What Orange Tree Technologies does

Orange Tree Technologies Ltd is a privately held UK-based company founded in 2001, headquartered in Didcot, Oxfordshire, specializing in board-level embedded hardware and software for high-speed device-to-host interconnect. The company's core offering is a family of FPGA-based development boards and OEM modules in two product lines: the ZestET series for Gigabit Ethernet and the ZestSC series for USB (2.0 and 3.0), differentiated by a proprietary TCP/IP Offload Engine (GigEx) that moves Ethernet protocol handling into dedicated hardware and leaves the user FPGA free for application code. The portfolio spans the cost-optimized ZestET1/ZestSC1 through the higher-performance Artix-7-based ZestET2-J, ZestET2-NJ, and ZestSC3, plus the ZestETM1 compact TOE module. All boards share a common software framework called ZestDAQ (FPGA logic cores plus host libraries in C for Windows, Linux, and VxWorks), which the company provides free to customers to reduce integration effort.

The company makes money primarily through off-the-shelf hardware sales (quote-based pricing with volume and academic discounts) and a secondary revenue stream from embedded design services, ranging from customization of Orange Tree boards to clean-slate custom PCB and embedded software development. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with a contact-form-driven quote process, supported by technical content marketing including case studies (Lumistar telemetry, FinScan timber inspection) and articles in EE Times Europe and Embedded Computing magazine. Target verticals are semiconductor prototyping, automotive test, military and aerospace, consumer electronics, industrial control/IoT, and medical imaging. Named end customers include Apple, Nvidia, Avago Technologies, Texas Instruments, Sharp, BAE Systems, Thales, and the US Navy. The company has been self-funded with no disclosed external funding rounds, achieved 200% profit growth over a five-year period reported in March 2012, and maintains Xilinx Alliance Program membership.

Name

Orange Tree Technologies

Legal name

Orange Tree Technologies Ltd

Website

https://orangetreetech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orange Tree Technologies designs and sells FPGA-based embedded boards and modules for high-speed Gigabit Ethernet and USB interconnect, anchored by a proprietary TCP/IP offload engine (GigEx). It serves semiconductor, defense, mil-aero, automotive, industrial IoT, and medical imaging customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded FPGA Interconnect Hardware

NAICS

Electronic Connector Manufacturing (334417), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Electronic Connectors (3678), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Cables & Interconnects (USB/HDMI/DP/Ethernet/Thunderbolt) (HDACAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

KVM Switches & Peripheral Sharing Devices (HDACAHAI)

Keywords

• FPGA development boards
• Embedded interconnect hardware
• Gigabit Ethernet modules
• USB FPGA boards
• Data acquisition platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Didcot

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Sale of FPGA development boards and modules including USB boards (ZestSC1, ZestSC2, ZestSC3) and Gigabit Ethernet boards (ZestET1, ZestETM1, ZestET2-J, ZestET2-NJ). Products sold as off-the-shelf boards or integrated into OEM equipment.
2. Design Services: Embedded hardware and software design services including integrated system solutions, engineering project management, and methodology consulting. Services range from customization of Orange Tree board products to clean-slate custom design including PCB design, embedded software development, test and system integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Orange Tree Technologies designs, manufactures, and sells FPGA-based embedded interconnect boards and modules that connect real-time devices to host computers via high-speed Gigabit Ethernet and USB interfaces. Its portfolio includes the ZestET Gigabit Ethernet board family (ZestET2-J, ZestET2-NJ, ZestETM1, ZestET1) built around a proprietary GigEx TCP/IP Offload Engine, the ZestSC USB board family (ZestSC3, ZestSC2, ZestSC1), the free ZestDAQ software platform, and custom embedded hardware/software design services.

Product overview

Orange Tree Technologies offers a unified portfolio of FPGA-based embedded interconnect products centered on high-speed USB and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The product line comprises two hardware families: the ZestET series (Gigabit Ethernet boards/modules with proprietary GigEx® TOE) and the ZestSC series (USB FPGA boards), plus the free ZestDAQ software platform for data acquisition. The ZestET2-J and ZestET2-NJ are full-featured Ethernet boards with Xilinx Artix-7 FPGAs and DDR3 memory; the ZestETM1 is a compact, low-power Ethernet module; and the ZestET1 is a cost-optimized Ethernet option. The ZestSC3 provides SuperSpeed USB 3.0 with 360MBytes/sec throughput, while the ZestSC2 and ZestSC1 offer Hi-Speed USB 2.0 options. All boards share the ZestDAQ framework and comprehensive software support. The portfolio is complemented by design services for custom integration and system solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZestET2-J: Easy to use FPGA board with Xilinx Artix-7 user programmable FPGA and TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE) chip for Gigabit Ethernet interfacing, sustaining over 100MBytes/sec data rates.
• ZestET2-NJ
• ZestETM1
• ZestET1
• ZestSC3
• ZestSC2
• ZestSC1
• ZestDAQ
• GigEx

