Candera

What Candera does

Candera GmbH is an Austrian-headquartered (Linz) embedded software vendor founded in 2004 and wholly owned by Japanese conglomerate KAGA FEI Co., Ltd. The company develops CGI Studio, a scalable and hardware-independent HMI (Human-Machine Interface) design tool used to create 2D and 3D graphical user interfaces for embedded devices. The core platform supports more than 20 semiconductor platforms (Renesas, NXP, Infineon, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Intel, Cypress) and more than 10 operating systems (Linux, Android, QNX, Windows), with optional ISO 26262 (ASIL A/B) functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434 cybersecurity documentation for safety-critical automotive clusters. Candera's HMI applications are deployed in over 50 million vehicles worldwide and are used by 8 of the top 10 global automotive OEMs and 6 of the top 10 Tier 1 infotainment suppliers.

The company monetizes primarily through enterprise software licenses for CGI Studio and Candera Studio (the industrial/medical/white-goods variant), supplemented by professional services for HMI design, feasibility analysis, and integration support. A freemium Community Edition was launched in July 2026 to target makers, students, and small businesses as an entry point into the professional product. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales with channel partnerships through semiconductor vendors (Renesas, ST, Texas Instruments, Infineon) and regional distributors such as ITEC in Israel. The customer base spans automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers as the primary segment, with secondary verticals in home appliances, medical devices, and industrial automation. Candera maintains subsidiaries or branch offices in Germany (Leonberg), the United States (Denver), and Japan (Tokyo) in addition to the Austrian headquarters, and is governed operationally by Managing Director Reinhard F\u00fcricht.

Name

Candera

Legal name

Candera GmbH

Website

https://cgistudio.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Candera GmbH is an Austrian embedded software vendor that develops CGI Studio, a hardware-independent HMI design tool used by 8 of the top 10 automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to build instrument clusters, IVI, and infotainment systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded HMI Design Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded Software & Firmware Tools (Compilers, Debug, RTOS tooling) (HDAHAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• Embedded HMI software
• Automotive display interfaces
• Human-machine interface design
• Instrument cluster tools
• Industrial UI development

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses - CGI Studio: CGI Studio software licensing for HMI design and development. Pricing is quote-based, suggesting enterprise negotiated contracts. Professional 30-day trial available for evaluation.
2. Software Licenses - Candera Studio: Candera Studio for industrial, medical, and white goods HMI development with similar licensing model.
3. Professional Services: HMI development and embedded software services including initial ideas, feasibility checking, hardware requirements analysis, and cost estimation. On-site or remote support for updates, trainings, and maintenance.
4. Functional Safety Module Add-on: Optional functional safety module (ISO 26262 ASIL A/B) sold as add-on for automotive cluster development.
5. Community Edition (Free): Free Community Edition for makers, students, and small businesses for non-commercial use - freemium approach to expand market reach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Candera develops and sells CGI Studio, a scalable and hardware-independent HMI (Human-Machine Interface) design software that enables creation of 2D and 3D graphical user interfaces for embedded devices. The software is sold primarily to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers for instrument clusters, IVI systems, head-up displays, and cockpit solutions, and is also offered as Candera Studio for industrial, medical, and home appliance manufacturers. Revenue is generated through software licensing, optional add-on modules (such as the ISO 26262 Functional Safety Module), and professional HMI development services.

Product overview

Candera offers two primary HMI design software products: CGI Studio for automotive applications and Candera Studio for industrial, medical, and home appliances. Both are built on the same technology platform featuring Smart Importer (AI-powered design import), Fusion Editor (visual logic composition), State Machine Editor, and dedicated 2D/3D render engines. The portfolio serves customers from low-end MCUs to high-end SoCs, supporting multi-display, multi-processor, domain computing, and hypervisor architectures. CGI Studio targets leading automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers (8 of top 10 OEMs, 6 of top 10 Tier 1s), while Candera Studio expands into industrial, medical, white goods, and other embedded markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CGI Studio: Primary HMI design software platform - scalable and hardware-independent tool for creating 2D/3D human-machine interfaces for automotive, appliances, medical, and industrial applications
• Candera Studio
• CGI Lighthouse
• Magic Lane Navigation Partnership

Products and services

• CGI Studio Scalable and hardware-independent HMI design software for creating 2D and 3D embedded graphical user interfaces, targeted at automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers building digital instrument clusters, IVI systems, head-up displays, rear-seat entertainment, and pillar-to-pillar cockpit solutions.
• Candera Studio Intuitive, non-coding HMI software toolchain for industrial, medical, and home appliance applications, enabling designers to compose application logic visually via the Fusion Editor without programming skills.
• HMI Development Services Professional HMI development services covering initial design ideation, feasibility analysis, market trend identification, hardware requirements analysis, cost estimation, training, on-site or remote maintenance, and embedded software development support.
• CGI Lighthouse Support Forum Online community forum providing technical FAQs, documentation, and peer support for CGI Studio users worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ million vehicles equipped with CGI Studio HMI applications
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

AI capability2 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and regional.

