What's new in the NI PXI Platform? | Cyth Systems, Inc.
The automated test equipment (ATE) industry continues to face multi-front opportunities and challenges. AI is straining manufacturing supply chains, increasing device complexity, and placing new premiums on power, talent, and data. At the same time, AI tools are changing how test engineering teams work, reshaping software development and engineering labor dynamics, and forcing test groups to become more data-native. Layering in the ongoing innovation across semiconductor, electric vehicles (EV), telecommunications, aerospace & defense, and advanced manufacturing programs, it's no surprise that automated test equipment continues to be one of the fastest growing segments in the test and measurement (T&M) industry.
Amidst this growing complexity, we find test engineering teams continuously asking "how can we simplify?", while simultaneously transforming these pressures into advantages and keeping pace with competition.
In terms of measurement automation, synchronization, and versatility, PXIe modular instrumentation and computing helps keep test systems flexible and test engineers sane.
We’ve compiled an overview of what's new in the NI PXI ecosystem (really, PXIe), with a focus on more channels, less legacy overhead, and cost-down options.
What You’ll Learn in this Article
NI PXIe-1081
All-hybrid PXI chassis
An 18-slot chassis with 17 hybrid slots, meaning every peripheral slot accommodates PXI or PXIe modules. That flexibility, provided by a modular system that can simultaneously support active and mature hardware, matters if you're migrating a system module-by-module rather than completely overhauling it at once.
Up to 2 GB/s max system bandwidth
58 W power/cooling per slot
Every peripheral slot is hybrid — no more separate PXI vs. PXIe slot planning
Why does this matter? Since every slot can accommodate PXI and PXIe module types, slot planning as a design step is eliminated and the number of distinct chassis models a lab needs to stock and maintain is greatly reduced.
Get expert help updating your test systems
NI PXIe-8842 / NI PXIe-8862
Embedded controllers without GPIB interface
NI is focusing on updated CPU silicon, and simplifying controller designs by moving away from legacy interfaces. If your instrument ecosystem is already Ethernet/USB/PXIe-based, these controller variants without GPIB interfaces cut cost without cutting capability.
PXIe-8842: Intel Core i5, 8 GB/s bandwidth
PXIe-8862: Intel Core i7, 16 GB/s bandwidth
The following OS options are available for both controllers: Windows 11, Windows 10 64-bit, and NI Linux Real-Time
Both controllers are available with or without a GPIB port, depending on system needs
Why does this matter? Removing GPIB support cuts cost for systems that no longer use it, and the choice between i5 and i7 variants lets engineers match compute and bandwidth to their actual workload rather than paying for performance they don't need.
Compare PXIe embedded controllers
NI PXIe-5108
High-Density Oscilloscope
More channels, same per-channel performance. This is aimed squarely at high-channel-count quality where you don't want to trade acquisition quality for density.
100 MHz analog bandwidth, up to 250 MS/s sample rate, 14-bit resolution
4-channel or 8-channel options are both simultaneously sampled
-40V to 40V input range, selectable 50Ω/1MΩ input impedance
Bring-up standard and custom measurement using InstrumentStudio
Check out FlexRIO if you need a high-speed analog front end and open FPGA for advanced triggering and hardware-timed data processing
Why does this matter? Higher channel density per slot means less rack space and fewer chassis needed for high-channel-count validation; this enables programs to scale channel count as DUT complexity grows without needing to re-qualify measurement accuracy at each step.
Compare PXIe scopes
NI PXIe-4311
High-Resolution Analog Input (“Nanovoltmeter”)
32 channels, and you choose the tradeoff: push for speed or push for accuracy, channel by channel, without swapping hardware.
16 to 22-bit flexible resolution, selectable per application
32 channels, up to 4 MS/s simultaneous sampling
0 V to 25 V input range
Built for scalable, high-resolution acquisition across a wide dynamic range
Applications: power quality measurements
Why does this matter? Selectable resolution per channel means one instrument can cover both high-precision and high-speed measurements without the need to swap hardware. 32-channels support monitoring many test points at once instead of serializing measurements across fewer channels.
Evaluate PXIe-4311 vs. SMU tradeoffs with an expert
NI PXIe-6381 / NI PXIe-6383
Multifunction DAQ
One instrument for a wide range of jobs. From basic data logging to full test automation, the PXIe-6383 gives you more of everything.
18-bit resolution, 625 kS/s max sample rate, 980 μV absolute accuracy (both variants)
PXIe-6381: 16 AI / 2 AO / 24 DIO
PXIe-6383: 32 AI / 4 AO / 48 DIO
NI-DAQmx driver with STC3 timing/sync technology
Why does this matter? Two module variants with different channel counts allow engineers to size the module to actual I/O needs instead of overbuying channels; identical absolute accuracy across both variants means that choosing the smaller option isn't a measurement-quality tradeoff.
Compare multifunction DAQ products
NI Nigel AI for PXI Systems
AI code and sequence generation
As of the 2026 Q3 release of the LabVIEW+ suite, Nigel AI in LabVIEW and TestStand include code and test sequence generation capabilities. Nigel AI advisor capabilities are also now available in NI FlexLogger, InstrumentStudio, and VeriStand.
Measurement code generation. Describe your measurement needs in plain language, and Nigel AI generates LabVIEW code to match. For most test engineers, this provides a beneficial starting point for developing more complicated measurements, triggering, and synchronization schemes that can be revised and improved.
Personalized example generator. Rather than searching through examples yourself, Nigel AI surfaces the one that best fits the actual task, with rationale for why it's the right starting point.
Sequence generation in NI TestStand. Feed Nigel a specifications document, including test names, limits, ranges, conditions, and it builds a test sequence, along with a confidence rating for each step so you know exactly where to focus your attention during review.
Other integrations. Nigel AI is also live in FlexLogger, InstrumentStudio, and VeriStand. It can explain existing sequence logic in plain terms, which is useful for auditing inherited code.
Why does this matter? Prompting measurement code generation in LabVIEW and specification-driven sequence generation in TestStand lower the barrier to developing new measurements and building test logic. This means more time on higher level, like architecture development and data analysis
