Annapolis Micro Systems
Annapolis Micro Systems designs and manufactures rugged COTS FPGA-based high-performance embedded computing systems—including WILDSTAR boards, WILD100 OpenVPX ecosystem, and Open CoreFire design tools—for U.S. defense, aerospace, and government signal-processing programs, with a secondary commercial vertical.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersAnnapolis, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Annapolis Micro Systems does
Annapolis Micro Systems, Inc. is a privately-held, debt-free U.S. small business founded in 1982 in Annapolis, Maryland, designing and manufacturing rugged COTS FPGA-based high-performance embedded computing systems for defense, aerospace, and commercial signal-processing applications. Its technology stack is built around leading-edge Intel Agilex 9, AMD Xilinx Versal Premium, and Xilinx RFSoC FPGAs, including 64 GSps Direct RF sampling capability, SOSA-aligned OpenVPX products, and the proprietary Open CoreFire graphical FPGA design suite. The portfolio spans WILDSTAR FPGA boards (3U/6U VPX, PCIe, Small Form Factor), the WILD100/WILD40 EcoSystem of switches, chassis, backplanes, mezzanine cards, storage, and clocks, plus training, technical support, and custom/ASIC design services. Manufacturing, R&D, and applications engineering are all performed in-house at the 53,000-square-foot Annapolis facility (including a 16,000 sq ft surface-mount production line upgraded in 2020), which holds AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certifications.
The company's primary customer base is U.S. defense and government: airborne electronic warfare primes, applied research laboratories, and signal intelligence programs. A secondary commercial vertical serves wireless communications, SATCOM, high-frequency trading, imaging, semiconductor process equipment, and data center applications. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by Field Application Engineers, with no channel partners or distributors. Revenue mechanics are predominantly quote-based one-time hardware sales on multi-year contracts, supplemented by professional services, training, and turn-key integration. The customer base is narrow but anchored by repeat multi-year program awards, most notably a disclosed $61.6M combined order from two repeat customers in December 2023 for RFSoC and Versal-based 3U OpenVPX airborne EW solutions. The company maintains core technology partnerships with Intel/Altera and AMD Xilinx, a secondary partnership with NVIDIA for GPU modules, and active participation in the VITA Standards Organization and SOSA consortium.
Annapolis Micro Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Annapolis Micro Systems
- Legal name
- Annapolis Micro Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://annapmicro.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Annapolis Micro Systems designs and manufactures rugged COTS FPGA-based high-performance embedded computing systems—including WILDSTAR boards, WILD100 OpenVPX ecosystem, and Open CoreFire design tools—for U.S. defense, aerospace, and government signal-processing programs, with a secondary commercial vertical.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Annapolis Micro Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- High-Performance Embedded Computing Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Embedded & Industrial Network Interfaces (PCIe/M.2/SOM/SoC NICs) (HDAFAEAI)
Keywords
Where Annapolis Micro Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Annapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Annapolis Micro Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: Sale of COTS FPGA boards, mezzanine cards, switches, storage, chassis, and complete systems. Revenue recognized from product delivery to defense contractors, government agencies, and commercial customers. Largest orders recorded were $61.6M combined for RFSoC and Versal-based solutions.
- Professional Services: Application development services, FPGA programming, system integration, training, and technical support. Application engineers work with customers from architecture concepts to full implementation.
- Training Services: Training classes for Open CoreFire Design Suite and VHDL Board Support Package, taught by Annapolis Application Engineers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom COTS Solutions - Quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Annapolis Micro Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Annapolis Micro Systems designs, manufactures, and sells rugged COTS FPGA-based embedded computing boards, mezzanine cards, switches, storage modules, and complete OpenVPX systems for high-performance signal processing applications. Its products feature Intel Agilex 9, AMD/Xilinx Versal Premium, and RFSoC FPGAs with proprietary 64 GSps Direct RF sampling technology, complemented by the Open CoreFire graphical FPGA development suite. The company also provides custom engineering, ASIC design, application development, training, and post-sales technical support for defense, government, and commercial customers.
