March, 2026
This is a repeating eventMarch 10, 2027 9:00 am
embedded world
Event Details
embedded world
10. – 12. March 2026 | Nuremberg, Germany
Official Website: https://www.embedded-world.de/en
The core strategic misjudgment at embedded world is treating it as a generic electronics exhibition to showcase individual chips or boards. This fails to recognize its fundamental role as the global “knowledge platform” and design authority for the entire embedded systems stack. Attendees are system architects, lead developers, and technical managers who come not to source components, but to validate foundational technology choices, solve deep integration challenges, and map out multi-year development roadmaps for products where hardware and software are inseparable. Success depends on engaging in these architectural-level conversations, positioning your technology as an enabling foundation for complex, future-proof system design.
Strategic Snapshot
embedded world is the definitive global summit and reference point for the embedded systems engineering community. Its strategic essence is that of an unparalleled knowledge hub and validation forum for the complete technology stack—from silicon and modules to operating systems, development tools, and complex system design methodologies. It is where foundational technical decisions are researched, debated, and solidified, making it the critical event for establishing a technology as a trusted standard within the global design community.
Why This Fair Matters in Germany’s Exhibition Ecosystem
Hosted in Nuremberg, at the heart of Germany’s world-renowned engineering and industrial automation sector, embedded world leverages the country’s deep culture of precision, reliability, and systematic deep-tech innovation. The fair’s identity as a premier conference alongside the exhibition amplifies its credibility as a source of authoritative, forward-looking knowledge. It attracts the industry’s most influential specifiers: the system architects and senior engineers from automotive OEMs, industrial machine builders, medical device manufacturers, and IoT pioneers—all engaged in making long-term, high-stakes technology commitments that will define their products for years. Germany’s engineering prestige makes endorsement by this community a powerful signal of a technology’s robustness and strategic relevance.
Who This Fair Is For — and Who Should Skip It
Ideal for:
- Providers of core embedded technologies: microprocessors/microcontrollers, real-time operating systems (RTOS), embedded software tools, and security solutions.
- Companies offering modules, development kits, and reference designs that accelerate time-to-market for complex applications (AI at the edge, functional safety, connectivity).
- Innovators in tools for simulation, model-based design, and automated code generation that address system complexity.
- Technology leaders with a clear, documented vision for industry trends (e.g., RISC-V, Matter, AUTOSAR Adaptive) and the roadmap to support them.
Not ideal for:
- Suppliers of generic passive electronic components or consumer-grade hardware with no embedded software narrative.
- Companies focused on finished, high-volume electronic goods rather than the embedded technology inside them.
- Exhibitors seeking immediate distribution deals or spot sales without a deep technical value proposition for engineers.
- Brands unable to participate in or contribute to the high-level technical discourse of conferences and expert forums.
The 3–5 Day Moment vs. the 365-Day Reality
embedded world generates an intense, concentrated forum for technical validation and community consensus. For three days, your technology’s architecture, toolchain, and long-term viability are peer-reviewed by the world’s most discerning embedded engineers. This peak of technical scrutiny is essential for being included in design-in processes.
The strategic failure occurs in the “development cycle disconnect.” Companies impress with technical specs but then vanish from the ongoing community dialogue during the 12-24 month product development cycles of their customers. In an industry defined by rapid iteration and deep interdependence, silence after the fair is interpreted as a lack of ongoing developer support, commitment to the ecosystem, or active roadmap evolution, causing architects to seek more engaged partners.
Thus, the true value is not in leads, but in using the fair as the launchpad for a year-round engagement as a thought leader and support partner, providing continuous technical content, tool updates, and community participation that proves your role in the engineering lifecycle.
Strategic Next Step
Before planning your presence, define your contribution to the “knowledge platform”: What critical design challenge does your technology solve, and what authoritative insights can you share? To understand how to build this continuous technical authority and transition from a vendor to a foundational community partner, review the framework in our analysis of the 365-Day Trade Fair Visibility Strategy.
Explore the Ecosystem
German Buyer Behavior Trade Fairs
Exhibitor Checklist for German Trade Fairs
Strategic FAQs for Exhibitors
How should a company balance its presence between the high-level Conference and the hands-on Exhibition?
They are two sides of the same credibility coin. The Conference is for establishing architectural authority—your experts should present visionary, solution-oriented papers. The Exhibition booth is for practical validation—it must allow engineers to test, probe, and see how the vision translates into usable tools and silicon. The messaging must be perfectly aligned; the booth proves what the conference speech promises. Neglecting either channel halves your impact.
For a semiconductor vendor, is it more strategic to focus on raw processor performance or the complete software ecosystem?
The ecosystem is now the decisive factor. While peak performance matters, architects choose platforms that minimize integration risk and development time. Your focus must be on the maturity of your software stack (drivers, RTOS support, middleware), quality of development tools, and partnerships within the software toolchain. Demonstrating a working, optimized full-stack solution for a target application (e.g., motor control, vision AI) is far more compelling than benchmarks alone.
What is the most common mistake companies make when discussing security for embedded systems?
Treating it as a separate, add-on feature or a proprietary black box. Security must be communicated as a fundamental, architectural property designed in from the start, covering the hardware root of trust, secure boot, over-the-air updates, and lifecycle management. Engineers need to understand the mechanisms, certifications (e.g., SESIP, Common Criteria), and how it integrates with their development process. Vague claims of “secure” are dismissed; transparency and educateability build trust.
How can a smaller IP or software tools company gain visibility among the industry giants?
By becoming the indispensable specialist that complements the giants. Clearly dominate a specific, tough niche (e.g., ultra-low-power design verification, safety-certified middleware, niche processor IP). Actively partner with larger silicon vendors to be included in their reference platforms and marketing. Offer exceptionally deep, hands-on technical sessions at your booth or in the forums. Your goal is to be the “secret weapon” the experts seek out to solve a critical problem the broad-line vendors can’t address as deeply.
How do successful exhibitors leverage the “community” aspect to build lasting influence?
They invest in community stewardship beyond sales. This includes sponsoring or contributing to open-source projects relevant to the ecosystem, hosting technical workshops year-round, actively participating in online developer forums, and supporting initiatives like the #women4ew networking event. They show up not just to extract value, but to add value to the community’s shared knowledge pool. This builds immense goodwill and cements their role as a committed pillar of the industry, not a transactional participant.