• Magic LanecoreTechnology or Integration · 12 June 2026Strategic partnership to integrate Magic Lane's navigation and location technology into Candera CGI Studio-based HMIs. Reference implementations support 2-wheelers, e-bikes, and automotive IVI across different hardware classes. Combines Candera's HMI development expertise with Magic Lane's flexible navigation SDKs (C++ and Android) for faster OEM and Tier 1 integration.
• Texas InstrumentscoreTechnology or Integration · 5 September 2025Official support for TI AM62P automotive-grade SoC in CGI Studio. Enables fast, safe, and scalable automotive HMI development for digital clusters and infotainment systems.
• BlackBerry QNXcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2025CGI Studio compatibility with QNX SDP 8.0 announced, enabling automotive HMI development on QNX-based platforms with full feature support.
• EM MicroelectronicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Collaboration on innovative HMI and ultra-low-power display for e-bike technology. Unveiled at Embedded World 2025 with MJPEG content streaming to low-power MCU hardware.
• SpyrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2024Partnership to deliver better HMI solutions. Spyrosoft, one of Europe's fastest-growing technology companies, collaborates with Candera for enhanced HMI offerings in automotive and embedded sectors.
• BoschcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2024Partners in innovation collaboration. Bosch and Candera advance smart ecosystem interfaces for home, factory, and automotive HMI systems with enhanced device/platform compatibility.
• Renesas ElectronicscoreTechnology or Integration · 9 January 2024Renesas RZ Ecosystem Partner. CGI Studio promoted as powerful resource for designing with Renesas R-Car platforms. Joint promotion through Renesas Partner Solution Program for automotive HMI development.
• IAR SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2023Trilateral collaboration with STMicroelectronics and IAR for Smart Home devices. CGI Studio on STM32U5 with NeoChrom GPU combined with IAR Embedded Workbench for energy-efficient smart appliances demonstration.
• ITEC Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 15 May 2023Channel partnership for Israeli market expansion. ITEC, Israeli leading supplier of embedded development tools and services, introduces Candera's HMI solutions to the local embedded industry and medical devices market.
• STMicroelectronicscoreTechnology or Integration · 5 October 2021STMicroelectronics Partner Program member. CGI Studio positioned as ideal tool for STM32MP1 MPU, providing fastest GUI creation workflow for industrial applications with 10-year longevity commitment.
• NXP SemiconductorscoreTechnology or IntegrationNXP Registered Partner. CGI Studio supported on NXP processor platforms for automotive and industrial HMI development.
• Infineon TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationDesign partner with Infineon. CGI Studio support for Cypress Traveo II automotive MCUs (CYT4DN series) with multi-core and all render modes (IBO, LBO, OTF).
• hy-line GroupregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership for specific markets through hy-line Group embedded solutions portfolio.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vector Informatik: Vector Informatik is a major automotive software tools and embedded middleware vendor with significant Tier 1 and OEM penetration. While primarily known for AUTOSAR, diagnostics, and testing tools, Vector competes with Candera in broader automotive cockpit and HMI toolchain decisions at shared customers.
• Green Hills Software: Green Hills Software supplies safety- and security-certified real-time operating systems, development tools, and integrated HMI solutions for automotive, aerospace, and industrial embedded systems. Its INTEGRITY and µ-velOSity platforms overlap with the safety-critical and OS-agnostic parts of CGI Studio's automotive offering.
• Elektrobit (Continental): Elektrobit is a large automotive embedded software vendor (part of Continental) offering HMI development tools, middleware, and integration services. It competes with Candera at Tier 1s and OEMs, particularly in cockpit and ADAS-adjacent HMI programs, but operates at much greater scale across the automotive software stack.
• BlackBerry QNX (IVY / QNX SDP): BlackBerry QNX provides a safety-certified real-time operating system (QNX SDP 8.0) and the IVY in-vehicle data platform used in millions of production vehicles. QNX is both a strategic partner (CGI Studio is QNX-compatible) and a broad incumbent that competes for overall cockpit software stack decisions at OEMs and Tier 1s.

Emerging players

• MicroEJ: MicroEJ provides an embedded software platform with its own HMI/UI tooling and app-store model for connected devices in industrial, medical, and consumer markets. It is an emerging competitor in the same non-automotive HMI segments Candera targets with Candera Studio, particularly for cost- and resource-constrained embedded devices.

Direct peers

• Altia: Altia is a deep-embedded HMI development tool provider serving automotive, medical, and industrial customers, with a deployment footprint and customer base very similar to Candera's CGI Studio. It directly competes for the same OEM/Tier 1 GUI toolchain deals and offers comparable workflow tooling from design import to target rendering.
• Crank Software (AMETEK): Crank Software's Storyboard Suite is an embedded HMI design and development tool aimed at medical, industrial, and consumer devices, with workflow features directly comparable to CGI Studio and Candera Studio. It targets the same non-automotive verticals where Candera is expanding (medical, industrial, white goods).
• Qt Group: Qt Group develops the Qt framework, a leading cross-platform UI and HMI toolkit used in automotive IVI, clusters, and industrial embedded systems. Like Candera's CGI Studio, Qt targets OEMs and Tier 1s needing hardware-independent 2D/3D embedded UIs and is a primary direct competitor in the automotive HMI tooling space.
• Rightware (Kanzi, Thundersoft): Rightware's Kanzi Studio is a leading 3D HMI design tool for automotive digital cockpits, instrument clusters, and IVI, now part of Thundersoft. Kanzi is one of CGI Studio's closest direct competitors for automotive cockpit HMI tooling and frequently appears in the same OEM/Tier 1 RFPs.

Others

• IAR Systems: IAR provides IAR Embedded Workbench, a leading toolchain for embedded development on Arm and other MCUs, and is a joint collaborator with Candera on STMicroelectronics smart home demos. It is an enabling ecosystem partner rather than a direct HMI competitor, addressing the embedded toolchain layer adjacent to CGI Studio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CanderaGmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CanderaCGIStudio
• Facebookfacebook.com/canderacgistudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/candera-hmi
• Instagraminstagram.com/candera.gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Candera