What TESSERA TECHNOLOGY does

TESSERA TECHNOLOGY Inc. (テセラ・テクノロジー株式会社) is a privately held Japanese embedded systems company founded in May 1990 as Sendai LSI Technology and renamed in 1997, currently headquartered in Yokohama with five offices across the Kanto and Nagano regions. The company operates a one-stop engineering model covering specification planning, hardware/software design, prototyping, and small-to-medium batch manufacturing through in-house PCB assembly and BGA rework capabilities, supplemented by proprietary product development centered on Renesas Electronics microcontrollers.

The product portfolio spans five lines: (1) StickWriter flash memory programmers for Renesas RL78, RX, RH850, and now RA Arm Cortex-M families; (2) evaluation boards for Renesas RH850 automotive MCUs plus industrial network kits for EtherCAT, CC-Link IE, and IO-Link; (3) DALI-2 compliant lighting control evaluation boards, LED driver evaluation devices, and protocol stack testing services using Lichtvision ProbitLab2 equipment; (4) wireless modules for LoRa (with multi-hop mesh via DECENTRA II), Wi-SUN (B-route, HAN, FAN), and Bluetooth Low Energy, including energy-harvesting variants with Ablic CLEAN-Boost; and (5) IoT modules based on Renesas RA6 and RZ processors. A separate Digital Grid Division develops the proprietary Digital Grid Router for renewable-energy microgrids with pseudo-inertia and droop control. Pricing on evaluation hardware ranges from ¥5,000 to ¥540,000 per unit, with custom development services priced on a quote basis.

Revenue is generated through three streams: embedded systems contract development (professional services), proprietary hardware product sales (one-time/perpetual), and manufacturing services. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with web-form inquiries, bank transfer and cash-on-delivery payment terms, distribution through Renesas authorized resellers, and Amazon Japan marketplace listings for select SKUs. The company is a Renesas Alliance Partner and member of Wi-SUN Alliance, DiiA, EtherCAT Technology Group, and CC-Link Partner Association. Capital is modest (¥50 million registered), with no external institutional investors, no international operations, and revenue not publicly disclosed.

Name

TESSERA TECHNOLOGY

Legal name

TESSERA TECHNOLOGY INC.

Website

https://tessera.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TESSERA TECHNOLOGY is a Japan-domestic embedded systems company providing one-stop engineering services, evaluation boards, flash programmers, and certified wireless modules (LoRa, Wi-SUN, BLE) built primarily around the Renesas microcontroller ecosystem for industrial, automotive, lighting, and IoT customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Systems Development and Wireless Communication Modules

NAICS

Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118), Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334290), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Electric Lamp Bulb and Other Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (335139)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Communications Equipment, Nec (3669)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded, Maker Platforms & Development Kits Retail (CRACAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive & Industrial ICs (ADAS/Powertrain/Factory/Robotics) (HDAHABAD), Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Embedded systems development
• Wireless communication modules
• Flash memory programmers
• Microcontroller evaluation boards
• Industrial IoT solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Yokohama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Embedded Systems Development Services: Contract development of industrial systems, automotive electronics, IoT devices, and custom LSI/circuit design. Services include specification planning, hardware/software design, prototyping, and mass production support.
2. Proprietary Hardware Products: Sales of evaluation boards, flash memory programmers, wireless modules (LoRa, Wi-SUN, Bluetooth), and IoT solutions. Products are sold directly and through distributors with pricing ranging from yen 5,000 to 540,000 per unit.
3. Manufacturing Services: PCB assembly, BGA rework, prototype and small-to-medium batch production, with in-house fabrication capabilities for assembly and testing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tessera Technology provides one-stop embedded systems engineering, from specification planning and hardware/software design through prototyping to mass production, with in-house PCB assembly and testing. It sells proprietary products including flash memory programmers (StickWriter series), wireless communication modules (LoRa, Wi-SUN, Bluetooth), evaluation boards for Renesas microcontrollers (RL78, RH850, RX, RA), and DALI-2 lighting control solutions to industrial equipment manufacturers, automotive electronics suppliers, and IoT system integrators primarily in Japan.

