Hardware Development Trends

Don't reduce the carbon footprint of your products without understanding all the possible trade-offs. You could end up increasing your environmental impact instead. Here are 3 things to consider when designing sustainable sound experiences: ⚠ Lowest footprint ≠ Winning concept Successful circular products don’t have the lowest environmental burden by default. Modularity is considered a circular design practice, but it also contributes to increased carbon footprint and depletion of materials (mostly gold, beryllium, and neodymium). A modular product containing electronics has roughly 10% higher impact for both GWP and ADP. 🛠 UX plays a core role as much as CMF and ID Functionalities and usability have their footprint: removing a battery from earpods charging case and using the smartphone battery instead decrease hardware volume and materials footprint (-25%) . The same works for magnets: fashionable to have an earpod snapping to the charging case, until you realize that 1/3 of the overall material impact is due to neodymium. 🔄 Trade-offs are inevitable It is better to design for one core circular principle than having a concept that mediocrely covers all of them. A concept can successfully be repairable and fit a circular ecosystem, but it will hardly be repairable, modular, recyclable, refurbishable, low-carbon, low-resource, long-lasting, energy-efficient, biodegradable, compostable and fit a circular ecosystem. Sustainable design isn’t about ticking every box. It’s about making informed choices that truly minimize impact. ➡What’s your take? Which design principle would you prioritize for a truly circular product? Drop your thoughts below and let’s discuss! #sustainabledesign

China just bent the rules of electronics — literally. Facinating? Chinese and global researchers are advancing Metal-Polymer Conductors (MPCs) — circuits made from liquid metals like gallium–indium embedded in elastic polymers — that defy traditional rigid wiring by remaining conductive even when stretched up to 500% or more. Why this is a big deal: 🔹 High Stretchability: Certain liquid-metal conductors maintain electrical conductivity even when stretched 5× their original length. 🔹 Durability: Printable metal-polymer conductors can withstand over 10,000 cycles of stretching with minimal resistance change (<3%). 🔹 Conductivity: Hybrid conductors based on indium alloys can achieve extremely high conductivity (~2.98 × 10⁶ S/m) with minimal resistance change under extreme strain. 🔹 Fine Feature Sizes: Advanced techniques can pattern circuits as small as 5 micrometers, rivaling conventional PCBs. Market Insight: The global market for wearable and flexible devices is expected to surge into the hundreds of billions of dollars, with advanced stretchable materials at the core of the next wave of innovation. (Wearable tech projected >US$150B by 2026 in soft electronics growth — wearable industry data) Where AI Fits In: AI is not just hype — it’s accelerating how we design and discover materials like MPCs. AI/ML models help predict material properties — like conductivity and mechanical resilience — before physical prototypes are made. Computational simulations can evaluate thousands of polymer + metal combinations far faster than physical testing alone. AI-assisted optimization reduces lab iterations, cutting time and cost in early-stage development. In other words: AI + materials science = faster discovery of smarter, stretchable electronics. Potential Applications: Soft robotics that mimic human motion Wearables that feel like fabric Artificial skin with embedded sensing Health monitoring devices that conform to the body On-skin motion recognition and bioelectronics. The era of electronics you can twist, stretch, and wear is here — and AI is helping make it a reality. #FlexibleElectronics #MaterialsScience #AIinInnovation #SoftRobotics #WearableTech #DeepTech #FutureOfElectronics #Innovation

Operating our data centers more sustainably means being thoughtful about every step - including the materials we use for things like circuit boards and hardware devices. Copper is one of those essential materials, and now there’s a way to source it that supports our goal of The Climate Pledge. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the first buyer of copper produced from Rio Tinto's innovative Nuton technology. It's a breakthrough process that uses microorganisms - or "bioleaching" - to extract copper from sulfide ores (which are traditionally hard to process and often become waste). Why does that make a difference?   It removes the need for traditional concentrators, smelters, and refineries. The process uses up to 80% less water usage than traditional mining methods. It also has a carbon footprint well below the global average. It significantly shortens the mine-to-market supply chain.   This innovation is another example that solutions exist, and forward momentum continues. Amazon is working across our entire value chain - from steel and concrete to copper - to source materials differently, and I'm thrilled to see AWS leading the industry in the right direction! Learn more about our work on copper in this The Wall Street Journal article by Ryan Dezember: https://lnkd.in/g9AgshDn  

