Takeaways From Unify 2026
This month, I had the opportunity to attend Unify 2026, hosted by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). As a senior campaign manager on the Global Marketing team, I work closely with Product Marketing to translate product strategy into integrated campaigns that educate and engage audiences around emerging technologies, thought leadership, and Silicon Labs solutions. Unify gave me a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the people shaping these technologies and to better understand where the industry is headed.
The goal of Unify was to bring together leaders and product makers across the IoT ecosystem to explore the future of connected technology. Through technical sessions, product demonstrations, and networking, the event highlighted the industry's shared goal of accelerating adoption of open, interoperable IoT standards.
After experiencing a range of panels and networking events, I left with one overarching takeaway: the future of IoT isn't just about connecting devices, it's about building smarter, more secure, and more interoperable experiences through collaboration.
A Message from Kevin Ashton
Photo courtesy of the CSA
The event opened with IoT pioneer Kevin Ashton, best known for coining the term “Internet of Things”. His message challenged us to think beyond today's smart home devices and imagine technologies that solve meaningful, everyday problems.
Rather than creating connected products simply because we can, Ashton encouraged us to focus on innovations that genuinely improve people's lives, including ways to detect if someone is sick or making everyday chores easier with a self-folding dryer. Think bigger!
Security is No Longer Optional
Photo courtesy of the CSA
Although there was a dedicated security panel, security quickly emerged as a theme throughout the entire conference.
The key message we heard consistently was that security is now a baseline expectation. Consumers, enterprises, and regulators expect connected devices to be secure from day one, and that responsibility extends across every layer of the ecosystem from silicon and devices to networks, applications, and cloud services.
This reinforced Silicon Labs' approach to security. Security isn’t treated as just a feature, it’s a foundational design principle. Through features like Secure Boot, Secure Over-The-Air updates, and through third-party security evaluations and testings, we help customers build products that are protected throughout their lifecycle. As an active contributor to Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-SUN, and Z-Wave, we're also helping strengthen the security of the broader IoT ecosystem.
Silicon Labs Helping Shape the Conversation
Photo courtesy of the CSA
One of my favorite parts of the week was watching fellow Silabers take the stage to share their expertise.
Colin Cureton, Product Line Vice President of Home, explored one of today's hottest topics: Edge AI.
As AI continues to transform the industry, IoT devices are becoming more intelligent and capable of making decisions locally rather than relying entirely on the cloud. Running AI at the edge reduces latency, improves privacy, and enables faster, more reliable decision-making for applications ranging from manufacturing and smart buildings to predictive maintenance and energy management.
For me, the main takeaway was that the future of IoT is about more than just connecting devices. It’s about enabling devices to think and respond in real time.
Rob Alexander, Principal Product Manager and Vice Chair of the CSA Board of Directors, spoke about how companies can actively shape the future of Matter by participating in alliances.
The key message here was that Matter evolves through collaboration. The standard can't be built in a silo. It needs to be shaped through contributions from Alliance members, technical working groups, implementation feedback, and real-world experience. Rather than waiting for new capabilities to arrive, companies have an opportunity to help define what's next.
Our very own Campaigns Team Manager and Vice President of Marketing for Thread, Ann Olivo, joined two sessions focused on Thread and Matter. She helped attendees better understand how the technologies work together and where they fit into a product roadmap.
One of the biggest misconceptions addressed throughout the week was the idea that it's "Thread or Matter." In reality, it's both.
Thread provides the reliable, low-power mesh networking foundation for many connected devices, while Matter builds on that foundation to deliver interoperability across ecosystems. Together, they allow manufacturers to focus less on ecosystem-specific development and more on building innovative, high-quality products.
The conversations also reinforced that these technologies extend far beyond the smart home. From commercial buildings and energy management to industrial and enterprise deployments, Thread and Matter are enabling connected solutions at much larger scales.
In fact, Silicon Labs is already demonstrating this through our Large-Scale Matter over Thread Deployment in our Boston office, proving that Matter-over-Thread networks can deliver reliable, enterprise-scale performance. Check out our white paper on Matter over Thread to learn more.
Innovation Happens Through Collaboration
Photo courtesy of the CSA
Beyond the sessions, the demo showcase offered a chance to see the latest innovations up close. At the Silicon Labs booth, attendees experienced demos featuring technologies like Aliro, while our booth neighbor, Thread Group, demonstrated how Thread connects devices across a growing ecosystem.
Some of my most engaging conversations actually happened between sessions. Whether attendees were just beginning to explore Thread or were already building Matter products, it was clear that people were excited to learn more and contribute to open standards.
I left Unify energized, both by the expert-led panels and the collaboration I saw firsthand between the companies driving the industry forward.
I gained a much deeper appreciation for the work happening across the CSA community. From security and AI to interoperability and open standards, every company has a role to play in shaping the future of IoT.
Seeing Silicon Labs contribute not only through our technology, but also through leadership, technical expertise, and active participation in standards development made me especially proud to be part of the team helping build what's next!
