You ask, we answer! Let’s talk about Arduino UNO Q, App Lab, and the future of accessible AI

On November 19th, we held a 60-minute Ask Me Anything session to address your questions about the new Arduino UNO Q, Arduino App Lab, accessible AI, and Arduino’s path forward. Thank you to everyone who joined us live and submitted questions!

As our moderator Julie Chevrier mentioned right away, we have been listening to the community closely and were eager to answer your questions through this AMA – to provide you with information straight from the source, bringing together experts from across the Arduino ecosystem: Andrea Richetta (Arduino Principal Product Evangelist), Adam Benzion (Director, Strategic Partnerships at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.), Rami Mouro (Senior Engineer and Developer Advocate at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.), Louis Moreau (Head of Developer Relations at Edge Impulse), and Erwan Gouriou (Principal Software Engineer at STMicroelectronics).

We’ve highlighted some of the key questions addressed during the session below and encourage you to watch the full recording on YouTube.

Community first!

Before diving into the Q&A, we opened the session with a video showcasing incredible projects users have already built with Arduino UNO Q in just over a month since product launch. From retro arcade cabinets and animated pumpkins to weather stations, robot object classification, and even a sound-triggered jacket… you all are our inspiration.

Top questions for the expert panel

The community was also our source for the most frequently asked questions we addressed in the first part of the session – collected from social media and online forums leading up to the event. 

From strictly technical to strategic vision, we discussed it all! Here are just a few of the topics:

• What makes UNO Q stand out in such a crowded market of single-board computers? Andrea and Adam discussed the unique dual-brain architecture, affordability, Arduino ecosystem compatibility, and the seamless software experience that bridges Linux and microcontroller workflows.
• How does the MCU communicate with the Linux side? Rami and Louis explained it best! Arduino UNO Q and Arduino App Lab are designed to communicate seamlessly and get you up and running in minutes – and are ready to go further when you are.
• What are the specifications and capabilities of the onboard MCU? Erwan walked through the STM32 U5 series MCU specs – 2 MB flash, 786 kB RAM, and over 20 communication peripherals make it suitable for a wide range of applications.
• Many community members feel excited but overwhelmed. How will Arduino support users at all levels? As part of our core mission, we have built extensive resources for the community: Project Hub, tutorials, forums are designed to help everyone from complete beginners to experienced developers.
• Will Arduino focus only on Qualcomm silicon or remain multi-vendor? Adam was direct: Arduino will continue to maintain its multi-vendor commitment. The company will continue working with STMicroelectronics, Microchip, Renesas, and other partners.

The elephant in the room: will Arduino remain open source?

This question came up multiple times and in various forms. The answer was unequivocal: yes. Adam emphasized that there’s a 100% commitment to maintain Arduino’s open-source ethos. The Gerber files for UNO Q were released publicly shortly after launch. The board runs Zephyr RTOS under the hood, and Arduino engineers are actively contributing upstream. Actions matter more than words, and Arduino’s actions demonstrate ongoing commitment to open source.

Let’s go live!

In the second half of the session, we fielded questions directly from YouTube chat. Here is just a taste of what you can find in the full video:

• Can UNO Q run ROS 1 and ROS 2? (Spoiler: Yes!)
• Will Arduino IDE become paid software? (No – it’s integral to Arduino and will continue to be free)
• Power management: Can the CPU be powered down and have the MCU wake it up? (Yes!)
• Can I use Yocto (or Foundries) and build from the command line? (Another yes!)
• Will pricing increase in the future? (We have no reason to expect this at the moment)
• Will there be official curriculum offerings for Arduino UNO Q? (We’re working on it, stay tuned)

What’s next

Keep an eye on our YouTube channel for upcoming sessions, including deep-dives into real-time systems and more Arduino UNO Q tutorials. This AMA was just one of many ways we’re working to maintain open dialogue with the community. We’re aware that change can feel uncertain, and we appreciate those who asked tough questions. That openness is what makes this community strong.

Have questions? Leave a comment on the YouTube recording of the live session or join the discussion on the Arduino Forums: our team is active there, and eager to help. Thank you for being part of this journey!