Beyond the Microchip

• Episode 025 - Microchip Technology Powers Sustainability; part 2-of-2

  “Every mammal on this planet, instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply- and multiply until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area.” – The Matrix Hugo Weaving’s Mr. Smith lectures Lawrence Fishburne’s Morpheus in The Matrix on humanity’s fatal flaw. While history may paint a negative picture of our efforts, the future looks bright. That future is sustainability, a paradigm shift that promises to reshape our relationship with the environment and the resources we consume. This vision of sustainability is not just about preserving nature; it's about creating a healthier, more resilient world for future generations. The components of sustainability in the tech world include energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable product design, and employee engagement. Energy efficiency: companies can optimize manufacturing processes to reduce energy consumption and developing products that are more energy-efficient to cut down operational costs and reduce the impact on the environmental impact. Waste reduction: comprehensive recycling programs, reducing material usage, and improving manufacturing processes, companies can minimize the environmental footprint of their operations and products. Water conservation: Implementing measures to recycle and reuse water to a point where every drop could be recaptured and reused. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: This is where the bulk of the efforts can yield real benefits to lower carbon footprints, and reduce/reuse/recycle with ambitious goals of net-zero by 2040. Sustainable product design: there is a fine balance between creating energy-efficient and environmentally friendly products that meet regulatory standards and customer expectations, while also generating a reasonable rate of return for stakeholders. Employee engagement: Encouraging employees to participate in sustainability programs and providing training and resources to support those practices keep the environment front of mind while also pursuing the business of business. One company that exemplifies these principles is Microchip Technology. Their commitment to sustainability is evident in their comprehensive approach, known as Microchip 360° Sustainability. This includes energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Their products, such as the PD77728 and PD-70228 ICs, are designed with the lowest power consumption in mind, and their packaging is 100% recyclable, PVC-free, halogen-free, and compliant with ROHS and REACH standards. The GS series of midspans takes this even further with improvements in key areas. Microchip’s dedication to sustainability has not gone unnoticed. Forbes recently named them a Net Zero Leader, ranking them #6 on the list. This recognition highlights their leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable practices. Companies like Microchip are taking real, tangible actions to protect the environment, conserve resources, and minimize waste.   How can Microchip Technology show real leadership in driving sustainability for future generations?   Links from the episode: Microchip's Commitment to Sustainability: Operational Excellence and Innovative Customer Solutions | Microchip Technology microchip.com/poe   Guest: Alan Zwiren

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• Episode 025 - Microchip Technology Powers Sustainability; part 1-of-2

  “Every mammal on this planet, instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply- and multiply until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area.” – The Matrix Hugo Weaving’s Mr. Smith lectures Lawrence Fishburne’s Morpheus in The Matrix on humanity’s fatal flaw. While history may paint a negative picture of our efforts, the future looks bright. That future is sustainability, a paradigm shift that promises to reshape our relationship with the environment and the resources we consume. This vision of sustainability is not just about preserving nature; it's about creating a healthier, more resilient world for future generations. The components of sustainability in the tech world include energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable product design, and employee engagement. Energy efficiency: companies can optimize manufacturing processes to reduce energy consumption and developing products that are more energy-efficient to cut down operational costs and reduce the impact on the environmental impact. Waste reduction: comprehensive recycling programs, reducing material usage, and improving manufacturing processes, companies can minimize the environmental footprint of their operations and products. Water conservation: Implementing measures to recycle and reuse water to a point where every drop could be recaptured and reused. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: This is where the bulk of the efforts can yield real benefits to lower carbon footprints, and reduce/reuse/recycle with ambitious goals of net-zero by 2040. Sustainable product design: there is a fine balance between creating energy-efficient and environmentally friendly products that meet regulatory standards and customer expectations, while also generating a reasonable rate of return for stakeholders. Employee engagement: Encouraging employees to participate in sustainability programs and providing training and resources to support those practices keep the environment front of mind while also pursuing the business of business. One company that exemplifies these principles is Microchip Technology. Their commitment to sustainability is evident in their comprehensive approach, known as Microchip 360° Sustainability. This includes energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Their products, such as the PD77728 and PD-70228 ICs, are designed with the lowest power consumption in mind, and their packaging is 100% recyclable, PVC-free, halogen-free, and compliant with ROHS and REACH standards. The GS series of midspans takes this even further with improvements in key areas. Microchip’s dedication to sustainability has not gone unnoticed. Forbes recently named them a Net Zero Leader, ranking them #6 on the list. This recognition highlights their leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable practices. Companies like Microchip are taking real, tangible actions to protect the environment, conserve resources, and minimize waste.   How can Microchip Technology show real leadership in driving sustainability for future generations?   Links from the episode: Microchip's Commitment to Sustainability: Operational Excellence and Innovative Customer Solutions | Microchip Technology microchip.com/poe   Guest: Alan Zwiren

