Ep. 68: Impinj VP on RFID Transforming Supply Chain Logistics

For many years, RFID technology has been used by leading retailers such as Walmart, Macy's, and Lowe's. CVS, Zara, and others for theft prevention. But now, it is ready to go beyond this limited use case and transform supply chain logistics. In the episode, I talk to Gagan Luthra, VP of Product and Strategy at RAIN RFID leader Impinj, about the history of technology, how it is currently being used, how it is evolving to support complex supply chain use cases, including Gen2X performance enhancements, new form factors, higher processing power, and more.  We also delve into even more exciting opportunities, including using AI models for better forecasting, analytics, and trend analysis, as well as monetizing data through third-party players. Also, check out my EE Times article about RFID tackling food waste losses, utilizing Avery Dennison food labels: https://bit.ly/47APGav  Index: 00:00 - Intro 02:13 - Guest intro (Gagan Luthra) 04:41 - History and current state of RFID, expanding use cases, beyond theft prevention 06:30 - RFIDs are much more than wireless barcodes - much more information and value, from "cradle-to-grave" of products 09:25 - How RFID works without batteries - Tags are energized by an RF signal, and the receiver "reads" the reflections from the tags for identification 11:32 - Automated and Real-time information, unlike barcodes, with static information, from manual operation 15:03 - Higher initial cost of RFID compared to barcode, but much lower opex, much higher utility, and better ROI 20:30 - RFID cost curve continuing to go down, with economies of scale, wider adoption, and improvement in silicon process technology 22:19 - RAIN Alliance, standards for interoperability, difference between RAIN RFID, and NFC  25:13 - Upgrades needed beyond RFID standards for complex supply chain use cases, details of Impinj's Gen2X enhancements to address those needs, Gen2X traction   29:07 - Full backward compatibility with RAIN standards, how that works 31:30 - Edge processing needs at RFID readers, Impinj's latest announcement about R700 enhancements for readers 33:45 - How AI can power next phase of RFID - real-world, physical data for AI models, Edge AI in readers for smart decisions, utilizing cloud for better forecasting, trend analysis, and more, monetization opportunities for anonymized data for third-party players 37:59 - "Crystal Ball" question, where is RFID headed in the next 3-5 years - wider adoption across many verticals, tagging almost anything, even very low-cost items, and adoption of AI     40:35 - Closing