Your silicon needs an SDK.
We design and ship it

needCode is the embedded software partner for semiconductor vendors and IoT product teams. From architecture and HAL through OTA, security, and developer documentation – production-grade SDKs built to win design-ins and meet CRA, IEC 62443, and FCC supply-chain compliance from day one.

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We work with Industry Leaders

Why the SDK is the
competitive differentiator

Process nodes converge. IP blocks are licensed. RF front-end performance is increasingly commoditised. The actual differentiator between vendors with comparable silicon is what the developer experiences in the first 30 minutes of evaluating the SDK that ships with it.

That single page — the getting-started — determines whether a platform is even in the conversation when the design-in is awarded. A weak SDK loses customers whose silicon you would have won on technical merit. A production-grade SDK keeps your platform on the shortlist, halves the time-to-prototype, and turns the support burden from a P&L line item into a roadmap accelerator.

$ B

Forecast IoT market by 2030

(MarketsandMarkets, 2025–2030)

Connected IoT devices by 2030, 13.2% CAGR

(IoT Analytics, Fall 2025)

Dec 11, 2027

CRA enforcement begins. CE mark gated on conformity.

(EC, EU Reg 2024/2847)

Nine capabilities. One coherent SDK

Each one is non-negotiable in a production-grade embedded SDK. We design and ship all nine as a single integrated stack.

SDK Architecture & Layered Design

We architect the layer separation that keeps your SDK portable across silicon generations. HAL, board support, OSAL, middleware, application — each with a stable contract and a clear ownership boundary.

Hardware Abstraction Layer

Three HAL patterns dominate production SDKs — opaque handles, vtables, device-tree. We pick the one that matches your silicon family lifecycle, then ship it with typed errors and ISR-safe callbacks.

RTOS Portability via OSAL

A BLE stack written against FreeRTOS task handles cannot be reused on Zephyr without a rewrite — unless you defined an OS Abstraction Layer up front. We design the OSAL contract that lets you validate once.

Memory Management Discipline

Heap fragmentation is the silent killer of multi-year deployments. We enforce static and pool-based allocation strategies appropriate to each subsystem, with documented constraints on dynamic allocation.

Security & CRA Compliance

TF-M from generation one. PSA Crypto API surface locked early. Secure boot, signed firmware, dual-slot OTA. Retrofitting after Dec 2027 is a silicon revision, not a firmware patch.

OTA Update Pipelines

8.5% of devices in a poorly-designed OTA pipeline fail within 3 years. We design the four-stage pipeline — stage, verify, commit, rollback — that prevents fleet-wide bricking.

Build Systems & CI/CD

CMake / West / Kconfig configurations that scale from a single board to a 600-board family. Reproducible builds, locked toolchain versions, automated nightly regression on representative HIL targets.

Documentation as Product

A Doxygen warning is treated as a build error. We design the six doc types — API ref, architecture, getting-started, migration, samples, changelog — as release artifacts, not afterthoughts.

Testing Strategy

Host-side unit tests with mock injection at the HAL boundary. Hardware-in-the-loop coverage for peripheral integration. End-to-end regression on representative customer scenarios.

Want to discuss your SDK roadmap?

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Four ways to bring needCode in

From a one-week audit to a multi-year partnership. We tailor the engagement to where the SDK is in its lifecycle.

01 SDK Audit & Roadmap

Duration:
2–4 weeks
Best for:
Existing SDKs needing external assessment before a major release.
Deliverable:
Audit report, prioritised remediation roadmap, leadership readout.

02 Greenfield SDK Design

Duration:
8–16 weeks design + phased delivery
Best for:
New silicon families where the SDK is designed alongside the chip.
Deliverable:
Architecture, design specs, working reference on the target dev kit.

03 SDK
Modernisation

Duration:
12–24 weeks, phased
Best for:
Mature SDKs that need RTOS portability, CRA security, or doc overhaul.
Deliverable:
Migration plan, refactored components, deprecation guides, updated CI.

04 Long-Term Partnership

Duration:
Multi-year, retainer-based
Best for:
Silicon vendors and product companies who want needCode for the full lifecycle.
Deliverable:
Embedded engineering team integrated with your release process.