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• Episode 024 - Microcontrollers, Makers, and the DIY Movement; Part 2-of-2

  Arduino. Founded in Italy twenty years ago by a group of visionary educators and engineers, Arduino was born out of a desire to democratize electronics and make it accessible to everyone. Named after a bar in Ivrea, the platform started with hand-assembled circuit boards for students at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (IDII). The founders—Massimo Banzi, David Cuartielles, David Mellis, Tom Igoe, and Gianluca Martino—made key decisions to keep the hardware and software open-source, ensuring that anyone could learn, create, and innovate.   The result is… a world where anyone, regardless of their technical background, can create electronic projects that once seemed out of reach. This is the world that Arduino has made possible.   The significance of Arduino extends far beyond its technical specifications. It has lowered barriers of entry, making electronics affordable and accessible. Its massive open-source community fosters sharing and innovation, sparking the Maker movement and encouraging creation over consumption. Arduino has become a platform, bridging disciplines like art, design, engineering, and computer science, and enabling rapid prototyping. Its impact is felt in education, product development, and the philosophy of technology accessibility.   Arduino has inspired a global movement, empowering hobbyists, students, artists, and professionals to bring their ideas to life. It has influenced modern IoT and smart devices, proving that with the right tools, anyone can be an innovator. Arduino's choice of the AVR ATmega168 and later the ATmega328P microcontrollers was pivotal. These microcontrollers offered a balance of performance, cost, and ease of use, featuring 8-bit architecture, flash memory, SRAM, EEPROM, and built-in peripherals like timers, ADC, PWM, UART, SPI, and I2C. This made them ideal for a wide range of applications, from simple projects to complex prototypes.   What happens next is anybody’s guess, but the frontiers spawned by the Shockley’s and Moore’s of the world, with their advanced educations and access to vast amounts of capital, are giving way to the kid in their bedroom, tinkering with a board and a laptop, intent on building a thing – turning their imagination into reality through simple advancements in integrated circuits, sensors, and open-source software.   How can Microchip Technology fuel the ethos of the Do-It-Yourself Maker movement?

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  21:07
• Episode 024 - Microcontrollers, Makers, and the DIY Movement; Part 1-of-2

