Best Dev Kits and Embedded Platforms from Embedded World 2025

At Embedded World 2025, Embedded Computing Design launched its first official Dev Zone—an interactive area designed to spotlight developer-focused boards and engage the embedded community. Editor-in-Chief Ken provided a curated list of standout platforms, chosen for their engineering merit, innovation, and usability. The booth was a popular stop thanks to giveaways, scavenger hunts, and prizes including Raspberry Pi Pico boards and LEGO sets—making it a must-visit for embedded world visitors.

A Closer Look at the Boards That Stood Out

lowRISC NAE-SONATA-ONE earned its place thanks to its role in supporting the open-source RISC-V movement. It's an ideal board for exploring open hardware design and testing low-level features.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 remains a go-to choice for embedded developers needing flexible I/O in a compact form factor. Available in multiple configurations, it’s well-suited for both prototyping and final deployment.

MYTAC with Intel Core impressed with its rugged design and robust thermal management. With broad I/O support and strong compute, it’s aimed at industrial applications beyond the typical dev board use case.

Sealevel Systems Relio R1 Edge brings ruggedised connectivity and reliability. Designed to withstand harsh conditions, it’s a solid choice for field-deployed edge systems.

Avalue AIB-NX integrates NVIDIA Jetson Orin in a modular package, offering powerful AI capabilities with plug-and-play hardware expansion for vision or robotics projects.

PantherX Pepper is an open-source FPGA board that pairs compact design with serious computing. Its accessible dev environment makes it a favourite for those exploring custom logic design.

SEMA MLSoC Dev Kit 2.0 rounds out the list as a versatile prototyping board. It’s designed to help developers quickly test ideas before scaling up to full hardware production.

Texas Instruments Tiny Dev Kit was selected for cramming useful features into a surprisingly small footprint—ideal for compact IoT or wearable prototypes.

Synaptics Astra Machina delivers edge AI performance in a sleek design. With generous I/O and compute resources, it’s well suited for deploying ML models in real-world environments.

Why These Picks Reflect the Future of Embedded Development

The selection spans a wide spectrum—open-source FPGAs, rugged industrial hardware, and edge AI platforms—showing the diverse needs of today’s developers. A shared focus on modularity, high-performance compute, and accessibility reflects how embedded development continues to merge flexibility with production readiness.

From entry-level prototyping to deployment-ready solutions, this lineup offers a snapshot of where embedded systems are headed in 2025 and beyond.

Embedded Computing Design’s curated picks from Embedded World 2025 show how developer-first design, robust hardware, and accessible AI are shaping the next generation of embedded products. With the success of the Dev Zone, Ken confirmed it will return for Embedded World North America in Anaheim and the 2026 show in Nuremberg. For deeper dives into each board, visit embeddedcomputing.com.

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