” No single point of failure: Robocraftsman is not a monolith. It’s a network of distributed, flexible manufacturing cells. One cell goes down, the rest continue. Even inside a facility, there’s redundancy. The line doesn’t break when one robotic system fails unlike assembly lines. The factory is built to absorb impact and keep moving. 3- “Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy’s unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.” Rapid deployment to new theaters: Robocraftsman fits in a container and goes where it’s needed. Forward bases, allied nations, contested zones. It brings production with you. No long supply chains. No central depots. No waiting. 4- “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.” Strategic edge through hard-to-form materials: Machina handles materials others can’t. Hypersonic skins. High-temp alloys. This is not about more of the same; it’s about forming what your adversary can’t easily process. 5- “On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies.” Enabling allies to sustain themselves: Robocraftsman exports capability, not just equipment. You give partners the tools to manufacture locally. No more waiting on U.S. logistics. No more bottlenecks. Just sovereign, fast, local production. 6- “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.” Commercial factories as strategic deterrence: Robocraftsman makes cars today and drones tomorrow. Same cells. Same floorspace. Different intent. That dual-use flexibility turns every civilian factory into latent defense infrastructure. Deterrence is built in; no mobilization required.

Speed is the new stealth. Under the Hegseth DoD, will the next wave of defense primes be venture-backed startups instead of legacy contractors? Agile Hardware Highlight (4/50): True Anomaly (Denver, 🇺🇸) True Anomaly is proving that defense hardware can be built fast without sacrificing rigor. Legacy contractors face a fundamental problem: by the time their solutions are fielded, they’re already obsolete. Stuck in slow, rigid cycles, they struggle to keep pace with evolving threats. Traditional programs spend years analyzing problems before even starting development—an approach that no longer matches the speed of the market. The first two Jackal satellites were operational before most defense projects even reach their preliminary design review. The first rule is to avoid ruin. Moving fast and maintaining resilience aren’t opposites—when done right, speed creates resilience. True Anomaly launched two satellites instead of one to ensure that if something failed, they’d still have a system on orbit. Instead of treating software and hardware as separate disciplines, the company integrates hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop testing from the start. That means real performance data drives engineering decisions, not theoretical models. They understand scoping. The key to balancing speed with rigor isn’t adding on more process—it’s deeply understanding the user base and integrating their feedback before committing to long, inflexible cycles. Engineers are actively avoid the trap of process for process sake. Not everything needs to be locked into a Cameo model when PowerPoint, Excel, or a whiteboard session can align the right people faster. Process only matters if it delivers outcomes. 

Autonomous technologies such as unmanned or uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and robotic sentry “dogs” are redefining the battlespace. These devices excel at surveying terrain, identifying targets, and detecting and disarming threats without endangering service members. Their potential is vast, yet so are their vulnerabilities. Without rigorous cybersecurity measures baked into their designs, these self-guided systems could end up serving our adversaries rather than our troops. To strengthen defenses, developers of unmanned systems should leverage modular open systems architecture (MOSA) principles. MOSA provides robust and flexible cybersecurity safeguards through open standards and interfaces. Developers can also integrate sensors, processors, and capabilities from various vendors as modular components of an AI-operated system. This plug-and-play approach makes it easier to swap out vulnerable parts quickly and tailor defenses against rapidly evolving threats. It is also a critical strategy in sandboxing or separating functions such that any corrupted application will not cause problems with other applications. With MOSA, the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) – also known as the least privilege access model – is also leveraged to protect the system architecture from corruption or attacks. With PoLP, system resources such as memory can be immutably allocated to certain functions and developers can ensure applications are only provided access to the minimum set of system functionality needed to accomplish their task.