IAR Systems and Data I/O Establish Partnership to Bridge the Gap from Development to Manufacturing

Unique Collaboration on Modern Workflows to Reduce Time to Market and Ensure Product Quality in Embedded Designs

Uppsala, Sweden and Redmond, WA - February 20, 2018 - IAR Systems®, the leading supplier of software tools and services for embedded development and Data I/O, the leader in data programming and secure provisioning, announced they will be collaborating to deliver an integrated, modern workflow that will help developers and manufacturing professionals to make the transition of microcontroller firmware from development to manufacturing more efficient and improve quality for embedded designs. IAR Systems, established in 1983, and Data I/O, founded in 1972, share a large number of global and local customers within automotive, Internet of Things, medical, wireless, consumer electronics, industrial controls and other markets. IAR Systems is the leading provider of high-performance development tools for embedded applications, and Data I/O has been the leader in the programming systems market for many years. Up to now, the two companies have been part of separate stages of their customers' respective design and manufacturing processes. However, the growing complexity of embedded applications and the increasing quality and security concerns within the embedded market now drive a need to bridge that separation. IAR Systems and Data I/O respond to this need by establishing a shared vision for a modern workflow connecting these key processes, easing the transition from development to manufacturing and enabling companies to establish modern, seamless workflows to ensure resource efficiency, fast time to market, and high quality. "The design to manufacturing transition has been a problem for many companies for a long time," said Stefan Skarin, CEO of IAR Systems. "Solving this problem requires a long-term roadmap based on customer requirements. IAR Systems and Data I/O have both been serving the embedded market for many years, are financially stable public companies and are committed to long term R&D, paving the way for a strong partnership enabling joint customers to taking full control of their products." "Manufacturing professionals often receive a collection of images, configuration files and documents and are then asked to deliver a perfect first article at the designated manufacturing facility," said Anthony Ambrose, CEO of Data I/O. "On top of this, they are often required to add serial numbers and other design specific information. Many times this causes the first article process to take far longer and consume far more resources than it should. By bridging the gap from development to manufacturing, we provide joint customers with completely new possibilities to reduce time to market and ensure high quality. " As important as an integrated, modern workflow is for today's embedded designs, IAR Systems and Data I/O are convinced that the level of integration between development and manufacturing will become a hard requirement as companies start adding security to their designs. When device-specific security credentials such as keys and certificates are added, a modern, integrated workflow becomes a necessity. For these reasons, both companies are committed to integrate the appropriate processes and tools, reinforced by each company's worldwide network of support personnel, to bring strong benefits for its joint customers.

About IAR Systems IAR Systems supplies future-proof software tools and services for embedded development, enabling companies worldwide to create the products of today and the innovations of tomorrow. Since 1983, IAR Systems' solutions have ensured quality, reliability and efficiency in the development of over one million embedded applications. The company is headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden and has sales and support offices all over the world. IAR Systems Group AB is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, Mid Cap. Learn more at www.iar.com. Editor's Note: IAR Systems, IAR Embedded Workbench, IAR Connect, C-SPY, C-RUN, C-STAT, IAR Visual State, IAR KickStart Kit, I-jet, I-jet Trace, I-scope, IAR Academy, IAR, and the logotype of IAR Systems are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by IAR Systems AB. All other products names are trademarks of their respective owners.