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IAR Systems
IAR Systems
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IAR Systems is a Swedish computer software company that offers development tools for embedded systems. IAR Systems was founded in 1983, and is listed on Nasdaq Nordic in Stockholm. IAR is an abbreviation of Ingenjörsfirma Anders Rundgren, which means Anders Rundgren Engineering Company.[1]

Key Information

IAR Systems develops C and C++ language compilers, debuggers, and other tools for developing and debugging firmware for 8-, 16-, 32-, and 64-bit processors. The firm began in the 8-bit market, later moved into the expanding 32-bit market and, in more recent years, added 64-bit support to its Arm (2021[2]) and RISC-V (2022[3]) toolchains.

IAR Systems is headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden, and has more than 200 employees globally. The company operates subsidiaries in Germany, France, India, Japan, South Korea, China, United States, Taiwan, and United Kingdom and reaches the rest of the world through distributors. IAR Systems is a subsidiary of IAR Systems Group.

Products

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Key products include:

    • IAR Embedded Workbench – an integrated development environment featuring a highly optimized C/C++ compiler, the C-SPY debugger, and the static and runtime analysis tools C-STAT and C-RUN.
    • IAR Build Tools – designed for automated build and test processes in CI/CD environments, available for both Windows and Linux.
    • IAR Visual State – a graphical design tool for state-based software architecture with code generation in C, C++, C#, or Java.
    • Security and Functional Safety Extensions – including Secure Deploy, security analysis tools, and TÜV-certified toolchains for standards like ISO 26262, IEC 61508, and IEC 62304. The platform supports over 20 architectures, including ARM, RISC-V, MSP430, RL78, AVR.

IAR Embedded Workbench

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The toolchain IAR Embedded Workbench, which supports more than 30 different processor families, is a complete integrated development environment (IDE) with compiler, analysis tools, debugger, functional safety, and security. The development tools support these targets: 78K, 8051, ARM, AVR, AVR32, CR16C, Coldfire, H8, HCS12, M16C, M32C, MSP430, Maxim MAXQ, RISC-V RV32, R32C, R8C, RH850, RL78, RX, S08, SAM8, STM8, SuperH, V850.[4] Supported ARM core families are: ARM7, ARM9, ARM10, ARM11, Cortex: M0, M0+, M1, M3, M4, M7, M23, M33; R4, R5, R7; A5, A7, A8, A9, A15, A17. RISC-V tools support the RV32I, RV32E and RV64I base integer instruction sets and a wide range of standard and non-standard extensions.

IAR Embedded Workbench C++ is dialectal and contains some features not part of standard C++.[5]

ISO/ANSI C compliance; as of March 2017:[6][7]

  • ANSI X3.159-1989 (known as C89).
  • ISO/IEC 9899:1990 (known as C89 or C90) including all technical corrigenda and addenda.
  • ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (known as C99) including up to technical corrigendum No3.
  • ISO/IEC 9899:2011 (known as C11). (first available in ARM v8.10 tools)[7]
  • ISO/IEC 9899:2018 (known as C17). (first available in ARM v8.40 tools)[8]

ISO/ANSI C++ compliance; as of March 2017:[6][7]

  • ISO/IEC 14882:2003 (known as C++03).
  • ISO/IEC 14882:2014 (known as C++14). (first available in ARM v8.10 tools)[7]
  • ISO/IEC 14882:2017 (known as C++17). (first available in ARM v8.30 tools)[9]

Embedded C++ compliance; as of February 2015:[6]

  • C++ as defined by ISO/IEC 14882:2003.
  • Embedded C++ (EC++) as defined by Embedded C++ Technical Committee Draft, Version WP-AM-0003, 13 October 1999.
  • Extended Embedded C++, defined by IAR Systems.

