NIL Inc. is a small Japanese software firm that builds specialized tools — xDTS, Nirvana, Cyclo, and Cyclo.Req — for requirements engineering, functional safety, UML modeling, and code metrics, serving automotive and medical safety-critical development teams via direct sales and consulting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersSetagaya, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What does
NIL Inc. (株式会社ニルソフトウェア) is a privately held Japanese software firm headquartered in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, founded in 1995 and reorganized as a kabushiki kaisha in 1998. The company builds and sells specialized software tools for requirements engineering, functional safety analysis (ISO 26262, Automotive SPICE, IEC 62304), UML-based modeling, code quality measurement, and project information management — sold primarily to safety-critical development teams in the automotive and medical device industries.
Its product portfolio centers on four proprietary tools: xDTS, a web-based integrated project support and information-sharing system (Java/Linux/Apache/PostgreSQL stack) that uses templates, versioned reports, and graphical displays (WBS, Gantt, network diagrams) for defect/issue/schedule management; Nirvana, a UML 2.3 CASE tool extensible through plugins including Safety (GSN for safety cases), KAOS (goal-oriented requirements), and WBS; Cyclo, a multi-language source code metrics tool covering cyclomatic complexity and code structure (C, C++, Java, PHP, TypeScript, etc.); and Cyclo.Req, a requirements inspection tool that parses Japanese natural-language specifications and outputs finite state machines plus SPARK/Ada source code for direct formal verification.
NIL generates revenue through a mix of one-time per-seat/per-system software licenses (e.g., Nirvana client at ¥20,000/user, xDTS base set of 20 system licenses), recurring annual maintenance (15% of Nirvana server setup), ASP-managed hosting subscriptions, and bundled professional services covering Automotive SPICE / ISO 26262 consulting, software process optimization, KAOS/SPARK training, and process-change consulting. Distribution is overwhelmingly direct via email/phone inside Japan, supplemented by channel partnerships (IT Access for booth demonstrations at automotive functional safety conferences) and a flagship technology partnership with AdaCore for SPARK/Ada tool integration. The customer base is enterprise-oriented, with named users including OGIS Research Institute, Nippon Fitz (now SCSK Corporation), and NTT Data Kyushu, all citing long-term xDTS usage.
firmographics
Firmographics- Legal name
- 株式会社ニルソフトウェア (NIL Inc.)
- Website
- https://nil.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NIL Inc. is a small Japanese software firm that builds specialized tools — xDTS, Nirvana, Cyclo, and Cyclo.Req — for requirements engineering, functional safety, UML modeling, and code metrics, serving automotive and medical safety-critical development teams via direct sales and consulting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Requirements Engineering Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) & Advanced NDT (PAUT, TOFD, RT/DR) (EUAEAHAK)
Keywords
Where is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Setagaya
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Nirvana Software License Sales (Client): One-time license sale per client at 20,000 yen per license; each license permits installation across multiple PCs for one named user.
- Nirvana Server License & Maintenance: Server initial setup fee of 500,000 yen (fixed regardless of client license count) plus recurring annual maintenance at 15% of initial setup cost.
- Cyclo Per-User Software License: One license per named user; user registration required; licensed user may install on up to two computers.
- xDTS License Sales (System-based): License counted per system (not per user). On-premise: base set includes 20 licenses (20 systems); additional systems via add-on licenses. ASP service: managed by NIL, max 100 users. Limited on-premise variants: user-limited (50 users) or time-limited (1 year) editions.
- Process & Functional Safety Consulting: Professional services for Automotive SPICE, ISO 26262 compliance, software process optimization (SPO), and training in analysis methods and languages; delivered alongside tool sales and custom application development.
- Process Change Consulting (xDTS Operations Optimization): One-stop consulting from process change planning to xDTS operation, with customization of templates and tools to align with planned future-state processes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Pay-as-you-go | Nirvana Client License: 20,000 yen per named user |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Nirvana Server Initial Setup: 500,000 yen (fixed) |
| Subscription | Annual | Nirvana Maintenance: 15% of initial server setup cost per year |
| Per seat | Pay-as-you-go | Cyclo Per-User License (price not publicly disclosed) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | xDTS On-Premise: Base set with 20 system licenses (price not publicly disclosed) |
| Subscription | Annual | xDTS ASP Service (price not publicly disclosed) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | xDTS Limited On-Premise (50-user or 1-year variants) (price not publicly disclosed) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NIL Inc. develops and sells specialized software tools for requirements engineering, functional safety analysis, and project information management targeting safety-critical domains such as automotive and medical systems. The portfolio includes xDTS (web-based project support system), Nirvana (UML 2.3 CASE tool with GSN/KAOS/WBS plugins), Cyclo (multi-language code metrics tool), and Cyclo.Req (requirements inspection tool that generates SPARK/Ada code from Japanese specifications). The company also provides consulting services on Automotive SPICE, ISO 26262, and ISO 14971 compliance.