What happens to Google’s hardware when its 'first life' in the data center is over? ⚙️ A decade ago, we began imagining a system that allows our decommissioned servers to get a second life. Today, that vision is a global reality: In 2024 alone, we successfully recovered 8.8 million components from our data centers, including over 3 million hard drives. Through reusing, repairing, or recycling hardware, we can reduce material costs and associated carbon emissions for data centers. We've learned a lot along the way, and we're proud to share our insights in a new report. Check out our "Bridging the Gap" analysis and share it with colleagues who are working to advance operational circularity: goo.gle/3O8dlIG

Quick sustainability win of the week: Start tracking peripheral purchases. You’d be amazed how few organisations do this! We've just wrapped up a review across five large orgs (each with 25,000+ employees). Every single one had the same approach with new starters: onboarding kits were given by default, including a keyboard, power blocks, mouse, headset, docking station, cables, bag, plus sometimes even phone cases. And in every case, 50 to 70% of that kit went unused. Straight into drawers, or binned after a year and straight to landfill. Often because the gear was cheap or the user already had better. There was nearly always also a constant churn of replacement accessories being ordered via internal "shops" with very little oversight. New chargers, random adapters, yet another headset. One organisation was spending over $5 million a year on peripherals alone. That’s $5 million in Scope 3 emissions and plastic waste that is totally invisible, unmanaged, and unnoticed. This isn't procurements fault, they are only following a plan, it’s actually more of a cultural and process issue. TBH, if we’re actually serious about doing something positive with sustainability, this kind of waste has to go. I'd personally recommend a simple approach like: 1) Ditch the onboarding kits, just ask what people actually need. 2) Track peripherals separately from core assets. 3) Introduce a reuse-before-rebuy policy (refurb stuff is awesome). 4) Audit what’s in stock before raising a new PO. Small fix. Big impact. Less plastic, less carbon, less water usage, more $$$$ saved. 😃

AIRA: SCALING HEAT PUMPS RESPONSIBLY - A Call for Sustainable Practices The news surrounding Aira, the Swedish company aiming to become a leading heat pump installer, has sparked considerable discussion. While their ambition to rapidly scale heat pump adoption across Europe is commendable a questions arise about the sustainability of their chosen installation methods. It's no secret that manufacturing processes carry an environmental footprint. In the plumbing and heating industry, this is particularly evident in the production of pipe fittings, often forged in energy-intensive furnaces across Europe. Here in the UK, our industry has a long-standing tradition of working with materials efficiently, a practice deeply ingrained in the training of our skilled plumbers. For decades, UK apprentices have been taught the art of bending copper pipe, specifically the commonly used R250 (Table X). This allows for pipework configurations such as 90-degree bends, offsets, and passovers. Achieved using hand-held benders. Alongside this practical skill, environmental awareness and material conservation are core tenets of their training. This brings me to a critical point: why is AIRA seemingly bypassing this established and sustainable practice by exclusively relying on fittings? Reports suggest their training focuses on rapid installation, potentially at the expense of teaching pipe bending skills. While speed is undoubtedly a factor in scaling, the long-term environmental implications of this approach cannot be ignored. As AIRA aims for widespread adoption across Europe, the sheer volume of fittings they will require is staggering. This translates to a significant and potentially unnecessary carbon footprint from the increased activity in those very forges we mentioned. The plumbing and heating industry has a proud history of self-regulation and a willingness to call out unsustainable practices, a tradition dating back to the medieval Guilds. It's in this spirit that I urge AIRA to reconsider their approach and embrace the established, environmentally conscious methods prevalent in markets like the UK. Our European counterparts' ambition to scale heat pump installations is laudable. However, true sustainability lies not just in the end product, but also in the processes used to achieve it. By integrating pipe bending into their training and practices, AIRA can not only reduce their environmental impact but also cultivate a workforce equipped with valuable, time-honored skills. Let's work together to forge a future where the growth of green technologies is underpinned by genuinely sustainable practices. AIRA has the potential to be a true leader in this transition; listening and adapting to established best practices will be key to realising that potential responsibly. Michael Costain Guy Newey Dr Matthew Aylott Madeleine Gabriel Joe Dart #sustainability #heatpumps #plumbing #environmentalawareness #greenenergy #UK #Europe #skills

