VLAB Works

What VLAB Works does

VLAB Works is a software company that provides VLAB Virtual Development Machines (VDMs), virtual embedded computers that replicate the behavior of physical MCUs, ECUs, and SoCs on desktop, server, or cloud environments. The company's core technology executes target-compiled software binaries without modification using specialized CPU models built for embedded architectures (ARM, RISC-V, PowerPC, RH850, TriCore), supported by proprietary HiperSim, HiperCore, and Fusion performance engines that enable at-or-above real-time execution. Notable platform features include multi-core and multi-OS support, checkpoint/restore for collaborative debugging, fault injection, picosecond-resolution tracing, multi-threaded simulation, and integration with industry-standard debug, test, and analysis tools (Lauterbach, Tasking, Vector CANoe, MATLAB/Simulink, dSPACE, Green Hills, IAR, Keil). The product is sold in four subscription tiers (Essentials, Workstation, Server, Enterprise) and two editions (Express, Suite), with a complementary catalogue of off-the-shelf VDMs developed jointly with semiconductor IP vendors and a custom VDM development service.

VLAB Works was originally established as a business unit of ASTC (Australian Semiconductor Technology Company) and launched its VDM product line in April 2022. In 2025, the company was acquired by Cadence Design Systems, which now provides global sales, distribution, and support infrastructure through its enterprise field organization and regional reseller FlowCAD in Europe. The company's primary customers are automotive OEMs and suppliers (virtual ECU development, AUTOSAR testing, VECUs levels 2/3/4), semiconductor IP vendors (Arm, NXP, Renesas, Infineon, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics) that use VLAB to provide virtual development environments alongside their chips, and embedded software developers across aerospace and industrial control. GTM is enterprise field sales complemented by event-driven demand generation (Embedded World, MATLAB Expo, SDV Europe, DVCon Europe, etc.) and partner co-marketing with major semiconductor vendors. The company has not disclosed revenue, headcount, or pricing publicly; commercial terms are quote-based.

Name

VLAB Works

Legal name

Australian Semiconductor Technology Company Pty Ltd (ASTC)

Website

https://vlabworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VLAB Works provides VLAB Virtual Development Machines (VDMs), virtual embedded computers modeling MCUs, ECUs, and SoCs for software development and testing. Now part of Cadence Design Systems, it serves automotive OEMs, semiconductor IP vendors, and embedded software developers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Systems Virtualization Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Desktop & Application Virtualization (VDI) (HDABADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Server Operating Systems & Hypervisors (Virtualization) (HDABADAE)

Keywords

• Embedded software virtualization
• Virtual development environments
• ECU virtual prototyping
• MCU simulation software
• Hardware software co-design

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (VLAB Product Tiers): VLAB is offered in four product tiers: Essentials (single VDM on desktop), Workstation (unlimited concurrent VDMs locally), Server (unlimited VDMs on server infrastructure), and Enterprise (organization-wide virtualization). Additionally, two editions are available: Express (basic functionality) and Suite (advanced debugging, tracing, and automation).
2. VDM Toolboxes (Virtual Hardware Models): Pre-packaged VLAB VDM toolboxes include VLAB software, binaries for one or more VDMs, documentation, tutorials, and example software. Customers can purchase off-the-shelf VDMs from the catalogue or commission custom VDMs.
3. Professional Services: Custom VDM development, training, and support services for customers requiring virtualizations not available in the standard catalogue. Services include scoping, design, creation, testing, delivery, and ongoing enhancements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VLAB Works develops virtualization software that creates Virtual Development Machines (VDMs) replicating MCUs, ECUs, and SoCs on desktop, server, or cloud environments. The platform enables embedded software development, validation, and continuous integration prior to the availability of physical hardware, supporting automotive, semiconductor, and broader embedded systems customers.

Product overview

VLAB Works offers VLAB, a virtualization platform for embedded software development and testing. The product portfolio includes VLAB VDMs (Virtual Development Machines) — virtual embedded computers replicating MCU, ECU, and SoC hardware that run target-compiled binaries. VLAB is available in four deployment tiers: Essentials (single VDM, desktop), Workstation (unlimited VDMs, desktop), Server (unlimited VDMs, server-based), and Enterprise (organization-wide). Two software editions are offered: Express (hardware-equivalent experience) and Suite (advanced debugging, tracing, fault injection, automation). The Virtual Hardware Model Library provides off-the-shelf virtual components for ARM, PowerPC, RISC-V, RH850, and TriCore architectures, while Custom Hardware Models enable bespoke virtualizations. The company is now part of Cadence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VLAB VDMs: Virtual Development Machines - virtual embedded computers and devices that run on desktop, server, or cloud environments for software development, testing and debugging of embedded systems.
• VLAB
• V-EVMs
• VLAB Essentials
• VLAB Workstation
• VLAB Server
• VLAB Enterprise
• VLAB Express
• VLAB Suite

Products and services

• VLAB Virtual Development Machines (VDMs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% improved quality in product development
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration21 records

AI capability4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and regional.