Product overview
NIL Inc. (株式会社ニルソフトウェア) delivers a portfolio of four core software tools focused on requirements engineering, safety analysis, and project support for safety-critical domains including automotive and medical systems. xDTS is the web-based project support system at the center of the portfolio, providing customizable templates, versioned reports, file attachments, and links/graphs for managing defects, issues, schedules, and other software development artifacts. Nirvana is the UML-based CASE tool for object-oriented analysis and design with extensible plugin support for safety cases (GSN), goal-oriented requirements (KAOS), and WBS planning, and its models can be linked into xDTS for cross-tool sharing. Cyclo is the source-code metrics tool that pairs with xDTS to assess program characteristics across many languages. Cyclo.Req is the requirements inspection tool that extracts finite state machines and SPARK/Ada code from Japanese natural-language requirements specifications. Together these four products form an integrated toolchain for requirements-driven, safety-oriented software development, complemented by NIL's consulting services on Automotive SPICE, ISO 26262, software process optimization, medical text analysis, and 3D simulation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- xDTS: Web-based project support system / integrated project management tool for software development.
- Nirvana
- Cyclo
- Cyclo.Req
Products and services
- xDTS Web-based integrated project support system for software development teams. Provides customizable templates, versioned reports, file attachments, dynamic/static links between reports, multi-view tabular and graphical display (pie/bar charts, WBS, network diagrams, Gantt charts), CSV import/export, tag-based report identification, email notification, role-based permissions, and mobile device support. Used for defect management, issue tracking, schedule management, and process optimization in enterprise software projects.
- Nirvana Object-oriented analysis and design CASE tool supporting UML 2.3 diagram creation (use case, class, activity, state machine, sequence, component, specification type/Catalysis). Supports free linking and version management between diagrams, XMI 1.2/2.1 import/export, reverse engineering of Java source to class diagrams, and DB-backed multi-user collaboration via PostgreSQL. Extensible via plugins including Safety plugin (GSN for safety case editing), KAOS plugin (goal/obstacle/agent/operation modeling), and WBS plugin for project planning.
- Cyclo Metrics acquisition tool that analyzes program code characteristics across multiple languages including C, C++, C#, Cobol, HTML, Java, JSP, PHP, PL/SQL, Visual Basic, Excel Macro, ABAP, TypeScript (V2), and JavaScript (V2). Collects file-level metrics (total lines, code lines excluding comments/blanks), class-level metrics (inheritance depth, total methods, McCabe cyclomatic complexity), method-level metrics, and file diff metrics. Designed to combine with xDTS for project evaluation.
- Cyclo.Req
Quantifiable outcome
- Founded in 1995; continuous operation for 30+ years; capital of 10,000,000 yen
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered channel/marketing partner, flagship technology partnership and event channel partner.
- IT Access (アイティアクセス)channel/marketing partnerIT Access hosts NIL's tool demonstrations (Cyclo.Req at the 5th Automotive Functional Safety Conference, December 5-6, 2017) at their exhibition booth, and publishes Ada/SPARK-related articles by NIL on their site (IT Access, August 1, 2024). Partnership focuses on joint marketing and exhibition collaboration in the automotive functional safety segment.
- AdaCoreflagship technology partnershipNIL signed a partnership agreement with AdaCore on June 16, 2016. The partnership covers SPARK technology for new tool development. NIL translated the AdaCore "SPARK 2014 User's Guide" core into Japanese (SPARK ja #1 issued December 26, 2016; SPARK ja #2 issued March 13, 2017), distributed via AdaCore's site. SPARK/Ada integration underpins NIL's Cyclo.Req requirements inspection tool, which generates SPARK/Ada code from parsed requirement specifications. At the 5th Automotive Functional Safety Conference (December 2019), NIL presented "Effective and efficient formal verification to prevent software defects without depending on testing — using SPARK".