Sustainability isn’t a coat of paint. It’s part of the blueprint. In digital health transformation, “green” has moved from a nice-to-have to a core part of responsible change. And lately, it’s a recurring topic in many meeting rooms. Ignoring sustainability in transformation isn’t just bad for the planet, it exposes organizations to rising energy costs, regulatory penalties, and reputational risk. Every transformation decision, from strategy to procurement, deployment to retirement, carries an environmental footprint. Treating sustainability as an afterthought leads to waste: 🔸 Systems overbuilt for prestige rather than need 🔸 Infrastructure running far below capacity 🔸 Devices replaced on schedule, not condition I’ve seen entire racks of perfectly good hardware decommissioned, not because they failed, but because refresh cycles didn’t account for reuse or repurposing. It’s a reminder that sustainability isn’t always obvious at first glance. In one study comparing two T-shirts: 🔹 The one labelled as “sustainably produced” wore out quickly, requiring multiple replacements. 🔹 The other, not marketed as green, lasted far longer, and over its full lifecycle, had a smaller environmental footprint. Digital transformation works the same way. True sustainability comes from durability, efficiency, and total lifecycle impact, not just how “green” it looks at launch. Embedding sustainability means building it into every phase of transformation: 1️⃣ Strategy & design Set sustainability goals alongside clinical and operational goals.  Select cloud providers with renewable energy commitments. 2️⃣ Build & deploy Use modular architectures to extend system life.  Prioritize energy-efficient code, devices, and configurations. 3️⃣ Operate & maintain Monitor resource usage, consolidate storage, and optimize workloads for off-peak energy demand. 4️⃣ Retire & replace Plan for secure decommissioning, refurbishment, and recycling from the outset. Before approving your next transformation initiative, run it through the "Green Lens": ✅ Can we meet the need with fewer resources? ✅ Can this run on renewable-powered infrastructure? ✅ Can we extend the life of what we already have? If the answer is “no” across the board, you don’t have a sustainable transformation plan. If you’re leading digital transformation today, are you building it for the next launch… or the next generation? 💡This post is part of 'Rethinking Digital Health Innovation' (RDHI), empowering professionals to transform digital health beyond IT and AI myths. 💡The ongoing series and additional resources are available at www•enabler•xyz 💡Repost if this message resonates with you!

Brembo new steer-by-wire “fluid free intelligent braking” system has its first customer, & it’s Tesla robotaxi! Steer-by-wire was first shown publicly by Canoo years ago, not Mercedes like some articles claim. But this? This is a whole different animal. We’re now talking about removing hydraulic brake fluid entirely and replacing it with AI-controlled electromechanical braking at each wheel. That’s a massive architectural shift. (Torque News) Here’s why it matters: • Software-defined vehicles are becoming reality • Every wheel can independently modulate braking force in real time • Faster response and better vehicle stability on wet, icy, or uneven surfaces • Better integration with regenerative braking and autonomous driving stacks • Less hydraulic complexity, fewer maintenance points, lower packaging constraints • Potentially huge weight and manufacturing simplification opportunities For Robotaxi specifically, this is the important part: A fully autonomous fleet needs braking systems that behave predictably, digitally, and continuously self-adjust through software. Traditional hydraulic systems were designed around human feel. These new systems are being designed around machine logic. That changes the entire vehicle control architecture. And honestly… this is where the industry has been heading for a while. Steering, braking, torque vectoring, suspension — all becoming software layers instead of isolated mechanical systems. The car is turning into a rolling real-time operating system. Mechanical engineers who understand both hardware AND software logic are about to become incredibly valuable. Hydraulic lines going away in braking systems would’ve sounded insane 10 years ago. Now it’s entering production. Wild times. https://lnkd.in/gaXxkAZQ

