The interview partners are Benedikt Weyerer, Executive Director of NürnbergMesse and responsible for the embedded world Exhibition, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Sikora, Chair of the embedded world Conference.

How did embedded world China 2023 go? How many exhibitors and visitors were there?

Benedikt Weyerer: embedded world China takes place on an exhibition area of around 11,000 m2 in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre (SWEECC). We were able to celebrate a very successful premiere last year. More than 8,000 visitors came to embedded world China, who were able to make contact with 124 exhibitors.

Conference Chair: "With more than 600 submissions, an 'all-time high' has been reached."

© Offenburg University of Applied Sciences

How big was the embedded world Conference China and where did the presentations come from?

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Sikora: I was very positively surprised by the more than one hundred submissions from both Chinese and international presenters. Not only because of the high number of submissions at the first event, but also because of the really impressively high quality. This enabled a very high acceptance rate, so that we were able to organize a two-day conference with two tracks. I found it particularly interesting and appealing that the conference area could be located in the exhibition hall and was therefore much more closely connected.

What impact does the political climate have? Are there any topics that are better left unaddressed?

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Sikora: This is indeed interesting territory. The topic of highly integrated ICs, for example, is particularly difficult, but not only for AI applications. It was very memorable for me last year that we were unable to find any participants for a panel discussion on this topic. Given the explosive nature of the topic, all the relevant players turned it down.

The embedded world Nuremberg is just around the corner. How have the figures developed since the pandemic?

Benedikt Weyerer: We can proudly say that embedded world is developing very well. We have reached pre-corona levels and will be welcoming around 1,000 exhibitors from more than 45 countries to Nuremberg in April.

What are the plans for expanding the content?

Benedikt Weyerer: It is important to us that the focus of embedded world remains on embedded system technologies and that we continue to be THE industry meeting place for the embedded community. We are continuing to develop within this framework. Several new events will take place during embedded world 2024: At the "C-Level" panel - an expert panel with leading industry figures - current trends, overarching challenges and emerging opportunities can be discussed, for example. Also new are the Investors Forum and a second special area for start-ups. We are also proud that formats such as the #women4ew 2024 networking event are entering their second round.

The embedded world Conference is more extensive than ever this year. How is the program put together?

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Sikora: We have indeed reached an all-time high this year with more than 600 submissions. The proportion of international submissions from both North America and Asia is also higher than ever before. From these submissions, we have put together a program of around 240 presentations, which was a real challenge in view of the consistently high quality. This is a two-stage process. First, the experts on our program committee submit their evaluation. Then we sit down with the five-member Steering Board in a meeting that usually lasts two days, make the final selection and put the program together. This is a very intensive but extremely exciting and appealing task.

What is the status of the planning for embedded world in the USA?

Benedikt Weyerer: embedded world North America will take place for the first time in October 2024 and preparations are in full swing. Applications, for example for the embedded world North America Conference, are still being accepted.

Why was Austin chosen as the location?

Benedikt Weyerer: With the "Silicon Hills" - the heart of the American computer and software industry - and its proximity to many "embedded companies", Austin is the ideal location for embedded world North America