Products and services

• ZestET2-J Gigabit Ethernet FPGA board with Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA and Orange Tree's TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE) chip. Sustains over 100MBytes/sec data rates in a compact 40mm x 67mm form factor with 512MBytes DDR3 memory and 105 user I/O pins, aimed at industrial vision, radar, sonar, and medical imaging.
• ZestET2-NJ Gigabit Ethernet FPGA module with Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA and Orange Tree's TOE chip, packaged without an Ethernet jack or power jack to minimize height for embedded integration. Compact 40mm x 50mm form factor with 512MBytes DDR3 memory and 105 user I/O pins.
• ZestETM1 Compact, low-cost Gigabit Ethernet TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE) module that bridges network to parallel/serial interfaces. Small form factor (30mm x 25mm) with under 1.5W power draw, supporting IEEE 1588 PTP, Synchronous Ethernet, parallel registers, FIFO, SPI, and UART interfaces, suitable for OS-less embedded designs.
• ZestET1 Low-cost Gigabit Ethernet TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE) and FPGA module with Xilinx Spartan-3A FPGA. Sustains over 100MBytes/sec data rates with 6µsec latency in a 50mm x 75mm form factor with up to 1.4M system gates, supporting point-to-point control and data transfer over Ethernet.
• ZestSC3 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 FPGA board with Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA and Cypress FX3 controller. Sustains 360MBytes/sec data transfer in a compact 40mm x 50mm form factor with 512MBytes DDR3, 8Mbytes flash, and 105 user I/O pins, designed for high-speed host-to-embedded interconnect.
• ZestSC2 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 FPGA board with Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA (4 million gates), 64MBytes SDRAM, and 8MBytes ZBT SRAM, with 200 user I/O pins for high-performance FPGA development and embedded processing. End-of-life with Last-Time-Buy date of November 30, 2022.
• ZestSC1 Low-cost Hi-Speed USB 2.0 FPGA board with Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA (1 million gates). Available with 1 or 8MBytes ZBT SRAM, 49 user I/O pins, and USB-powered operation, suitable for FPGA development, prototyping, training, and data acquisition.
• ZestDAQ Free data acquisition and control software platform for Zest series USB and Ethernet boards. Consists of FPGA logic cores that handle buffering, formatting, and transferring data between peripherals/sensors and a host PC, plus a host software library, example programs, and wrapper cores for Ethernet and USB interfaces.
• Integrated System Solutions Embedded hardware and software design services extending beyond off-the-shelf FPGA boards, ranging from integration and customization of Orange Tree board products to clean-slate custom designs including PCB design, embedded software development, test, and full system integration.
• Engineering Project Management Project management services applying best-in-class engineering principles, working with customers to determine requirements upfront and deliver promised outcomes for FPGA-based embedded development projects.
• Methodology Consulting and Evaluation Expert consulting services for customers new to embedded system design or FPGA technology, providing feasibility assessment, alternative reviews, and methodology recommendations for proposed technology solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100MBytes/sec sustained data rate in each direction over Gigabit Ethernet
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• XilinxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2008Orange Tree Technologies joined the Xilinx Alliance Program, demonstrating commitment to supporting increased use and deployment of low power, high performance FPGA technology. Partnership follows record sales performance in the Industrial segment.
• SystemCrafterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2005Partnership for SystemC to VHDL synthesis package. SystemCrafter SC compiler for synthesis of SystemC to VHDL combined with ZestSC1 FPGA development board. Package won Ultimate Products award from EE Times eeProductCenter readers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Opal Kelly: Opal Kelly builds FPGA integration modules (Xilinx/AMD-based) with USB and high-speed host interfaces, with FrontPanel SDK for rapid application development - directly comparable to Orange Tree's ZestSC/ZestET boards in product concept, target customer, and software-bundling strategy.
• Digilent (AMD): Digilent (acquired by Xilinx/AMD) designs FPGA development boards (USB, Ethernet) and serves semiconductor prototyping, education, and embedded markets - the closest direct competitor to Orange Tree in FPGA developer boards and reference designs.
• Trenz Electronic: Trenz Electronic manufactures compact FPGA modules (FPGA SoMs) with high-speed connectivity for industrial and embedded applications, comparable in form factor and customer profile to Orange Tree's ZestETM1 and ZestET2-NJ modules.
• BittWare (Molex): BittWare builds FPGA-based boards and modules for high-speed networking, PCIe, and embedded applications, with comparable emphasis on TOE/high-throughput data paths. Targets communications, defense, and test/measurement markets that overlap with Orange Tree.
• Enclustra: Enclustra designs FPGA modules and SoCs (Xilinx/AMD and Intel-based) with high-speed serial interfaces for industrial, medical, and communications applications - a comparable SoM/form-factor competitor to Orange Tree's compact ZestET modules.
• Critical Link: Critical Link provides FPGA-based embedded System on Modules (SoMs) and design services for medical imaging, industrial, and defense applications, overlapping with Orange Tree's end markets and its board-plus-design-services model.

Broad incumbents

• National Instruments (NI): NI provides FPGA-based PXI/DAQ platforms with high-speed Ethernet/USB connectivity serving test & measurement, automotive, mil/aero, and industrial customers - significantly larger, broader portfolio that overlaps directly with Orange Tree's target segments and value proposition.
• Abaco Systems: Abaco Systems supplies ruggedized FPGA-based embedded computing for defense and aerospace (radar, electronic warfare, mission computing), directly competing for the mil/aero customers Orange Tree serves (e.g., BAE Systems, Thales, US Navy).
• Mercury Systems: Mercury Systems provides mission-critical processing subsystems including FPGA-based boards for defense applications, overlapping with Orange Tree's mil/aero segment and customer set.

Emerging players

• Sundance DSP: Sundance DSP offers FPGA-based DSP and embedded processing modules with high-speed interconnects for aerospace, defense, and signal-processing applications - a smaller specialist peer with similar niche positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orangetreetech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-tree-technologies-limited

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 Orange Tree Technologies