MISRA C rule checking conformance:

  • MISRA C:2004
  • MISRA C:2012 Amendment 3
  • MISRA C++:2008

References

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from Grokipedia
IAR Systems Group AB (publ) is a Swedish software company founded in 1983 and headquartered in , specializing in the development of tools and services for embedded systems programming and embedded security. In 2025, it was acquired by The Qt Company Ltd, becoming a subsidiary of Qt Group Plc. The company was listed on from 1999 until its delisting in November 2025, and provides world-leading software solutions that accelerate developer productivity, enabling the creation of secure and efficient products across industries such as industrial automation, automotive, medical devices, and . At the core of IAR's offerings is IAR Embedded Workbench, a comprehensive (IDE) featuring an optimized , assembler, linker, , and static tools, certified for by TÜV SÜD and supporting over 20 processor architectures including , RISC-V, and Renesas families. This streamlines workflows, ensures code reliability, and integrates with real-time operating systems (RTOS) like Zephyr, while providing advanced debugging capabilities such as real-time tracing and code coverage . Complementing its development tools, IAR delivers embedded solutions, including runtime and compliance features, to protect devices against vulnerabilities in an increasingly connected world. With a global presence through sales and support offices in regions including the , , , and , IAR serves a diverse customer base focused on building innovative, compliant embedded applications. The company's mission emphasizes engineering excellence, curiosity, and passion to foster secure and intelligent embedded experiences for devices worldwide, contributing to faster time-to-market and reduced development costs for its clients.

Overview

Company Profile

IAR Systems, originally established as Ingenjörsfirma Anders Rundgren AB, was founded in 1983 in , , by engineer Anders Rundgren. The company has evolved from a small firm into a global provider of software tools for embedded systems development. Headquartered in , , IAR Systems employed approximately 220 people as of 2024 and maintained 13 offices worldwide. It operated as a publicly traded company on under the ticker IAR B until its delisting on November 3, 2025. The firm specializes in tools for embedded systems, primarily serving industries such as automotive, (IoT), and industrial automation. On October 13, 2025, IAR Systems was acquired by Qt Group Plc through a public cash offer, resulting in Qt holding over 94% of the shares. Following compulsory redemption initiated on October 23, 2025, Qt Group achieved full ownership, integrating IAR into a broader ecosystem for cross-platform software development. Key offerings include tools like IAR Embedded Workbench for embedded programming.

Mission and Strategic Focus

IAR Systems' mission is to accelerate developer productivity in embedded development and , enabling companies worldwide to create and secure innovative products across diverse industries. This focus empowers developers with advanced tools that streamline the creation of for smart devices, emphasizing efficiency and reliability in sectors such as automotive, industrial automation, and . The company's vision extends this mission by aiming to deliver secure and intelligent embedded experiences for every person and device on the , fostering a future where embedded systems drive global connectivity and innovation. At the core of IAR Systems' operations are values of curiosity, courage, passion, and engineering excellence, which propel continuous innovation and problem-solving in embedded technologies. These principles guide the company in challenging conventional approaches to , encouraging bold exploration and a commitment to high-quality engineering that builds a better world through reliable embedded solutions. This value-driven culture supports the company's transformative goals in empowering developers. Strategically, IAR Systems prioritizes broad architectural support, covering over 20 processor architectures including and , to provide flexible, best-in-class toolchains that avoid . Developers benefit from full access, enabling deep customization to meet specific project needs while maintaining long-term control over their workflows. Additionally, the company emphasizes safety-certified toolchains compliant with key standards such as for automotive and for industrial applications, ensuring robust, secure, and high-quality code that meets regulatory demands without compromising performance. Following its acquisition by QT Group in 2025, IAR Systems has aligned its offerings with QT's cross-platform solutions to enhance embedded user experiences on devices globally, creating synergies in product development and expanding capabilities for seamless UI integration with secure backend tools. This integration strengthens IAR's role in delivering end-to-end embedded solutions, combining its development expertise with QT's framework for broader market reach and .