What makes our SDK work different

Deep Domain Authority

Central Europe's largest dedicated embedded engineering team. Over a decade of designing production SDKs for silicon vendors, IoT product companies, and connected device OEMs shipping to millions of devices. We work on production firmware, not greenfield prototypes.

Business-Driven Architecture

Every architectural decision is mapped to a business outcome. HAL portability means longer silicon family lifetime. OSAL means lower per-RTOS validation cost. Production-grade documentation means shorter sales cycles. We do not ship architecture diagrams that do not pay for themselves.

End-to-End Control

From silicon-up to cloud-down. We design SDKs that integrate with the rest of the embedded stack we already know — UWB, BLE, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, PMICs, secure elements — without handing you a stack of vendor white papers and a TODO list.

What we ship in

No religious wars. We pick the toolchain that matches your silicon, your team, and the expected lifecycle of the product.

Languages & RTOS

C99

C11

C++

Assembly

Zephyr

FreeRTOS

ThreadX

Bare metal

Linux (gateways)

Toolchains & build

GCC arm-none-eabi

LLVM/Clang

IAR EWARM

Keil MDK

Segger

CMake

West

Kconfig

GNU Make

Bazel

Security & OTA

TF-M

PSA Crypto API

MCUboot

mbedTLS

CryptoCell

ARM TrustZone

Mender

ESP RainMaker

Custom dual-slot bootloaders

Documentation, CI & testing

Doxygen

Sphinx + breathe

MkDocs

Asciidoctor

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Jenkins

Unity

CMock

Ceedling

Renode

QEMU

Four phases. One coherent stack.

The SDK lifecycle does not end at the first GA release — it begins there. We design for the full multi-year window from concept to legacy support.

Phase 1

Design

We turn a silicon datasheet, a feature requirements document, and a target customer profile into a layered SDK architecture. HAL pattern selection. OSAL primitive set. Memory model. Security architecture. OTA pipeline. Documentation IA. CI/CD pipeline design. Initial test plan.

Deliverable:
Architecture document, design specs, working reference implementation on the target dev kit.

Phase 2

Prototyping

Implementation of core HAL drivers, OSAL primitive set, the canonical communication subsystem (BLE / UWB / Zigbee / Matter as relevant), the OTA pipeline, and the getting-started sample. Documentation written alongside code. CI green from day one.

Deliverable:
Pre-release SDK candidate with feature-parity to the architecture, ready for first customer evaluations.

Phase 3

Commercialization

Full-feature implementation. Security audit. CRA conformity assessment. Documentation completed for all six doc types. Migration guides where applicable. Performance optimisation. Production-grade test coverage. Release notes, changelog, sample portfolio expanded to cover representative customer scenarios.

Deliverable:
Released SDK, ready for design-in evaluation by external developers.

Phase 4

Maintenance

Bug fixes within agreed SLAs. CVE response. Customer escalation support. New silicon variant support added without breaking the existing API. Documentation updated with each release. Migration guides authored at the moment of deprecation, not the moment of removal.

Deliverable:
Multi-year support coverage that keeps your platform competitive long after the launch press release.

Case studies

Proof from the silicon vendors we already serve.

This is the segment needCode was built for - and the deepest proof on the site.

Qorvo: RF Leadership

Context: Rapid scaling for new chipset bring-up.

Scale: Grew from <10 to 30 FTEs.
Output: Supported bring-up of 9 new hardware platforms (SDKs, Drivers, Stacks).
Retention: Zero-churn core team retained for 5+ years.

Dedicated Development Center for RF Solutions

Bluetooth Mesh Smart Lighting Control System

Smart Lighting: Core R&D Extension

Context: Client needed deep, specialized expertise to pivot from proprietary tech to a new global standard.

Service: Deployed a dedicated squad of embedded engineers to function as the client's core R&D team.
Output: Co-authored official Bluetooth SIG protocols and delivered the world’s first certified BLE Mesh stack.
Value: Enabled the client to secure Series A funding and defined the industry standard for smart buildings.

