# #009: Zephyr’s Meteoric Rise and What It Means for the Future of Embedded

- Show: [Coredump Sessions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions)
- Published: 2025-05-27
- Length: 59m
- Episode: 11
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/memfault/episodes/009-Zephyrs-Meteoric-Rise-and-What-It-Means-for-the-Future-of-Embedded-e33eitg

## Summary

Kate Stewart, VP of Dependable Embedded Systems at the Linux Foundation, explains how Zephyr RTOS evolved from Intel’s Wind River roots into a multi-vendor open-source project with a governance model designed to prevent corporate capture. She details Zephyr’s technical differentiators, including its Linux-inspired Kconfig and device tree, the pragmatic reuse of MCUboot, and the introduction of 5-year Long-Term Support (LTS) releases to meet regulatory demands like the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). The conversation covers Zephyr’s safety certification journey, its transparent CVE tracking, and its growing adoption by silicon vendors like Nordic and Arduino, as well as its expanding support for RISC-V and Rust.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=1) Introduction: Kate Stewart and Zephyr's Origins
- [4:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=252) Intel's Wind River Roots and Open Source Strategy
- [5:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=313) Governance Model and Multi-Vendor Participation
- [9:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=578) Linux DNA: Kconfig, Device Trees, and MCUboot
- [13:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=824) Long-Term Support (LTS) and Production Readiness
- [15:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=920) Testing Infrastructure: Twister, QEMU, and Regression
- [18:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=1089) Addressing Performance, Stability, and CVE Transparency
- [35:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=2116) Compliance: SBOMs, CRA, and Safety Certification
- [42:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=2554) Safety Certification Journey and Scope
- [45:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-05-27-009-zephyrs-meteoric-rise-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-embedded#t=2756) Real-World Use Cases, RISC-V, and Rust Support

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Zephyr (other)
- Linux Foundation (company)
- Intel (company)
- Wind River (company)
- MCUboot (other)
- Twister (tool)
- QEMU (tool)
- Arduino (company)
- Nordic (company)
- RISC-V (chip)
- Rust (other)
- CRA (other)
- IAR (company)
- Synopsys (company)
- Meta (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [329: At Least 32-Bits, Thank You](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-04-30-329-at-least-32-bits-thank-you) (Embedded.fm)
- [Zephyr with Luka Mustafa](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-11-09-zephyr-with-luka-mustafa) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Benjamin Cabé Nose Zephyr](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2023-12-11-benjamin-cabe-nose-zephyr) (The Amp Hour)
- [93: Delicious Gumbo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-03-18-93-delicious-gumbo) (Embedded.fm)
- [531: Sequestering the Mess](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-08-06-531-sequestering-the-mess) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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