Product overview
Annapolis Micro Systems is a leading USA-based manufacturer of rugged COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) FPGA-based embedded computing systems for high-performance signal processing applications. Their product portfolio centers on the WILDSTAR family of FPGA boards (3U VPX, 6U VPX, PCIe, Small Form Factor) featuring 100GbE connectivity and SOSA alignment, complemented by the WILD100 EcoSystem including high-density VITA 91 switches and chassis. The product line spans ADC/DAC mezzanine cards (WMC-H, WMC-L, WFMC+) with sample rates up to 64 GSps, storage solutions up to 64 TB per slot, clock distribution, and switches. Development is enabled via the Open CoreFire graphical design suite and VHDL Board Support Package. Solutions address AI/ML inference, software-defined radio, SIGINT/ELINT, synthetic aperture radar, digital beamforming, and commercial applications. The company also offers custom/collaborative development, ASIC design, and comprehensive training and technical support services. All products are manufactured in-house at their 53,000-square-foot Annapolis, MD facility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WILDSTAR: Product line of COTS FPGA boards and processing systems for high-performance embedded computing applications
- WILD100
- WILD40
- BLACKTHROAT
- Open CoreFire
- CoreFire Next
Products and services
- WILDSTAR FPGA Boards Rugged COTS FPGA processing boards available in 3U VPX, 6U VPX, PCIe, and Small Form Factor form factors. Feature ultra-wide bandwidth, 100GbE connectivity, SOSA alignment, and support for Intel Agilex, AMD/Xilinx Versal, and Xilinx RFSoC FPGAs. Sold to defense contractors, government agencies, and commercial customers building high-performance signal processing systems.
- WILD100 EcoSystem Complete 100Gb Ethernet ecosystem for OpenVPX including boards, switches, chassis, backplanes, mezzanine cards, storage, and clock solutions. SOSA-aligned and VITA 65 compliant, providing the densest FPGA processing and highest bandwidth available in COTS embedded computing for defense and commercial customers.
- ADC/DAC Mezzanine Cards High-performance analog conversion products in WMC-H (High Bandwidth), WMC-L (Low Latency), and WFMC+ formats. Support sample rates from 400 MSps to 64 GSps with resolutions up to 16-bit. Designed for defense, EW, radar, and signal intelligence applications.
- VITA 91 High-Density Switches and Chassis 3U OpenVPX switches and chassis with high-density VITA 91 connectors. Support dual 100Gb Ethernet, 8x Gen4 PCIe, or 128 LVDS. SOSA-aligned for low-latency EW, jamming, and radar applications.
- DRFM-Optimized ADC/DAC Cards Ultra-low latency mezzanine cards designed for latency-sensitive Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) applications. Feature Digital Bypass Mode for lowest latency and Fabric Space Mode for additional processing. Targeted at electronic warfare customers.
- Storage Boards Highest density OpenVPX storage solutions with up to 64 TB capacity per 6U VPX slot and up to 16 TB per 3U VPX slot. Support up to 10 GB/s read/write bandwidth with 100GbE capability for high-bandwidth data acquisition and SIGINT recording.
- Open CoreFire Design Suite GUI-based graphical FPGA programming tool using dataflow paradigm. Simplifies FPGA development with drag-and-drop IP cores, supports Intel and AMD-Xilinx FPGAs, and includes Board Support Libraries for memories, serial, Ethernet, ADC, DAC, DMA. Sold to developers building on Annapolis WILDSTAR platforms.
- VHDL Board Support Package Complete VHDL design suite including board level interfaces, simulation models, and host code examples for all WILDSTAR products. Targeted at VHDL-experienced FPGA developers.
- Direct RF Products Direct RF sampling solutions using Agilex 9 and Versal RF FPGAs. Products include WSSAF1, WSSAF2, WSSAF5, WSBA10, WS3AE1, WS3XVR modules. Operate from 0.1 to 36 GHz with up to 64 GSps sampling. WSSAF1 and WB3AE1 launched May 2024.