- SODEC / Software Development Environment Show organizersevent channel partnerNIL has exhibited at SODEC (Software Development Environment Show) at Tokyo Big Site in 2014 and 2015, with booth East 45-37 in East Hall 5 (2015). At SODEC 2011, NIL conducted a functional safety-themed seminar covering (1) dSPO for software hazard analysis, (2) safety case authoring and the Nirvana tool, and (3) created tools. This is an event-channel relationship, not a formal commercial partnership.
Scale indicators5 records
competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sparx Systems: Vendor of Enterprise Architect, a UML-based CASE tool directly comparable to NIL's Nirvana. Both serve object-oriented analysis/design, UML 2.x modeling, and requirements traceability for engineering teams, with XMI import/export for model interchange.
- Jama Software: Provider of Jama Connect, a requirements management and traceability platform used in safety-critical industries including automotive and medical. Compares to NIL's requirements engineering focus via xDTS and Cyclo.Req for managing specifications and verification.
- Method Park: Provider of Automotive SPICE, ISO 26262, and process consulting services alongside its Stages ALM tool. Mirrors NIL's combined consulting + tools model for European-style process improvement in automotive software development.
- AdaCore: Provider of SPARK/Ada development tools for safety-critical and high-integrity software. AdaCore is NIL's partner for SPARK technology (signed June 2016) and underpins Cyclo.Req's formal-verification capability, making it a directly comparable peer in the safety-critical formal methods space.
- Visure Solutions: Vendor of a requirements management platform with explicit ISO 26262, IEC 62304, and Automotive SPICE templates. Closely comparable to NIL's tool-plus-consulting approach for safety-critical requirements engineering.
Regional players
- Vector Informatik: Headquartered in Germany, Vector provides automotive embedded software tools (CANoe, vTESTstudio, AUTOSAR tools) and process consulting. Comparable to NIL as a regional automotive software tooling specialist with deep OEM/Tier-1 relationships, though its primary market is Europe rather than Japan.
Broad incumbents
- Dassault Systèmes (3DEXPERIENCE / ENOVIA): Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE platform includes ENOVIA requirements and systems engineering modules used in automotive and aerospace safety-critical development. Comparable to NIL as a broad incumbent offering requirements and traceability capabilities within a much larger PLM portfolio.
- Siemens Digital Industries (Polarion): Polarion is an ALM/requirements platform under Siemens that supports ISO 26262, Automotive SPICE, and medical device workflows. Comparable to NIL's toolchain as a broad incumbent in the same buyer segment (automotive/medical engineering).
- PTC (Codebeamer): Codebeamer is PTC's ALM platform widely used in automotive and medical device development for requirements, test, and compliance management. Overlaps with NIL's xDTS/Nirvana stack as a broad incumbent in the same regulatory-driven buyer base.
- IBM Engineering (DOORS / Rational): IBM's engineering lifecycle management portfolio (formerly Rational DOORS) is the long-standing incumbent in requirements management for safety-critical industries. Comparable to NIL's Nirvana/xDTS stack at the requirements and traceability layer, with significantly broader scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
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
What does do?
NIL Inc. develops and sells specialized software tools for requirements engineering, functional safety analysis, and project information management targeting safety-critical domains such as automotive and medical systems. The portfolio includes xDTS (web-based project support system), Nirvana (UML 2.3 CASE tool with GSN/KAOS/WBS plugins), Cyclo (multi-language code metrics tool), and Cyclo.Req (requirements inspection tool that generates SPARK/Ada code from Japanese specifications). The company also provides consulting services on Automotive SPICE, ISO 26262, and ISO 14971 compliance.
Is a public or private company?
is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was founded?
was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is based?
is headquartered in Setagaya, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Nirvana Software License Sales (Client) is the primary driver. The others are nirvana Server License & Maintenance, cyclo Per-User Software License, xDTS License Sales (System-based), process & Functional Safety Consulting and process Change Consulting (xDTS Operations Optimization).
Who are 's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sparx Systems, Jama Software, Method Park, AdaCore and Visure Solutions. Vector Informatik is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Dassault Systèmes (3DEXPERIENCE / ENOVIA), Siemens Digital Industries (Polarion), PTC (Codebeamer) and IBM Engineering (DOORS / Rational).
Does have an API?
No public API is recorded for .
What industry is in?
's product category is Requirements Engineering Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAEAHAN, Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO), with a secondary code of EUAEAHAK, Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) & Advanced NDT (PAUT, TOFD, RT/DR). Its NAICS code is 541512 and its SIC code is 8734.