History

Founding and Early Development

IAR Systems was founded in 1983 by Swedish engineer Anders Rundgren in , . The company's name derives from its initial incarnation as Ingenjörsfirma Anders Rundgren, a consultancy dedicated to services. From the outset, IAR targeted the emerging embedded systems sector, recognizing the need for specialized tools to program the limited resources of early microprocessors. The company's early efforts centered on creating optimized tools for 8-bit microcontrollers, such as the popular 8051 family, which were prevalent in resource-constrained applications like industrial controls and . This focus addressed key challenges in the nascent market, where dominated due to the inefficiencies of higher-level languages on small memory footprints. By prioritizing code size and execution speed, IAR's tools enabled more efficient development for embedded devices, setting a foundation for broader adoption of in this domain. A pivotal achievement came with the 1983 release of IAR's inaugural C compiler, the first commercial cross-compiler tailored for 8-bit microcontrollers, which revolutionized firmware development by bringing the portability and productivity of C to constrained hardware. This innovation quickly gained traction among developers, establishing IAR as a leader in embedded toolchains and driving initial growth through partnerships with semiconductor vendors. By the mid-1990s, as microcontroller architectures advanced, IAR expanded support to 16-bit and 32-bit processors, broadening its portfolio to accommodate increasingly complex systems while maintaining its core emphasis on optimization for performance-critical environments.

Expansion and Key Milestones

During the 2000s, IAR Systems expanded its presence into key global markets, establishing sales and support offices in the United States, , and to better serve international customers and facilitate growth in development. This period also marked the addition of support for architectures in its Embedded Workbench , enabling developers to target the increasingly popular 32-bit processors used in a wide range of embedded applications. In the , IAR Systems continued its growth trajectory, notably through the acquisition of Secure Thingz in 2018, which enhanced its embedded security offerings and integrated advanced solutions for IoT device protection into its portfolio. The company expanded its support to over 30 processor families, providing comprehensive development environments for diverse architectures and solidifying its position in the embedded market. Key technological advancements in the early 2020s included the introduction of 64-bit support for cores in February 2021, allowing IAR's tools to address high-performance applications in IoT and . This was followed by 64-bit support in March 2022, extending compatibility to open-source processor designs and enabling optimized development for AI and advanced embedded systems. By 2022, IAR Systems had established itself as a leader in certified toolchains for functional safety standards such as and , with its pre-qualified Embedded Workbench editions streamlining compliance for safety-critical applications in automotive and industrial sectors. The company's tools supported over 14,000 devices from more than 200 partners, serving thousands of companies worldwide and empowering approximately 100,000 developers in creation. In October 2025, Qt Group completed its acquisition of IAR Systems Group AB, acquiring 94.49% of the shares and subsequently leading to the delisting of IAR from .

Products and Services

Integrated Development Environments

IAR Embedded Workbench serves as the flagship (IDE) from IAR Systems, designed specifically for development. It provides a comprehensive that includes an optimizing C/C++ compiler, assembler, linker, and debugger, enabling developers to create, build, and test applications for resource-constrained microcontrollers. The IDE supports and hardware debugging capabilities, allowing for both virtual prototyping and real-time interaction with target hardware through interfaces like and SWD. A core strength of IAR Embedded Workbench lies in its advanced analysis tools, which facilitate code optimization and quality assurance. The integrated IAR C-STAT static analysis tool checks for compliance with standards such as MISRA C/C++ (including MISRA C:2023 as of 2024), helping to detect potential defects early in the development cycle and ensure adherence to safety-critical guidelines. Additionally, runtime analysis via IAR C-RUN enables error detection during execution, supporting robust verification of embedded code. These features are particularly valuable for optimizing performance in power-sensitive applications, where the IDE's power debugging functionality—leveraging real-time trace and profiling in the C-SPY debugger—allows developers to monitor energy consumption without halting execution. The environment streamlines end-to-end workflows by integrating seamlessly with real-time operating systems (RTOS), including , Zephyr, and PX5, through built-in plugins that provide task-level visibility and debugging. This enables efficient handling of multitasking scenarios common in embedded systems, from initial coding to final deployment on devices. IAR Embedded Workbench supports over 20 processor architectures, such as , , Renesas RX and RH850, STM8, AVR, and legacy cores like 8051 and MSP430, ensuring broad applicability across diverse hardware ecosystems. Originally evolving from IAR Systems' pioneering C compiler for the 8051 released in 1983, the IDE has undergone continuous evolution to incorporate modern language standards, including C18 (ISO/IEC 9899:2018) and (ISO/IEC 14882:2017), while maintaining for older embedded projects. Ongoing updates enhance support for emerging cores, such as Arm Cortex-M52, and integrate with development ecosystems like VS Code, pipelines, and cloud-enabled platforms as of 2025, reflecting its adaptation to contemporary embedded workflows. Functional safety editions, certified by SÜD, further extend its utility in regulated industries like automotive and .

