New functionality, greater connectivity across platforms, and a growing commitment to the engineering community showcased at NI Connect
At the recent annual NI Connect conference, Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced significant hardware and software enhancements to its portfolio that address the growing complexity in test.
During the opening keynote, the test and measurement business announced the release of NI NigelTM AI Advisor for NI LabVIEW and NI TestStand in July 2025. A single intelligence trained across the NI software suite and built on Emerson’s secure cloud network, the NI NigelTM AI Advisor can analyze code, offer suggestions for changes, and allow users to ask questions in plain language to surface the correct tools across more than 700 functions.
“For over five decades, we have delivered advanced innovations in test that simplified and redefined what is possible, becoming the gold standard by reducing complexity and delivering long term value,” said Test and Measurement Group President Ritu Favre. “I am more confident than ever that our approach to delivering the most open, flexible, modular platform is essential for moving into the next generation of technology innovation.”
Providing engineers with a wider selection of hardware, the company expanded its robust data acquisition (NI DAQ) portfolio with the introduction of three new solutions: NI FieldDAQ for extreme environments, USB-C NI CompactDAQ chassis for greater flexibility, and a new connector for C Series Modules to make signal connection easier.
Emerson also announced an update to its third-generation NI PXIe-5842 Vector Signal Transceiver (VST3) with a new 4 GHz bandwidth option, and the ability to combine the bandwidth of two VST3s for up to 7 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth via its proprietary spectrum stitching.
Emerson unveiled numerous software enhancements including a broad base version of NI SystemLink TM, third-party signal source support for NI InstrumentStudioTM via custom plugins, and many new NI LabVIEW features. These features include improved debugging workflow for wires and probes, support for .NET 8.0 and Python 3.12, better VI comparison, connectivity to Docker containers and more. More than a dozen suggestions from users via the online Ideas Exchange portal were implemented in product updates.
Commitment to global users continues with the launches of an open-source GitHub* repository for NI FlexLogger plugins, expansion of its free LabVIEW Community Edition to macOS for university students, and dedicated support for over 80 user groups worldwide.
The conference featured demonstrations of new products, technical expert panel sessions, and a renewed focus on technology innovation that included academic research presentations.
*Git™ is a trademark of Software Freedom Conservancy, Inc., corporate home of the Git Project, in the United States and other countries. GitHub is a registered trademark of GitHub, Inc.
Appendix
Emerson Announces Major Updates to Flagship Software at NI Connect
NigelTM AI Advisor coming to NI LabVIEW and NI TestStand
- Emerson revealed several software announcements at the NI Connect conference, including its anticipated NigelTM AI Advisor for LabVIEW and TestStand.
- Built on Emerson’s secure cloud network, the NigelTM AI Advisor can analyze code, offer suggestions for changes, and allow users to ask questions in plain language.
- Able to help find the correct tools across more than 700 functions.
- The new feature will be integrated into LabVIEW and TestStand by July 2025.
- Included into most existing licenses providing significant new functionality at no extra cost.
- Other LabVIEW features announced:
- Improved debugging workflow for wires and probes
- Support for .NET 8.0 and Python 3.12
- Better VI comparison
- Connectivity to Docker containers
- Expansion of its free LabVIEW Community Edition to macOS
- Emerson also announced the upcoming release of a new, broad base version of SystemLinkTM software and third-party hardware support for InstrumentStudioTM via custom plugins.
“We’ve been working on integrating AI and machine learning into our software for many years now,” said Austin Hill, Section Manager of Test Software at Emerson. “Our users will see a clear difference from general purpose AI assistants due to the test specific expertise with which we have trained the NigelTM AI Advisor. We expect to see a step change in productivity for our users from this release, and this is just the beginning – Nigel will just keep getting smarter and better in years to come.”
To learn more about Emerson’s portfolio of NI software, visit ni.com/software
