Embedded Systems Outlook

 National Instruments provides graphical system tools for engineers and scientists who are developing next-generation embedded systems within industries such as energy, industrial control, life sciences, and transportation. With NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware and NI LabVIEW system design software, smaller design teams can prototype and deploy demanding control and monitoring applications faster.

Over 30,000 companies around the world use National Instruments tools. Additionally, NI collaborates with leading technology providers such as Intel, Xilinx, and Analog Devices to ensure that NI embedded systems use the latest and greatest technologies. Using this ecosystem of customers and partners, NI created this outlook to highlight some of the most pressing trends and challenges facing design teams building embedded control and monitoring systems.

Download the 2012 NI Embedded Systems Download the 2012 NI Embedded Systems Outlook

Letter From Dr. James Truchard, CEO and Cofounder of National Instruments

Dr. James Truchard shares his vision for National Instruments in the embedded market, including the areas of innovation that NI software and hardware are well suited for today and in the future.
technologies & architectures
Embedded Platforms
An ever-increasing number of design starts and escalating complexity are forcing embedded design teams to be more efficient. To address the embedded design market needs and help teams get to market faster, technology providers are developing components, modules, or even complete embedded platforms with higher levels of integration and increased functionality.

Reconfigurable Computing
In the past, the decision to use a low-cost microcontroller or a higher performance CPU was fairly straightforward and based on the expected performance needs of the embedded system. As control and monitoring systems evolve to become more feature rich, additional embedded processing and programmable logic is becoming commonplace.

Mobile Devices and the Cloud
Over the past four years, the right combination of technology and innovation has transformed the smartphone from a business tool to a highly functional and accessible mobile computer. Design teams must consider industry trends and make important platform decisions before extending their embedded systems to mobile devices.

When searching for new sources of innovation, businesses must go beyond the walls of traditional R&D departments and decade-old engineering practices. Smaller, more agile competitors are emerging around the world and are proving that innovation can happen just as fast, if not faster, in smaller design teams.


The capabilities of performance and communication at a low cost are exploding but so are customer expectations for data visibility, connectivity, and performance. In addition, for most embedded systems, the expectations for longevity of design and service life remain well over a decade. To address these constraints, many successful embedded developers have adopted a software-first philosophy for upgrading products over time.