Build and Security Tools

IAR Build Tools provide a command-line suite designed for and () pipelines, supporting both Windows and Linux environments such as and . These tools enable automated compilation, linking, and testing of embedded applications without requiring the full (IDE), facilitating scalable installations from small build servers to large deployments with hundreds of licenses. They integrate seamlessly with popular orchestrators like Jenkins and , optimizing workflows for modern development teams by delivering high quality and performance in containerized setups. IAR Visual State is a graphical development tool specialized in state machine modeling for embedded systems, allowing users to design, simulate, and verify complex state-based applications intuitively. It supports the creation of hierarchical state charts and generates production-ready C, C++, C#, or Java code, ensuring error-free implementation without manual coding of transitions or events. The tool runs on both Linux and Windows platforms, streamlining the transition from visual design to deployable embedded software while minimizing debugging efforts through built-in simulation and testing features. IAR's security solutions address vulnerabilities in embedded and IoT devices through specialized tools for protection and device management. C-Trust serves as an extension for secure and within the development , enabling developers to produce tamper-resistant with features like runtime integrity checks and support for modules. Secure Deploy facilitates secure device provisioning across the , from prototyping low-volume runs to high-volume , by preventing unauthorized access, overproduction, and ensuring encrypted updates. These solutions, including Embedded Trust for comprehensive runtime protection, are TÜV SÜD certified to meet safety standards such as for software, providing verifiable compliance for regulated industries. The integration of security capabilities stems from IAR's 2018 acquisition of Secure Thingz, a provider of advanced embedded security technologies, which enhanced IAR's offerings with robust defenses against IoT-specific threats like side-channel attacks and firmware tampering. This acquisition allowed IAR to incorporate Secure Thingz's expertise into its portfolio, bolstering runtime protections that safeguard device authenticity and data confidentiality throughout the product lifecycle. These tools complement broader development workflows, such as those using Embedded Workbench, to create end-to-end secure embedded systems.

Corporate Developments

Rebranding and Organizational Changes

On February 13, 2023, IAR Systems announced a initiative, adopting IAR as its brand name while retaining the I.A.R. Systems Group AB (publ), to project a more dynamic and developer-centric identity. This change aimed to better align the company's image with its role in empowering embedded engineers amid evolving technology landscapes. Accompanying the brand update was a refreshed visual identity, including a modernized and graphic elements designed to symbolize innovation, agility, and a strong commitment to secure embedded development. The new branding emphasizes IAR's focus on enabling customers to build intelligent, secure products, reflecting the company's ongoing transformation. In parallel, IAR restructured its organization into three specialized units to enhance operational efficiency: IAR Embedded Development Solutions for core tools like the Embedded Workbench IDE; IAR Embedded Security Solutions, building on prior acquisitions to address needs; and IAR Embedded for professional training and services. This division was intended to streamline focus areas and support accelerated growth in response to increasing market demands for efficient and secure embedded solutions. The changes followed earlier expansions, such as the acquisition of Secure Thingz, which bolstered IAR's capabilities.