- Versal FPGA Products 3U and 6U VPX boards powered by AMD/Xilinx Versal Premium and Versal RF adaptive SoCs. Include WS3XV1, WS3XV5, WS3XVD, WS3XVR, WS6XV2, WS6XV4, WS6XV8 with AI engines and 112Gb/s PAM4 transceivers. Annapolis was first to offer Versal Premium boards.
- RFSoC Products Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC-based cards and boards including WHGM65, WWGM61, WWGM62, WWGM63 mezzanine cards and WB3XR0, WB3XR2 baseboards. Feature integrated RF conversion with up to 8/8 ADC/DAC channels at up to 10 GSps, delivering 50% size reduction, 30-40% power savings, and 50% cost savings versus discrete solutions.
- WILD100 SOSA Development Kit Next-generation 3U OpenVPX Development Kit, SOSA-aligned and 100Gb Ethernet capable, designed to economically speed development of 100GbE systems for defense customers.
- 3U VPX ATR and 19-inch Rackmount Chassis WILD100 8-Slot 3U OpenVPX SOSA-Aligned ATR Chassis (WC3A80) and 19-inch Rackmount 3U OpenVPX Chassis (WC31E0 and WC31DH). Part of WILD100 Family of chassis, backplanes, and chassis managers for rugged defense deployments.
- Custom & Collaborative Solutions Custom board and system development services for unique program requirements. Includes full-custom and semi-custom IC design, ASIC design, hardware analysis, and system architecture integration for defense, government, and commercial customers.
- ASIC Design and Analysis Services Full-custom and semi-custom integrated circuit design for high-reliability military and aerospace applications. Includes specification, RTL coding, analog design, synthesis, place and route, and physical verification.
- Application Development Team Services Experienced FPGA designers providing system architecture consultation, application development, and turn-key system integration using Open CoreFire or VHDL design flows. Application engineers work with customers from architecture concepts to full implementation.
- Training Services FPGA application development training including Introduction to Open CoreFire (3 days), Advanced Application Development (2 days), and Designing with VHDL Board Support Package (3 days). Taught by Annapolis Application Engineers.
- Technical Support Post-sales expert customer support including installation verification utilities, return material authorization, and field application engineer assistance for WILDSTAR product customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% size reduction with RFSoC integration compared to discrete solutions
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Annapolis Micro Systems
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Annapolis Micro Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Annapolis Micro Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- Intel (Altera)coreEarly access to Intel/Altera FPGAs including Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series. Products like WSSAF1, WSSAF2, and WB3AE1 use Agilex 9 AGRW014/AGRW027 FPGAs.
- AMD XilinxcoreLong-standing relationship since early 1990s. First company to offer Versal Premium boards. Products include RFSoC boards and Versal-based FPGA processors.
- NVIDIAsecondaryJetson AGX Orin and Jetson AGX Thor GPU modules integrated into Small Form Factor products for AI acceleration and deep learning workflows.
- Jariet TechnologiessecondaryElectra-MA chip used in Direct RF products including WHDMF1, WWDME1, and WS3XBP-67 for 64 GS/s ADC/DAC capability.
- VITA Standards OrganizationcoreVITA member contributing to open standards including VITA 65, VITA 66, VITA 67, and VITA 91 for VPX embedded computing systems.
- SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture)coreEarly adopter and dedicated SOSA contributor and member. SOSA-aligned products provide reconfigurable, upgradable, cost-effective embedded computing for military applications.
- IntertekminorGlobal accredited certifying agency that conducted AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certification audits.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Annapolis Micro Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mercury Systems: Mercury Systems is a leading defense-focused provider of mission-critical processing subsystems, including FPGA-based RF and EW solutions. After acquiring Pentek, it became one of Annapolis's most direct competitors in rugged COTS signal processing boards and SOSA-aligned OpenVPX products for airborne EW, SIGINT, and radar.
- Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions: Curtiss-Wright's Defense Solutions division designs and manufactures rugged COTS modules, boards, and subsystems for naval, aerospace, and ground defense applications, including VPX/OpenVPX products. It directly overlaps with Annapolis in high-performance embedded computing for EW and signal intelligence.