  Arduino. Founded in Italy twenty years ago by a group of visionary educators and engineers, Arduino was born out of a desire to democratize electronics and make it accessible to everyone. Named after a bar in Ivrea, the platform started with hand-assembled circuit boards for students at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (IDII). The founders—Massimo Banzi, David Cuartielles, David Mellis, Tom Igoe, and Gianluca Martino—made key decisions to keep the hardware and software open-source, ensuring that anyone could learn, create, and innovate.   The result is… a world where anyone, regardless of their technical background, can create electronic projects that once seemed out of reach. This is the world that Arduino has made possible.   The significance of Arduino extends far beyond its technical specifications. It has lowered barriers of entry, making electronics affordable and accessible. Its massive open-source community fosters sharing and innovation, sparking the Maker movement and encouraging creation over consumption. Arduino has become a platform, bridging disciplines like art, design, engineering, and computer science, and enabling rapid prototyping. Its impact is felt in education, product development, and the philosophy of technology accessibility.   Arduino has inspired a global movement, empowering hobbyists, students, artists, and professionals to bring their ideas to life. It has influenced modern IoT and smart devices, proving that with the right tools, anyone can be an innovator. Arduino's choice of the AVR ATmega168 and later the ATmega328P microcontrollers was pivotal. These microcontrollers offered a balance of performance, cost, and ease of use, featuring 8-bit architecture, flash memory, SRAM, EEPROM, and built-in peripherals like timers, ADC, PWM, UART, SPI, and I2C. This made them ideal for a wide range of applications, from simple projects to complex prototypes.   What happens next is anybody’s guess, but the frontiers spawned by the Shockley’s and Moore’s of the world, with their advanced educations and access to vast amounts of capital, are giving way to the kid in their bedroom, tinkering with a board and a laptop, intent on building a thing – turning their imagination into reality through simple advancements in integrated circuits, sensors, and open-source software.   How can Microchip Technology fuel the ethos of the Do-It-Yourself Maker movement?

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  27:05
• Episode 023 - FIRST Robotics and Generational Influences in Engineering; part 2-of-2

  The relationship between generations often shapes the trajectory of careers, with parents serving as role models, mentors, and sources of inspiration for their sons and daughters. Whether through direct guidance, inherited talent, or the values instilled during upbringing, the influence of one generation on the next can lead to extraordinary achievements. Across sports, entertainment, and politics, certain parent-child duos have exemplified how legacies are built and carried forward. Whether the Griffeys and Earnhardts in sports, the Douglases and Sheens in entertainment, or the Bushes and Adamses in politics, the bonds forged between generations can create lasting impact for the world. But that dynamic is not exclusive to blood, often shared interests in fields like robotics can forge relationships that last a lifetime.   FIRST, F-I-R-S-T (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), is a global nonprofit organization founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Kamen envisioned a program that would make STEM as exciting as sports, fostering innovation, teamwork, and leadership. The inaugural FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) was held in 1992 with 28 teams, challenging high school students to design, build, and program robots for competition. Over the years, FIRST expanded its programs to include groups of all ages. Today, FIRST serves hundreds of thousands of students annually across more than 100 countries, offering hands-on robotics challenges that emphasize creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. Through partnerships with corporations, schools, and governments, FIRST has become a global movement, inspiring students to pursue STEM careers and shifting cultural perceptions to celebrate science and technology… alongside sports and entertainment. Here in Arizona, we have AZ FIRST, which is a chapter founded by Microchip CEO Steve Sanghi. Steve's journey of extending Kamen's vision started in 2002 as a regional organization supporting and promoting FIRST Robotics programs in Arizona. It serves as a hub for organizing events, securing resources, and encouraging collaboration among teams across the state. AZ FIRST hosts annual competitions, including the Arizona Regional for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), and works to expand access to STEM education through outreach and mentorship. One key part of Microchip’s involvement in AZ FIRST is the participation of its employees as mentors and advisors. In some cases, multiple generations of mentorship, like the story you’re about to hear today. As we reflect on the profound impact of generational influence—whether through family legacies or initiatives like FIRST—it becomes clear that the future is shaped by the connections we make today. They remind us that success is not just about individual achievement; it’s about creating opportunities for those who come after. Looking ahead, the call to action is simple yet powerful: find a way to engage with the next generation. Mentor, inspire, and invest in their potential. Whether through STEM programs, community outreach, or simply leading by example; by empowering young minds to dream big and equipping them with the tools to succeed, we ensure that innovation, leadership, and progress continue to thrive. The future is bright, and it belongs to those who dare to build it.   How can Microchip Technology promote and strengthen these generational legacies?

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