Artificial Intelligence

How Analog Devices Is Turning Hardware Into Intelligence?

The upgraded CodeFusion Studio 2.0 simplifies how developers design, test and deploy AI on embedded systems.

Updated

January 8, 2026 6:34 PM

Illustration of CodeFusion Studio™ 2.0 showing AI, code and chip icons. PHOTO: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.

Analog Devices (ADI), a global semiconductor company, launched CodeFusion Studio™ 2.0 on November 3, 2025. The new version of its open-source development platform is designed to make it easier and faster for developers to build AI-powered embedded systems that run on ADI’s processors and microcontrollers.

“The next era of embedded intelligence requires removing friction from AI development”, said Rob Oshana, Senior Vice President of the Software and Digital Platforms group at ADI. “CodeFusion Studio 2.0 transforms the developer experience by unifying fragmented AI workflows into a seamless process, empowering developers to leverage the full potential of ADI's cutting-edge products with ease so they can focus on innovating and accelerating time to market”.

The upgraded platform introduces new tools for hardware abstraction, AI integration and automation. These help developers move more easily from early design to deployment.

CodeFusion Studio 2.0 enables complete AI workflows, allowing teams to use their own models and deploy them on everything from low-power edge devices to advanced digital signal processors (DSPs).

Built on Microsoft Visual Studio Code, the new CodeFusion Studio offers built-in checks for model compatibility, along with performance testing and optimization tools that help reduce development time. Building on these capabilities, a new modular framework based on Zephyr OS lets developers test and monitor how AI and machine learning models perform in real time. This gives clearer insight into how each part of a model behaves during operation and helps fine-tune performance across different hardware setups.

Additionally, the CodeFusion Studio System Planner has also been redesigned to handle more device types and complex, multi-core applications. With new built-in diagnostic and debugging features — like integrated memory analysis and visual error tracking — developers can now troubleshoot problems faster and keep their systems running more efficiently.

This launch marks a deeper pivot for ADI. Long known for high-precision analog chips and converters, the company is expanding its edge-AI and software capabilities to enable what it calls Physical Intelligence — systems that can perceive, reason, and act locally.  

“Companies that deliver physically aware AI solutions are poised to transform industries and create new, industry-leading opportunities. That's why we're creating an ecosystem that enables developers to optimize, deploy and evaluate AI models seamlessly on ADI hardware, even without physical access to a board”, said Paul Golding, Vice President of Edge AI and Robotics at ADI. “CodeFusion Studio 2.0 is just one step we're taking to deliver Physical Intelligence to our customers, ultimately enabling them to create systems that perceive, reason and act locally, all within the constraints of real-world physics”.

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Artificial Intelligence

The Startup Building an AI Voice Ring Raises US$23M to Rethink Human–Computer Interaction

A wearable ring, conversational AI and US$23M in funding. Sandbar wants to rethink how we interact with technology

Updated

April 1, 2026 8:55 AM

Sandbar's Stream ring. PHOTO: SANDBAR

Sandbar, a New York–based interface startup, has raised US$23 million in Series A funding to develop a wearable device that lets people interact with artificial intelligence via voice rather than screens.

Adjacent and Kindred Ventures led the round; both venture firms focused on early-stage technology startups. The investment brings Sandbar’s total funding to us$36 million. Earlier backing included a US$10 million seed round led by True Ventures, a venture capital firm, as well as a US$3 million pre-seed round supported by Upfront Ventures, a venture firm and Betaworks, a startup studio and investment firm.

Sandbar was founded by Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, who previously worked together at CTRL-labs, a neural interface startup acquired by Meta in 2019. Their earlier work explored how computers could respond more directly to human intent — an idea that continues to shape Sandbar’s approach to AI interfaces.

The new funding will help the company expand its team across machine learning, interaction design and software engineering as it prepares to launch its first product. That product, called Stream, combines a wearable ring with a conversational AI interface. The system allows users to speak to an AI assistant without unlocking a phone or opening an app.

The concept is simple. Instead of typing into a screen, users press a button on the ring and talk. The system can capture notes, organize ideas, retrieve information from the web or trigger actions through connected applications.

The ring includes a microphone, a touchpad and subtle haptic feedback. These elements allow the device to respond through gentle vibrations rather than visual alerts. According to the company, the ring only listens when the user presses the button — a design meant to address common concerns around always-on microphones.

That design reflects a larger shift Sandbar believes is underway. As AI assistants become more capable, many startups are experimenting with new ways to interact with them. The focus is moving away from screens and keyboards toward interfaces that feel more natural and immediate.

Stream uses multiple AI models working together to process requests, search the web and structure information in real time. The company says users remain in control of their data and can choose whether to share information with other apps.

Sandbar is also developing a feature called Inner Voice, which responds using a voice customized to the user. The feature will debut during a closed beta planned for this spring, giving the company time to refine how the software behaves in everyday use.

The startup currently employs a team of 15 people. Many have worked on well-known consumer devices including the iPhone, Fitbit, Kindle and Vision Pro. Recent hires include Sam Bowen, formerly of Amazon and Fitbit, who joined as vice president of hardware and Brooke Travis, previously at Equinox, Dior and Gap, who now leads marketing.

Sandbar plans to begin shipping Stream in summer 2026 after completing early testing. As artificial intelligence tools become more integrated into daily life, the company is betting that the next shift in computing will not come from another app — but from new ways for people to interact with AI itself.