Apex.AI
Apex.AI develops safety-certified real-time middleware and an application runtime framework (Apex.Grace, Apex.Ida) for automotive, agriculture, marine, defense, and medical autonomous systems, licensing ISO 26262 ASIL D software and services to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Apex.AI does
Apex.AI, Inc. is a privately held software company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with wholly-owned subsidiaries in Germany, Sweden, Japan, and South Korea. The company develops safety-certified, real-time middleware and an application runtime framework — primarily Apex.Grace (formerly Apex.OS) and Apex.Ida (formerly Apex.Middleware) — built on the open-source ROS 2 and Eclipse iceoryx foundations. Apex.Grace is certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D as a Safety Element out of Context, positioning the company as a bridge between prototype robotics code and production safety-critical automotive, agriculture, marine, defense, and medical deployments. Supporting products include Apex.Alan (CI/CD tooling) and Apex.OS for V&V (data recording and replay for verification and validation workflows).
The company generates revenue through two streams: software licensing of its SDKs, middleware, and tools to enterprise customers, and professional services covering technical assessment, embedded and cloud software development, CI/CD pipeline implementation, and ROS 1-to-ROS 2 migration. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, augmented by strategic partnerships and an expanding channel presence in Korea through ivis Co., Ltd. The capital structure is venture-backed, with cumulative funding above $75 million from financial investors (Canaan, Lightspeed, Orillion, Toyota Ventures, Airbus Ventures) and a strategically aligned roster of corporate shareholders (ZF, Continental, AGCO, Jaguar Land Rover's InMotion Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital, HELLA Ventures, Daimler Truck, LG Electronics) — many of which are simultaneously customers, partners, and shareholders.
Apex.AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Apex.AI
- Legal name
- Apex.AI, Inc.
- Website
- https://apex.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Apex.AI develops safety-certified real-time middleware and an application runtime framework (Apex.Grace, Apex.Ida) for automotive, agriculture, marine, defense, and medical autonomous systems, licensing ISO 26262 ASIL D software and services to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Apex.AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Vehicle Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Developer Tooling & SDK Platforms (BPAMAOAD)
Keywords
Where Apex.AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Apex.AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses (SDK/Products): The company licenses its software products including Apex.Grace, Apex.Ida, Apex.Alan, and Apex.OS for V&V to automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and mobility companies. These are safety-certified software development kits and middleware solutions.
- Professional Services: Technical assessment, strategy and architecture definition, embedded software development, cloud software development, CI/CD pipeline implementation, and ROS 1 to ROS 2 migration services. The company offers expert transition services and consulting engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Apex.AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Apex.AI develops and licenses safety-certified software development kits (SDKs), middleware, and CI/CD tools that enable automotive, agriculture, marine, defense, and medical companies to build and deploy real-time autonomous systems. The product platform is built on proven open-source foundations (ROS 2 and Eclipse iceoryx), extended with a proprietary safety-certification process to meet ISO 26262 ASIL D. The company also provides professional services covering technical assessment, architecture definition, embedded and cloud development, CI/CD implementation, and ROS 1 to ROS 2 migration.
Product overview
Apex.AI provides a platform-plus-modules product architecture centered on Apex.OS, a safety-certified, real-time software development kit for mobility and autonomous systems. Apex.OS consists of two core components: Apex.Grace (application runtime framework / SDK, formerly Apex.OS) and Apex.Ida (high-performance communication middleware, formerly Apex.Middleware). These are complemented by Apex.Alan (CI/CD and build tools) and Apex.OS for Verification and Validation (data recording and replay). The products are built on proven open-source software (ROS 2, Eclipse iceoryx) extended with functional safety, real-time determinism, and flawless performance through a proprietary certification process. The portfolio enables AI and autonomy software development and deployment across automotive, agriculture, medical, defense, and industrial automation sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Apex.Grace: Application runtime framework in the form of a software development kit (SDK) providing a robust framework for developing real-time, reliable, and safe applications. Safety-certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D.
- Apex.Ida
- Apex.Alan
- Apex.OS for V&V
Products and services
- Apex.Grace Application runtime framework delivered as a software development kit (SDK) for developing real-time, reliable, and safe applications on autonomous systems. Core APIs are based on ROS 2 APIs with extensions enabling real-time execution, reliable performance, fleet deployment, system state management, safety, and security. Safety-certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D as a Safety Element out of Context (SEooC). Target users are automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and developers of safety-critical autonomous systems in agriculture, marine, defense, and medical sectors.
- Apex.Ida High-performance communication middleware delivering optimal data transport across use cases from fully autonomous vehicles with high-resolution cameras to small ultra-high-frequency signals in safety-critical domains. Built on Eclipse iceoryx shared-memory data transport with connectors into DDS, SOME/IP, MQTT, CAN, and other protocols, all abstracted into a single application-facing API. Target users are developers of safety-critical autonomous systems that need low-latency, high-throughput inter-process communication.
- Apex.Alan Automated tools and CI/CD workflows that streamline the build, test, and delivery process for complex autonomous software. Provides highly optimized and efficient software integration, multi-variant software management, and development environment automation for global OEMs deploying software at scale.
- Apex.OS for Verification and Validation Data recording and replay system that captures every detail to enable precise, repeatable testing of autonomous systems. Supports comprehensive data recording across sensors and hardware interfaces, deterministic execution and replay, and integration across Software-in-the-Loop (SiL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL), and Vehicle-in-the-Loop (ViL) testing environments.