Product overview

TESSERA TECHNOLOGY is a Japanese embedded systems company offering a comprehensive portfolio of evaluation boards, development tools, wireless modules, and IoT solutions primarily built around Renesas Electronics microcontrollers and processors. The product lineup centers on: (1) Flash memory programmers under the StickWriter brand for Renesas MCUs including the new StickWriter ACE for Arm Cortex-M cores; (2) Evaluation boards for Renesas RH850 automotive microcontrollers and various industrial network protocols (EtherCAT, CC-Link IE, IO-Link); (3) DALI-2 compliant lighting control solutions including control gear boards and application controllers; (4) Wireless communication modules spanning LoRa, Wi-SUN, and Bluetooth standards for smart meter and IoT applications; (5) IoT modules based on Renesas RA6 and RZ/G series processors for edge computing and gateway applications; and (6) CAN network analysis tools. The company provides both standalone products and development kits with software libraries, with a focus on industrial automation, automotive, and smart energy sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LoRa Wireless Modules LoRa wireless modules and development kits supporting 920MHz band with over 10km line-of-sight communication range, including multi-hop stack support for extended network coverage. Target customers are industrial equipment manufacturers and IoT system integrators requiring long-range low-power wireless communication.
• Wi-SUN Wireless Modules Wi-SUN certified wireless modules for smart meter communication, available in B2B connector type and USB dongle type with industry-leading compact size. Target customers are energy utilities, HEMS providers, and smart meter manufacturers requiring B-route and HAN connectivity.
• Flash Memory Programmers (StickWriter Series) USB-connected compact flash memory programmers for Renesas microcontrollers, including standalone operation capability without PC. Target customers are embedded systems developers and production engineers using Renesas RL78, RX, and RA family microcontrollers for firmware programming.
• RH850 Evaluation Boards Evaluation boards for Renesas RH850 automotive microcontrollers, including CPU boards, base boards, and CAN network analyzers for easy and low-cost evaluation. Target customers are automotive ECU developers and tier-1 suppliers building vehicle electronics.
• DALI Lighting Control Solutions DALI-2 compliant lighting control evaluation boards and LED power supply evaluation devices, including protocol stack library, testing services, and contract development for DALI-based lighting systems. Target customers are lighting fixture manufacturers and building automation system integrators.
• IoT Solutions (RA6 IoT Module, RZ Embedded Router, Single Board Computer) Embedded system boards for IoT applications ranging from MCU-based modules to MPU-based systems with Linux support, including Wi-Fi, LTE, and Ethernet connectivity options. Target customers are IoT system integrators and edge computing developers building smart building, factory, and monitoring solutions.
• Bluetooth Low Energy Evaluation Board RL78 BLE Dongle USB dongle type evaluation board with built-in Bluetooth 4.2 (BLE) and Renesas RL78/G1D microcontroller, certified for Japanese technical standards. Target customers are Bluetooth Low Energy application developers and IoT device manufacturers.
• Industrial Network Communication Evaluation Kit Evaluation kits for industrial network communications including EtherCAT (EC-1), CC-Link IE, and IO-Link, supporting various Renesas LSI platforms for industrial Ethernet evaluation. Target customers are industrial automation equipment manufacturers and factory automation system developers.
• Energy Harvesting Products Energy harvesting products including battery-less LoRa wireless development kits using CLEAN-Boost technology from Ablic for self-powered sensor applications. Target customers are IoT system integrators and sensor network developers building maintenance-free wireless sensor solutions.
• CAN Network Analyzer SA-CAN CAN communication monitoring and transmission tool with high-speed and low-speed CAN transceiver support, including real-time statistics display and frame logging capabilities. Target customers are automotive ECU developers and embedded systems engineers performing CAN bus analysis and diagnostics.
• SK Catcher Packet Analyzer 920MHz band radio packet analyzer for decoding and analyzing Wi-SUN, DECENTRA II, and 6LoWPAN protocols. Target customers are wireless communication developers and IoT system integrators performing protocol analysis and debugging.
• Embedded Systems Development Services Contract development of industrial systems, automotive electronics, IoT devices, and custom LSI/circuit design. Services cover specification planning, hardware/software design, prototyping, and mass production support. Target customers are industrial equipment manufacturers and automotive electronics suppliers needing full-cycle embedded systems engineering.