- Abaco Systems (AMETEK): Abaco Systems, now part of AMETEK's Defense Electronics platform, produces rugged single-board computers and FPGA-based processing for defense and aerospace. It competes head-to-head with Annapolis in VPX/SOSA-aligned high-performance embedded computing for EW and signal processing.
- Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES): X-ES designs and manufactures rugged COTS embedded computing products, including VPX and SOSA-aligned boards powered by the latest Intel and Xilinx FPGAs. It targets the same airborne, ground, and shipboard defense applications as Annapolis.
- Concurrent Technologies: Concurrent Technologies is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of high-performance VPX/OpenVPX embedded computing boards, including FPGA processor products. It serves defense, aerospace, and industrial customers with comparable SOSA-aligned products.
- Aitech Defense Systems: Aitech provides rugged COTS embedded computing systems, SBCs, and GPGPU products for defense and space applications. It competes with Annapolis in VPX-based high-performance embedded systems targeting EW, SIGINT, and mission computing on airborne and naval platforms.
- Elma Electronic: Elma Electronic designs and manufactures embedded computing platforms, including VPX/OpenVPX chassis, backplanes, and integrated systems for defense applications. As a chassis/backplane partner and competitor, it overlaps with Annapolis's WILD100 EcoSystem for SOSA-aligned deployments.
Broad incumbents
- Kontron: Kontron is a larger, broad-line provider of embedded computing modules and boards spanning industrial, transportation, aerospace, and defense. It offers rugged VPX products that overlap with Annapolis's portfolio, though Kontron serves a much wider market with less focus on the high-end RF/Direct RF niche.
Regional players
- ScioTeq (formerly Interface Concept): ScioTeq, formed from the merger of Interface Concept and S&T, designs rugged COTS embedded computing solutions for naval, airborne, and land defense. It is a direct competitor in OpenVPX/SOSA products but primarily serves European and NATO markets, limiting direct head-to-head competition with Annapolis in the U.S. defense market.
Others
- Jariet Technologies: Jariet Technologies supplies high-performance ADC/DAC chips (including the Electra-MA used in Annapolis's Direct RF products). It is an enabling technology partner rather than a competitor, but as a fabless RF data-converter specialist it represents an adjacent peer in the defense signal-processing supply chain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Annapolis Micro Systems social profiles
Digital presenceAnnapolis Micro Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Annapolis Micro Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Annapolis Micro Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Annapolis Micro Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Annapolis Micro Systems 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 Annapolis Micro Systems
What does Annapolis Micro Systems do?
Annapolis Micro Systems designs, manufactures, and sells rugged COTS FPGA-based embedded computing boards, mezzanine cards, switches, storage modules, and complete OpenVPX systems for high-performance signal processing applications. Its products feature Intel Agilex 9, AMD/Xilinx Versal Premium, and RFSoC FPGAs with proprietary 64 GSps Direct RF sampling technology, complemented by the Open CoreFire graphical FPGA development suite. The company also provides custom engineering, ASIC design, application development, training, and post-sales technical support for defense, government, and commercial customers.
Is Annapolis Micro Systems a public or private company?
Annapolis Micro Systems is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Annapolis Micro Systems founded?
Annapolis Micro Systems was founded in 1982. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Annapolis Micro Systems based?
Annapolis Micro Systems is headquartered in Annapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Annapolis Micro Systems make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are professional Services and training Services.
Who are Annapolis Micro Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mercury Systems, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions, Abaco Systems (AMETEK), Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES), Concurrent Technologies, Aitech Defense Systems and Elma Electronic. Kontron is listed as a broad incumbent. ScioTeq (formerly Interface Concept) is listed as a regional player. Jariet Technologies is listed as an others.
Does Annapolis Micro Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Annapolis Micro Systems.
What industry is Annapolis Micro Systems in?
Annapolis Micro Systems's product category is High-Performance Embedded Computing Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAFAEAI, Embedded & Industrial Network Interfaces (PCIe/M.2/SOM/SoC NICs). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.