Creative Werks: Innovation rescue

Context: Hardware obsolescence threatened production shutdown.

Action: Full-stack takeover (PCB redesign + Firmware + Mobile App).
ROI: 1230% ($1.6M value generated).
Speed: Payback period of 2–3 months.

NeedCode-case study - IoT Solution for Boat Lift Modernization - cover2s

PowerPollen: AgTech automation

Context: Lack of internal expertise stalled a critical automation project.

Action: Re-architected system using unified MCU and ISOBUS standards.
ROI: 13.8x ($2.9M value generated).
Impact: Enabled $1.9M increase in harvester value.

Three outcomes we deliver

#01 Optimization

For teams whose existing SDK needs to be measurably faster, smaller, or more reliable. We audit the architecture, identify the bottlenecks that map to business cost (truck rolls, support tickets, lost design-ins), and refactor the highest-leverage components without breaking customers.

#02 Modernization

For teams whose SDK predates the current regulatory and security bar. CRA conformity, modern OTA, RTOS portability, signed firmware, secure boot. We bring the SDK forward without forcing a full rewrite or breaking the existing customer base.

#03 Transformation

For silicon vendors creating a new product line. We design the SDK from generation one with the lifecycle decisions — HAL pattern, OSAL contract, security architecture, documentation IA — that determine whether the platform wins design-ins or loses them quietly in evaluation.

Strategic Partnership

needCode is an official business partner of Qorvo, bringing over 8 years of proven expertise and trusted service to the technology sector.

Check our performance

Members of the UWB Alliance

In 2025 we became a member of the UWB Alliance. This strategic step reinforces our commitment to pioneering Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology.

Nordic Semiconductor

needCode was approved in both – listed as a Design Partner in EMEA, and as a Solution Partner in the Bluetooth Positioning Systems category.

Read about partnership

Proudly Certified for Excellence and Security

needCode is officially certified for:
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality Management
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 – Information Security

ISO certifications reflect our focus on delivering reliable IoT solutions, smart product development, and secure technology services.

Testimonials

“I think the key takeaway from needCode is their ability to adapt and understand the customer's requirements. That took away probably a large portion of what could have been a lot of development time and expense for both companies.”

Bob Folkestad

President at Creative Werks

“One aspect that truly sets needCode apart is its profound expertise in firmware development. Their proficiency in various programming languages, embedded systems and hardware architecture is truly impressive. When faced with difficult problems, their strong problem-solving skills and analytical mindset shine through, allowing them to overcome obstacles with remarkable ease.”

Semeh Sarhan

CEO at Xtrava

“I worked with needCode while leading the NWTN-Berlin team in 2018. A big chunk for our FW development has been outsourced to them and they had proven to iterate very quickly, following specs and deliver on time. It was great working with them. I recommend working with needCode’s team on any Embedded SW development.”

Marco Salvioli Mariani

CTO at NWTN Berlin GmbH

“needCode Team proved to be one of the best engineers I have ever met. The part I like the most about the team is the more difficult an obstacle seems to be, the more motivated they were to find a solution and a way forward.”

Szymon Słupik

CTO at Silvair

“needCode is an outstanding partner. Their quick follow-up, scalability, and extensive professional network set them apart. Their expertise in wireless technologies has been valuable, supporting us from low-level drivers to architecture discussions.”

Tim Allemeersch

Director at Qorvo, Inc.

“needCode did a great job improving the firmware of the Vai Kai connected toys and developing new features, surpassing our expectations multiple times. I would definitely recommend hiring Bartek and needCode for the embedded software projects!”

Matas Petrikas

CEO & Co-founder at Vai Kai UG

Insights

CCC Digital Key 3.0 vs 4.0: Implementation Changes for OEMs and Tier 1s

CCC Digital Key 3.0 is the release that turned the phone into a passive entry device, and it is still the version most vehicle programmes in production today were built against. Version 4.0 is now published and being tested across the ecosystem, and the questions arriving at OEM and Tier 1 engineering teams are practical […]

Partnerships

Qorvo Nordic Semiconductor UWB Alliance Creative Werks

Resources

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Your silicon needs an SDK.We design and ship it