Ready for a Challenge?

PHYTEC has been busy procuring multiple sources and backstock of DDR, eMMC, and other hard-to-find components to keep our customers in production in spite of supply chain constraints. Fun fact: PHYTEC does not practice "just-in-time" manufacturing. Instead we use forecasting and purchase in bulk, keeping components on hand for future customer builds. This uncommon practice has served us well through various chip shortages, and there are always other ways of mitigating component shortages, it's about getting creative and flexing our engineering fitness. 

So the memory prices aren't getting any lower, are you ready to challenge yourself with an MCU and see what you can do without Linux, without DDR and eMMC? Maybe it's time to try out those bare metal muscles? We've got just the place to get started: PHYTEC's Embedded Engineering Design Contest featuring NXP's i.MX RT1170 Crossover MCU. The top 20 design idea submissions receive a free phyBOARD-RT1170 development kit to begin development for a grand prize of $2500. Ready to test your engineering fitness? Submit your idea here.

Read on for more news about what PHYTEC has been working on in Q2.  

Best Summer Ever! Embedded Design Contest : phyBOARD-RT1170 Crossover MCU

Webinar:  Scaling Performance and Features with FPSC feat. TI's AM62P and AM62L processors

CRA Readiness:  Upcoming deadlines and why you should pay attention

Upcoming Events: NXP Tech Days, Santa Clara and Boston, Embedded World North America

Software Updates: A wide range of PHYTEC products received BSP updates

Embedded Design Contest with phyBOARD-RT1170

Powered by NXP

In the spirit of bringing fun back to engineering, we're running an embedded design contest and we're excited to see what our community of engineers come up with. Are you looking for an excuse to learn Zephyr? Maybe mix-up summer screen time and get the kids involved? Don't miss out on an opportunity to put your Engineering Fitness to the test with our tiniest crossover-MCU!

We'll be providing progress updates as the contest progresses, be sure to follow us on Social Media and subscribe to this newsletter for more info.

We have kits in stock!

Even if you're not participating in the contest you can still get a kit: purchase phyBOARD-RT1170 online.

The phyCORE-RT1170 is built for ideas where real-time performance, graphics, and sensor intelligence come together. It gives you a flexible foundation to explore, experiment, and turn concepts into working embedded systems. It runs on Zephyr, an open-source RTOS, which means your work contributes back to a broader ecosystem used by developers around the world. Submit your idea by July 15th for a chance to participate in the contest and win up to $2500! Selected participants will be notified by July 22, 2026 with free kits shipping through Aug 20th.

Product Highlights Extensive industrial interfaces including Dual Ethernet, CAN FD, 2x USB 2.0 OTG, UART, I2C, MIPI-DSI, MIPI-CSI, audio, and JTAG provide the connectivity needed for complex embedded systems. An onboard M.2 interface also makes it easy to quickly expand the kit with additional features and wireless connectivity options. No DDR, no eMMC. Learn more about the phyCORE®-RT1170.

Webinar: Scalable Graphics and Performance with FPSC

Feat. TI's AM62P and AM62L processors 

Not every application needs a GPU, but every application needs the right processor.  In this webinar PHYTEC shows how the FPSC Standard footprint enables developers to achieve a common platform. In this example we show how you can scale seamlessly between two phyFLEX SOMs: the GPU-accelerated phyFLEX-AM62P (GLMark benchmark score 630) and CPU-driven phyFLEX-AM62L. This allows companies to design in one compute platform and scale it across multiple projects, eliminating the need to do the same work across multiple teams. 

phyFLEX SOMs provide scalability and flexibility on a common platform that will accelerate your next embedded design. 

Missed the Webinar? It's available on-demand!

What is FPSC again?

FPSC is a standardized footprint and pinout for embedded devices. This technology reduces design complexity without limiting development. PHYTEC provides a high level of pin compatibility with options to customize, all within a standard footprint. 

FPSC enables the use of current and future processor features without compromising standardization, for scalable performance and cost-effective carrier board design through staggered pins and optimized pinout routing. 

Developing on the FPSC common platform is a huge advantage, especially for smaller engineering teams. Having scalable second sources for your product allows you to offer high and low variants or scale your revenue streams through staggered product launches. 

When deciding between our more traditional phyCORE modules or phyFLEX modules, customers can pick the trade-offs that matter to them:

• phyCORE for full access to all processor features without pin compatibility requirements.
• phyFLEX for platform longevity and modularity. Because of its carefully structured pinout, upgrading to future SOMs is possible even without redesigning the carrier board.

Note: phyFLEX SOMs can be fully customized, just like phyCORE SOMs, whenever future swapability is not a requirement.

Does CRA readiness really matter?

September 11, 2026 is the next deadline for mandatory vulnerability and incident reporting. Manufacturers must begin notifying severe incidents and actively exploited vulnerabilities within 24 hours of discovery. Software vendors and vendors of a physical products with software components are affected by these regulations. This includes anyone placing a product on the European market, it's not limited to European companies.

If your products are sold anywhere in the EU, this will affect your revenue and supply chain. Since PHYTEC has manufacturing headquarters in Germany, we are well equipped to help you begin your compliance journey.

Are your products ready for these changes? 

Looking for clear, structured guidance early in the process? 

We recommend starting with resources from our partner NXP. From overviews to podcasts to in-depth application notes, they offer a range of materials focused on making CRA compliance simple.

PHYTEC has a team dedicated to staying informed on requirements and compliance and wants to keep you up to date and avoid potential roadblocks in your projects down the line. PHYTEC can provide Update and Device Management, Product-provisioning, CVE Management, Software Lifecycle Management and consultation.

PHYTEC's Yocto distribution, securiPHY (formerly Ampliphy-secure) supports several different security mechanisms. The security features impact the bootloader, Linux kernel, Device Tree, and root filesystem. This manual describes how security features are used and implemented on various PHYTEC platforms. 

Upcoming Events

NXP Tech Days

PHYTEC will be at two NXP Tech Days this year. Registration is free, make sure you sign up for the Tech Day in your region and stop by the PHYTEC Booth to check out our products and services. 

NXP Tech Day Santa Clara, August 18 | Register Here
NXP Tech Day Boston, September 22 | Register Here

Embedded World North America

Embedded World North America is coming up in September 24-26, 2026. You can find PHYTEC representing our newest ST SOM the phyFLEX-STM32MP25x at the STMicroelectronics booth. Be sure to register, we'll see you there!

Software Updates

Several PHYTEC products got software updates this quarter. Check out what's new.

Release notes for each product are linked below:

Want to make a handheld gaming device like the one we showcased at Embedded World 2026? Check out our Hackster Project.

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