• Manufacturing Services PCB assembly, BGA rework, prototype and small-to-medium batch production with in-house fabrication capabilities for assembly and testing. Target customers are embedded systems developers and product manufacturers requiring prototype-to-production manufacturing support.
• DALI Contract Development Services LED lighting control contract development services based on DALI protocol expertise, including DALI-2 conformance testing using Lichtvision Engineering ProbitLab2 equipment. Target customers are lighting fixture manufacturers and building automation integrators requiring DALI-compliant product development support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 years of embedded systems development experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Renesas Electronics Corporation (ルネサス エレクトロニクス)coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic technology partner and alliance member providing microcontroller platforms (RL78, RH850, RX, RA families) for evaluation boards and flash programmers. Tessera develops and sells development tools compatible with Renesas microcontrollers as part of the Renesas ecosystem.
• Wi-SUN AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationIndustry alliance for IoT wireless communication standards. Tessera develops Wi-SUN certified modules (B-route, HAN, FAN) and participates in standard development activities.
• DiiA (Digital Illumination Interface Alliance)coreTechnology or IntegrationIndustry alliance for DALI lighting control standards. Tessera is an Associate Member providing DALI-2 protocol stacks, evaluation boards, and testing services using Lichtvision Engineering ProbitLab2 equipment.
• National Business Network Association (全国ビジネスネットワーク協会)minorOthersBusiness networking association for potential business development and partnership opportunities in Japan.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IAR Systems: Provider of embedded development tools, compilers, and debuggers for microcontroller-based systems. Comparable to Tessera's StickWriter programmer and embedded software development services targeting professional embedded engineers.
• Yokowo Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer specializing in antennas and wireless communication modules for automotive, IoT, and industrial applications. Closely comparable to Tessera's wireless module and IoT connectivity offerings, serving similar Japanese industrial customers.
• Laird Connectivity (Ezurio): Provider of wireless modules, IoT connectivity solutions, and embedded wireless modules including Bluetooth, LoRa, and Wi-Fi. Comparable to Tessera's LoRa, Wi-SUN, and BLE module product lines for industrial IoT customers.
• Hakusan Corporation: Japanese specialist in industrial fieldbus networking products including CC-Link, EtherCAT, and other industrial Ethernet protocols. Closely comparable to Tessera's industrial network communication evaluation kit line targeting Japanese factory automation customers.
• SEGGER Microcontroller: German vendor of embedded development tools including flash programmers, debug probes, RTOS, and middleware. Direct competitor to Tessera's StickWriter product line in the broader embedded tools market.

Broad incumbents

• Advantech Co., Ltd. Taiwan-based industrial IoT and embedded computing platform provider offering single-board computers, IoT gateways, and embedded modules. Comparable to Tessera's IoT solution and embedded router product lines serving industrial customers.
• TDK Corporation: Major Japanese electronic components manufacturer including sensors, wireless modules, and embedded systems for automotive, industrial, and IoT applications. Comparable breadth of Japanese embedded customer relationships, though at substantially larger scale.
• Renesas Electronics Corporation: Tessera's primary strategic partner and the microcontroller vendor (RL78, RH850, RX, RA families) around which its evaluation boards, programmers, and design services are built. As a broad incumbent, Renesas also ships its own development tools and reference designs that compete for some of the same customer wallet share.
• Silicon Laboratories (Silicon Labs): US-based vendor of wireless connectivity SoCs, modules, and development tools for IoT applications including Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-SUN, and proprietary sub-GHz. Comparable to Tessera's wireless module and evaluation board offerings, with much larger scale and global reach.
• Murata Manufacturing: Major Japanese manufacturer of wireless communication modules, sensors, and electronic components for IoT and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Tessera's LoRa and Wi-SUN module business, though Murata operates at substantially larger scale with global distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

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

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about TESSERA TECHNOLOGY