Acquisition by QT Group

On July 4, 2025, Qt Group Plc, a Finland-based software company, announced a recommended public cash offer through its wholly owned subsidiary, The Qt Company Ltd, to acquire all shares in I.A.R. Systems Group AB (publ) ("IAR Systems"). The offer was for SEK 180 in cash per share, applicable to both Class A and Class B shares, representing a premium of approximately 63.6% over the volume-weighted average trading price of SEK 110.1 during the preceding three months. This valued IAR Systems at approximately SEK 2.3 billion on a fully diluted basis. The acquisition process advanced swiftly, with IAR Systems' board unanimously recommending acceptance to shareholders. The offer period concluded on October 10, 2025, resulting in Qt Group securing acceptances for 94.49% of the shares. By October 28, 2025, acceptances had increased to 97.91%. Completion was announced on October 13, 2025, marking the official acquisition of the controlling stake. To achieve full ownership, The Qt Company Ltd initiated compulsory redemption proceedings for the remaining shares, in line with Swedish takeover regulations. The delisting of IAR Systems from was approved on October 23, 2025, with November 3, 2025, as the final day of trading, completing the process as of November 2025. The strategic rationale behind the acquisition centered on integrating IAR Systems' specialized embedded development tools with Qt Group's cross-platform application and UI frameworks to create a comprehensive ecosystem for developers. This combination aims to enhance offerings for key sectors such as automotive and Internet of Things (IoT), enabling more efficient end-to-end software development solutions. Qt Group had monitored IAR Systems' operations for some time, viewing the deal as an opportunity to expand its addressable market and strengthen its position in embedded software. The transaction builds on IAR Systems' prior rebranding efforts to align with modern development needs.

Global Presence and Impact

Leadership and Operations

As of 2025, IAR Systems is led by CEO Cecilia Wachtmeister, who assumed the role on August 16, 2024 after serving as EVP at Kambi Group Plc and holding leadership positions at AB. The executive team includes Chief Technology and Engineering Officer Anders Holmberg, who has been with IAR since 2000 and focuses on embedded systems tools; Ann Zetterberg, with over 20 years of experience in sectors; Danielle Iversen, overseeing global since 2025; Thomas Andersson, specializing in ; and Emilia Waldenvik, managing personnel since 2023. The is chaired by Nicolas Hassbjer since 2021, a founder of HMS Networks AB with expertise in IoT and embedded systems, and includes independent members Michael Ingelög (finance background), Sabina Lindén (HR and ), Fred Wikström (M&A and ), and Sofia Persson Björk ( , appointed 2025). Following the acquisition by Qt Group Plc's subsidiary The Qt Company Ltd in October 2025, which resulted in Qt owning over 94% of shares, IAR's governance has shifted from Swedish standards to oversight by Qt Group, with no immediate changes to management planned. IAR was delisted from on November 3, 2025, after approval of its application, and an was held on November 14, 2025, to elect a restructured board integrating Qt executives. Operationally, IAR maintains 13 offices across three continents, with headquarters and primary R&D in , , emphasizing tool development for embedded systems. Sales and support teams are distributed globally, including locations in (), the (, and , ), (), and (Bengaluru), to serve customers in automotive, industrial, and medical sectors. The company employs approximately 220 staff, with a strong emphasis on talent dedicated to product innovation, tools, and worldwide customer support.

Industry Role and Innovations

IAR Systems plays a pivotal role in the industry, serving over 15,000 customers worldwide, including major companies in the automotive and sectors. In automotive applications, IAR's tools ensure compliance with standards such as , enabling efficient development of safety-critical systems for . Similarly, in medical devices, the company's solutions support regulatory requirements for reliable and secure embedded applications, facilitating innovations in diagnostics and patient monitoring equipment. A key innovation from IAR Systems lies in its pioneering of highly optimizing compilers tailored for the resource-constrained environments of embedded systems, which have set benchmarks for code efficiency since the company's early days. Building on this, IAR has established leadership in secure IoT development through tools certified under frameworks like PSA Certified, particularly via its Secure Thingz subsidiary, which provides end-to-end security solutions for device provisioning and protection. Additionally, IAR's embedded workbench supports evaluations, aiding developers in meeting stringent security standards for IoT deployments. The impact of IAR's contributions is profound, as its tools enable the generation of reliable, energy-efficient code that powers billions of embedded devices globally, from to industrial automation. IAR has also advanced open standards by actively participating in the ecosystem, including membership in the RISC-V International organization and providing comprehensive development toolchains that accelerate adoption of this open ISA. These efforts foster and in diverse markets. Looking ahead post-2025, following its acquisition by Qt Group, IAR is positioned to leverage synergies in creating integrated platforms for embedded development, combining IAR's low-level optimization with Qt's cross-platform frameworks.

References

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