- Apex.AI Professional Services Engagement-based services covering technical assessment (system gap and bottleneck evaluation), strategy and architecture definition (roadmap co-development), embedded software development, cloud software development, CI/CD pipeline implementation, and ROS 1 to ROS 2 migration. Target customers are enterprise engineering teams building or transitioning autonomous systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20% lower latency and 10% lower total system CPU utilization for number crunching workload compared to ROS 2 multi-threaded executor
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Apex.AI
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Apex.AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature6 records
Apex.AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- driveblockscoreA consortium of European technology companies including driveblocks, Apex.AI, Sysgo, and STW announced a combined software and hardware platform for off-road applications in agriculture, construction, and defense industries. The platform integrates perception, autonomy software, middleware, an operating system, and control units.
- QNXcoreApex.AI and QNX partnered to fast-track deterministic AI for autonomous and robotic systems. QNX provides the safety-certified OS platform while Apex.AI contributes its middleware and SDK expertise.
- HL KlemovecoreApex.AI was chosen as strategic middleware software partner for HL Klemove's next-generation ADAS controllers, providing safety-certified middleware for advanced driver assistance systems.
- ivis Co., Ltdcoreivis Co., Ltd expanded Korean market presence with Apex.AI partnership for advanced mobility and defense software. ivis acquired Korean regional business rights from Apex.AI and signed MOU for business cooperation.
- Open Robotics (ROS)coreApex.AI is a proud supporter of Open Robotics, ROS and ROSCon. The company builds on proven open-source ROS software and contributes to the ROS 2 ecosystem.
- Eclipse FoundationcoreApex.AI is a supporter of the Eclipse Foundation and the leader/top contributor to open-source Eclipse iceoryx, which forms the core of Apex.Ida middleware.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Apex.AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mobileye: Mobileye provides EyeQ-based ADAS and AV stacks with its own sensor-compute-software integration. While more vertically integrated, it competes for the same OEM ADAS/AV software budgets and represents a captive alternative Apex.AI must displace.
- Continental Automotive: Continental is a Tier 1 supplier and strategic investor in Apex.AI that also develops its own SDV software platforms and middleware. Its in-house software stack competes with Apex.AI's products at Continental's own OEM customers.
- NVIDIA (DRIVE OS / DRIVE IX): NVIDIA's DRIVE platform bundles a safety-certified OS, middleware, and reference AV compute stack, frequently displacing independent middleware vendors at OEMs that standardize on NVIDIA silicon. It competes with Apex.AI for the certified software layer above the SoC.
- BlackBerry QNX: QNX provides a safety-certified real-time operating system widely deployed in automotive digital cockpits, ADAS, and autonomous systems. Apex.AI has formally partnered with QNX, but QNX remains a broader incumbent whose OS sits adjacent to (and could absorb) Apex.AI's middleware layer.
Direct peers
- Wind River Systems: Wind River provides safety-certified real-time operating systems (VxWorks, Wind River Linux) used across automotive, aerospace, and industrial autonomous systems. Its RTOS competes with Apex.Grace as the foundational safety-certified execution environment.
- Vector Informatik: Vector Informatik is a leading AUTOSAR toolchain and middleware vendor serving automotive OEMs and Tier 1s. It competes with Apex.AI for production SDV software stacks and currently dominates AUTOSAR Classic and Adaptive tooling.
- Green Hills Software: Green Hills Software provides the INTEGRITY RTOS, a safety-certified real-time operating system used in automotive, avionics, and industrial safety-critical applications. It is a direct competitor in the certified OS / middleware layer for autonomous systems.
- Real-Time Innovations (RTI): RTI provides Connext DDS, the de facto DDS middleware used in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and medical systems. It is the closest direct competitor to Apex.AI's Apex.Ida middleware and competes for the same OEM/Tier 1 middleware seats.
- Elektrobit (EB): Elektrobit provides safety-certified automotive software platforms including EB tresos (AUTOSAR Classic) and EB corbos (AUTOSAR Adaptive). It competes directly with Apex.Grace/Apex.Ida for the middleware and OS layer in next-generation SDV architectures.
Emerging players
- Tier IV: Tier IV is a Japanese autonomous driving software company and Autoware open-source project lead. It is both a customer of Apex.AI (testing autonomous systems in adverse conditions) and a peer building safety-certified AV middleware/stacks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Apex.AI social profiles
Digital presenceApex.AI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Apex.AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Apex.AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Apex.AI subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Apex.AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Apex.AI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Apex.AI
What does Apex.AI do?
Apex.AI develops and licenses safety-certified software development kits (SDKs), middleware, and CI/CD tools that enable automotive, agriculture, marine, defense, and medical companies to build and deploy real-time autonomous systems. The product platform is built on proven open-source foundations (ROS 2 and Eclipse iceoryx), extended with a proprietary safety-certification process to meet ISO 26262 ASIL D. The company also provides professional services covering technical assessment, architecture definition, embedded and cloud development, CI/CD implementation, and ROS 1 to ROS 2 migration.
Is Apex.AI a public or private company?
Apex.AI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Apex.AI founded?
Apex.AI was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Apex.AI based?
Apex.AI is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Apex.AI make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses (SDK/Products) is the primary driver. The others are professional Services.
Who are Apex.AI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mobileye, Continental Automotive, NVIDIA (DRIVE OS / DRIVE IX) and BlackBerry QNX. Direct peers are Wind River Systems, Vector Informatik, Green Hills Software, Real-Time Innovations (RTI) and Elektrobit (EB). Tier IV is listed as an emerging player.
Does Apex.AI have an API?
No public API is recorded for Apex.AI.
What industry is Apex.AI in?
Apex.AI's product category is Autonomous Vehicle Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAOAD, Developer Tooling & SDK Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.