As AI adoption increases across devices, what impact can we expect from this growing usage? How do our choices—models, frameworks, hardware—affect energy efficiency and carbon footprint? GREENSPECTOR’s latest research offers some surprising insights into the real-world energy costs of running text-based AI models locally. Whether you’re deploying on a smartphone, laptop, or edge device, these findings highlight the importance of designing with sustainability in mind. Here are some of the key takeaways that should matter to every developer, product manager, and AI decision-maker: ✔️ Carbon impact can vary 18× — just based on model, framework, and backend. Not all AI implementations are equal. The tools you choose can dramatically affect your footprint. ✔️ Smaller models = smaller footprint. Using models with fewer parameters can significantly reduce energy usage—without always sacrificing usefulness. ✔️ Hardware acceleration helps—but has trade-offs. Using GPUs or TPUs can reduce energy use by 3.8× and cut response times by nearly 40%, but also risks driving up hardware renewal. Balance matters. ✔️ Streaming text output increases energy use. Even UX choices like progressive text display (streaming) can raise energy consumption by up to 12%. ✔️ Assumptions ≠ reality. Measurement is essential. Actual energy impact can be 5× lower than general estimates—if you measure properly. 💡 Sustainability in AI isn’t just about the data center anymore. Local deployments—on phones, laptops, or edge devices—come with real, measurable environmental trade-offs. Take a deeper dive in the research : https://lnkd.in/eTf9f6GE 🙌 Timothé GRATUZE

Did you know?   By 2030, nearly 1 in 5 vehicles globally will feature zonal or centralized architectures, up from almost zero just a few years ago. That’s a seismic shift in how ADAS components are networked and managed. From distributed chaos to centralized intelligence A decade ago, the average car had 50–100 electronic control units (ECUs), each managing a specific function-radar, cameras, braking, infotainment, and more. This distributed approach offered flexibility and redundancy, but as sensor counts exploded and software complexity soared, the wiring harnesses grew into a tangled web. Some modern vehicles now have as many as 150 ECUs, adding weight, cost, and integration headaches. Today, the industry is at a crossroads: - Centralized architectures are gaining momentum, especially among EV startups, robotaxi fleets, and premium OEMs. Here, raw sensor data flows directly to a powerful central processor (SoC), enabling early fusion and advanced AI perception. - But there’s a catch: Centralized systems demand massive bandwidth, advanced thermal management, and can be less scalable across multiple vehicle platforms. A single point of failure or cyberattack can impact more functions at once. On the other hand: - Distributed (or decentralized) architectures still dominate mass-market vehicles. Here, intelligence is pushed closer to the edge-sensors and actuators do more local processing, reducing data traffic and cabling. This approach is more scalable for OEMs with broad product lines and helps contain costs and power consumption. - Distributed intelligence also allows for real-time feedback and redundancy, but can make software updates and cross-domain integration more challenging as the number of ECUs grows. What’s driving the trend? - The rise of AI and autonomous driving is pushing the limits of traditional distributed architectures. Vehicles are fast becoming “data centers on wheels,” with codebases projected to hit 1 billion lines in the next few years. - OEMs are consolidating ECUs to reduce weight, cost, and complexity, while preparing for over-the-air updates and new mobility business models. So, which architecture wins? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.  - Centralized architectures are ideal for high-end, software-defined vehicles and fleets built from the ground up. - Distributed (or zonal) approaches offer scalability and cost advantages for mass-market platforms and legacy product lines. The real trend? A hybrid future: Expect to see more “zonal” architectures that combine the best of both worlds-processing some data at the edge, but consolidating high-level perception and decision-making in a central compute unit. If you’re designing ADAS today, the architecture you choose will define your vehicle’s capabilities, cost structure, and upgrade path for years to come. Which side of the architecture debate are you on?  Let’s discuss-where do you see the biggest challenges and opportunities as ADAS evolves?