From March 10–12, 2026, the global embedded systems community gathered in Nuremberg for the 24th edition of the embedded world Exhibition & Conference 2026.
“This year once again impressively demonstrated the significance that embedded world holds within the global embedded community,” emphasized Benedikt Weyerer, Executive Director of embedded world. “The energy in the halls – crowded aisles, many fruitful discussions, and an impressive variety of ideas – truly inspired us. This strong feedback motivates us enormously and reinforces our commitment to continuing on the event’s successful path.”
That energy was reflected in the numbers, with around 36,000 visitors from nearly 90 countries attending the event, an increase of over 13 percent compared to 31,783 visitors last year. As the embedded world continues to grow, it is also expanding globally, with embedded world India set to take place in Bengaluru from November 17 to 19, 2026. Read more.
Since its launch in 2003, embedded world has grown into one of the leading global platforms combining a large-scale exhibition with a world-class technical conference focused on applied research and industrial innovation. The event brings together engineers, developers, companies, researchers, and open source communities to explore technologies shaping the future of embedded systems.
This year was especially significant for the Zephyr community, marking the 10-year anniversary of the Zephyr Project, first launched at embedded world in 2016.
Zephyr Project Booth:
The Zephyr Project was located in Hall 4, Stand 4-170, where activities took place throughout the exhibition.
Visitors experienced:
- Live Zephyr RTOS demos from ecosystem members
- Technical discussions with developers and maintainers
- Opportunities to connect with companies building products with Zephyr
- Special activities celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Zephyr Project
Ecosystem members showcasing demos at the booth included Antmicro, Nordic Semiconductor, Silicon Labs, NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics, AC6, inovex GmbH, Doulos, Beningo Embedded Group, Alif Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Blecon, Microchip Technology, and Percepio.
Many ecosystem companies also showcased Zephyr-powered demos at their own booths across the exhibition hall. To learn more about the demos, please read the Zephyr RTOS in Action: Demos at embedded world 2026 blog. You can also watch a short glimpse of the demo videos in this EW26 playlist.
Zephyr Project 10 year anniversary:
The Zephyr Project’s 10-year anniversary was celebrated across the exhibition with a range of activities at the booth. Visitors had the opportunity to pick up stickers, kites, anniversary ribbons, badges, and other community swag, while also taking part in a Zephyr-themed scavenger hunt held throughout the exhibition.
Participants in the scavenger hunt had a chance to win prizes, including limited-edition hoodies and hardware giveaways sponsored by ecosystem members.
The celebrations continued on March 11 with a Happy Hour at the Zephyr booth, where the community gathered for the official anniversary celebration, including a cake-cutting ceremony.
Watch the anniversary wishes from the community members here.
Zephyr Tracks at the Embedded World Conference
Alongside the exhibition, the embedded world Conference featured a dedicated Zephyr track.
As a Community Partner, the Zephyr Project contributed workshops and technical sessions addressing real-world embedded development challenges.
Topics included:
- Hands-on Zephyr development workflows
- Migrating from FreeRTOS to Zephyr
- Safety certification for embedded systems
- Power optimization techniques
- Vulnerability management in RTOS environments
- Running Linux and Zephyr side by side
A session by Kate Stewart reflected on the project’s evolution over the past 10 years, highlighting its growth, contributor base, and focus on security and best practices. To learn more about the sessions, check this Embedded World Conference 2026 Zephyr Project Workshop and Sessions blog here.
Community & Networking
Embedded world 2026 also created opportunities to engage with the broader embedded and IoT community.
On March 10, the IoT Stars community hosted an opening night gathering, providing attendees including members of the Zephyr community, a chance to network and meet fellow IoT professionals in a relaxed setting.
Looking Ahead
As the embedded world continues to grow globally, the 2026 edition once again highlighted the importance of bringing the embedded community together.
For the Zephyr Project, this year marked both a 10-year milestone and continued progress across development, demos, and collaboration within the ecosystem. With ongoing contributions from the community and strong participation at the event, Zephyr continues to evolve alongside the needs of modern embedded systems.
If you are interested in getting involved, consider joining the Zephyr working groups or connecting with the community on the Zephyr Discord server to stay up to date and contribute.
Photos from the event can be viewed here.