• Cadence Design SystemsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLAB Works is now part of Cadence Design Systems. Cadence provides global sales, support, and distribution infrastructure for VLAB products worldwide. The acquisition brings VLAB's virtualization technology into Cadence's broader electronic design automation and computational software portfolio.
• ArmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLAB Works partnered with Arm to deliver simulation environments for SoCs, systems, and end devices using Arm architecture cores. Supports application development on all aspects of SoCs including application processing clusters, real-time clusters, control clusters, and accelerators.
• BoschcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bosch to deliver simulation environments for devices including Bosch GTM IP blocks. VLAB supports development on all aspects of SoCs as well as embedded control algorithms and CDDs targeting the GTM.
• InfineoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLAB Works partnered with Infineon to deliver virtualization for Infineon Aurix and Traveo microcontrollers for automotive connectivity, safety, security, and (H)EV control applications.
• RenesascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Renesas to deliver simulation environments for Renesas RH850 automotive microcontrollers and R-Car cockpit and vision compute platforms for autonomous driving.
• Texas InstrumentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLAB Works partnered with TI to deliver simulation environments for TI devices. V-EVMs (Virtual EVMs) provide virtual alternatives to physical TI Evaluation Modules with validated TI SDKs included.
• NXPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNXP partnership for VLAB virtual platforms supporting S32 processor families and i.MX applications processors. VLAB VDMs available for MPC56xx, MPC57xx, MPC74xx, MPC8xxx, QorIQ, and S32K/S32G families.
• FlowCADregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlowCAD is a regional reseller and distributor for VLAB products in Europe, exhibiting alongside Cadence at Embedded World 2026.
• VectorcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeep integration with Vector tools including SIL Kit (network simulation), CANoe (software-in-the-loop testing), and VectorCast. VLAB VDMs use SIL Kit to interconnect and integrate with Vector simulation environments.
• LauterbachcoreTechnology or IntegrationLauterbach Trace32 debuggers integrate with VLAB VDMs using the MCD protocol, enabling all debugger features including debug and tracing on virtual platforms.
• TaskingcoreTechnology or IntegrationTasking winIDEA debugger demo at Embedded World 2026 with VLAB model of future Renesas Arm-based automotive SoC, demonstrating continuum from pre-silicon to post-silicon debug.
• Green Hills SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationGreen Hills MULTI IDE and INTEGRITY RTOS supported on VLAB VDMs for embedded software development and debugging.
• MATLAB/SimulinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationVLAB integrates with MATLAB/Simulink for co-simulation, enabling virtual HIL, processor-in-the-loop, and software-in-the-loop testing for software-defined vehicles.
• ASTC (Australian Semiconductor Technology Company)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerASTC is the original company behind VLAB Works. The Adelaide-based company plays an essential role in the global embedded electronics supply chain with industry-leading virtualization solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arm (Fast Models): Arm's Fast Models provide virtual prototypes for Arm-based SoCs, overlapping with VLAB's VDM catalog for Arm architectures. Both compete to be the default simulation platform for Arm-based embedded development.
• Synopsys: Synopsys offers Virtualizer (formerly VDK), a virtual prototyping platform for embedded software development, directly competing with VLAB Works across automotive and semiconductor use cases. It is the most direct competitor in the VDM/virtual prototype category.
• Vector Informatik: Vector's CANoe, vADASdeveloper, and SIL Kit are deeply integrated with VLAB but also positioned as end-to-end virtual validation platforms for automotive ECUs. A direct competitor in automotive software-in-the-loop testing.
• Imperas Software: Imperas (ImperasDV) provides virtual platforms and instruction-accurate processor models for embedded software verification, directly competing with VLAB's VDM catalog for processor-agnostic software development and testing.
• dSPACE: dSPACE offers VEOS for PC-based simulation of ECUs and integrates with VLAB for processor-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop testing. Directly competes for the same automotive virtual validation budget.

Emerging players

• Green Hills Software: Green Hills provides the INTEGRITY RTOS and MULTI IDE that run on VLAB VDMs, but also offers its own debug and development tooling for embedded systems. An overlapping partner-competitor in the embedded development toolchain.
• BlackBerry QNX: BlackBerry QNX provides automotive safety-critical software platforms and increasingly virtual development tooling for SDV architectures. Comparable as an embedded software platform with growing virtual toolchain capabilities.
• Wind River Systems: Wind River's VxWorks RTOS and Simics virtual platform target the same embedded software development workflow as VLAB. Comparable in the aerospace, industrial, and automotive safety-critical segments.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens EDA: Siemens EDA (formerly Mentor Graphics) provides Simcenter and related virtualization capabilities as part of a broader EDA portfolio, overlapping with VLAB's virtual ECU and embedded software verification offerings. Operates as a broad incumbent rather than a niche specialist.

Others

• TASKING: TASKING's winIDEA debugger and compilers integrate with VLAB VDMs but the company also competes in embedded development tooling for automotive MCUs. Comparable as an adjacent toolchain partner-competitor in automotive embedded.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vlab-works-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 VLAB Works