Electronic Specifier is pleased to announce the release of its February issue, delivering a wide-ranging exploration of the technologies, trends, and debates shaping the electronics industry in 2026.
This month’s edition places a strong spotlight on the realities of artificial intelligence, the evolution of automotive systems, and the latest advances in power and embedded design.
Leading the issue is a thought-provoking feature from Managing Editor Paige Hookway, Where is AI really heading?, which cuts through the hype to examine the true trajectory of today’s most disruptive technology. As AI accelerates its influence across engineering, manufacturing, consumer devices, and embedded systems, this article asks the hard questions: What breakthroughs are genuine? What remains speculative? And how should the industry prepare for what comes next?
Our Product Spotlight turns to Microsoft’s Maia 200, an AI-optimised accelerator designed for hyperscale performance.
This issue’s STEM Spotlight highlights the growing educational power of LEGO Smart Play, exploring its role in inspiring young innovators and introducing foundational STEM concepts through creative, hands-on experimentation.
Our Women in Tech feature tackles structural inequity in the tech industry. In Why the system, not the individual, needs to change, Associate Editor Sheryl Miles emphasises the need for systemic reform – beyond mentoring and individual resilience – to create inclusive career pathways for women in engineering.
AI is a central theme throughout the magazine, with three dedicated technical features:
- AI: Arduino – why an iconic tiny blue board just received a major upgrade, and what it means for accessible machine learning
- AI: Embedded – an exploration of how AI is being deployed safely in safety-critical embedded systems, from automotive ADAS to industrial automation
- AI: ASICs – a look at how domain-specific ASIC architectures are meeting AI at the Edge, enabling faster inference and reduced power consumption
On the Automotive front, we dig into multiple fast-moving areas. Use GMSL to reliably meet automotive requirements demonstrates how Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link technology is helping automakers meet stringent bandwidth and reliability demands. In What BMW’s latest software investment reveals, we break down why software-defined vehicles are transforming OEM strategies. Finally, Network protocols for automotive communications offers a guided tour through the architectures enabling next-gen vehicle connectivity.
In the Power section, our engineering feature Why contactors can’t get smaller and what matters instead explains the physical limits preventing further miniaturisation – and the performance factors designers should prioritise as electrification demands rise.
Read the February issue of Electronic Specifier below:
