2 weeks Ago By Miller Victor
Share Tweet Share Share Email Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is a niche but critical field ensuring that electronic systems can function in shared environments without interference. As AI hardware becomes increasingly central to industries like retail, healthcare, and autonomous vehicles, the stakes for reliable, interference-free systems have grown. Naga Suryadevara, an engineer with a career steeped in EMC challenges, has been quietly redefining how these systems are designed and scaled for real-world use.
As AI systems become increasingly embedded in our daily lives—from retail environments to healthcare facilities and autonomous vehicles—ensuring their reliable operation has become more challenging. Suryadevara focuses on resolving intricate electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electrostatic discharge (ESD) issues in high-performance hardware. One of his significant contributions has been developing EMI solutions for Amazon’s Just Walk Out (JWO) technology, a cashier-less shopping system now operational in over 100 stores.
“When designing systems for dense environments like retail, even minor interference can disrupt operations,” Suryadevara says. His solutions helped ensure seamless performance while maintaining compliance with stringent global standards. AI and EMC: A Growing Interdependency As AI hardware integrates into more applications, its electromagnetic profile becomes challenging.
The rise of edge computing, AI inference engines, and complex sensor arrays has amplified the need for robust electromagnetic designs. According to a 2024 industry report, the global EMC market is projected to exceed $7 billion by 2025, driven largely by demand for AI and IoT systems. Suryadevara’s contributions address this intersection.
By crafting hardware designs that mitigate interference, he supports the scalability of technologies like JWO. His designs are functional and scalable—crucial as AI deployments expand globally. For example, his work allowed Amazon to replicate its JWO technology across diverse retail environments, demonstrating its adaptability.
Shaping Open-Source Solutions for AI Growth Beyond his corporate contributions, Suryadevara has played a key role in the Open Compute Project (OCP), a community-driven initiative for developing open-source data center hardware. His focus on power distribution and immersion cooling systems has created scalable designs that address the high-energy demands of AI training clusters. By participating in OCP, Suryadevara fosters industry collaboration to address shared challenges.
A recent OCP report revealed that his open-source designs have helped AI-focused data centers reduce energy consumption by 15 percent while improving computational density by 30 percent—achievements that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Suryadevara emphasizes the broader implications: “AI hardware is about building systems that can keep up with demand sustainably and reliably. Open-source frameworks ensure that advancements are shared, benefiting the entire industry.
” Setting Global Standards for Electromagnetic Reliability Electromagnetic compliance is not just a technical concern but a regulatory necessity. Suryadevara, through his membership in the ANSI SC4 Working Group, has contributed to developing the C63.10 standards.
These standards govern how emerging technologies, from AI systems to telecommunications hardware, achieve global compliance while maintaining operational reliability. Standardization ensures that AI systems deployed across industries adhere to reliable benchmarks. As industries adopt 5G and AI-enabled devices, frameworks like C63.
10 prevent disruptions caused by electromagnetic interference. Analysts predict the number of devices requiring EMC compliance will triple by 2030, highlighting the importance of these standards. “Standards are not just about compliance,” Suryadevara explains.
“They create a foundation for innovation, allowing new technologies to be integrated into everyday life without disruption.” A Field with Growing Relevance Electromagnetic compatibility may not dominate headlines, but its significance in the age of AI cannot be overstated. As devices become smarter and more interconnected, the potential for interference grows.
From autonomous vehicles to AI-powered retail systems, ensuring uninterrupted operation in shared environments is increasingly critical. For engineers like Suryadevara, these challenges are opportunities to redefine how systems are designed and scaled. His work combines technical precision with an eye toward sustainability, pushing the boundaries of what AI hardware can achieve while addressing its environmental impact.
Balancing Innovation and Practicality Naga Suryadevara’s work is remarkable for its technical brilliance and how it translates into everyday use. His designs for interference-free systems have shaped technologies like Amazon’s Just Walk Out (JWO), ensuring they function seamlessly in real-world retail environments. Beyond that, his involvement in open-source projects and standardization efforts helps make these advancements widely accessible, allowing others in the industry to build on his work.
As AI and IoT expand, the global EMC market has become a hotspot for innovation. Reliable and efficient hardware is more crucial than ever, and professionals like Suryadevara tackle these challenges head-on. His ability to blend innovation with practicality keeps him at the center of the industry’s evolution.
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