PLC2

What PLC2 does

PLC2 (Programmable Logic Competence Center), founded in 1995 in Freiburg, Germany, is a privately held, family-owned FPGA and embedded systems competence center operating through plc2 GmbH (training, products, corporate functions) and plc2 Design GmbH (development services) with offices in Freiburg, Endingen, Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich, and Frankfurt. The company is AMD's exclusive Premier Design Partner and serves as an AMD Authorized Training Provider in 10 European countries, having trained 3,000 engineers annually from a base of more than 800 industrial customers — a position that originated in 1995 when founder Eugen Krassin became the first worldwide Xilinx/AMD ATP. In 2022 ETAS, a Robert Bosch GmbH subsidiary, entered as a strategic partner, and a generation change in 2015 placed Andrea, Nikolai, and Sina Krassin in managing-director roles alongside Dr. Steffen Zimmermann and Matthias Sund.

The technical stack centers on AMD/Xilinx programmable logic — Versal adaptive SoCs, Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, and the Vivado/Vitis toolchain — with deliverables spanning instructor-led training, custom embedded development (IP design, 3rd-party IP integration, porting, PCIe/Multi-10G Ethernet/USB/DDR-RAM interfaces, bare metal, RTOS, Embedded Linux), and a small proprietary hardware and IP portfolio: the ADL-1000 Data Logger, PGC-1000 Grabber Card, L5 (De-)Compression IP, and the open-source PoC-Library (VHDL IP cores, with Head of System Engineering Patrick Lehmann also contributing to the GHDL simulator). Applied R&D projects extend the platform footprint into automotive (SelfAutoDOC, BMWK-funded organic computing for autonomous driving) and energy (EEEM, a 25%-loss-reduction electric-motor management scheme), with ISO 9001:2015 and DIN EN 9100 certifications supporting avionics, space, and defense customers.

Revenue flows from three professional-services and product streams: per-participant training priced at €1,500–€3,500 net depending on format (Power Workshop, Workshop, Easy Start, Online Live), hourly or fixed-price development services delivered via extended-workbench, collaborative-team, or deliverable-based models, and direct hardware/IP sales into industry, automotive, defense, robotics, and data center markets. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise engagement with the AMD ATP channel and leverages community content — the annual FPGA Conference Europe, the Logic Lounge podcast, the VHDL Compendium, and a Knowledge Hub tech blog — with named customers including ABB, SCIENION, Bonfiglioli Vectron, Stöber Antriebstechnik, Schneider Electric, and Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen.

Name

PLC2

Legal name

plc2 GmbH

Website

https://plc2.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PLC2 provides FPGA training, embedded design services, and proprietary hardware/IP products focused on AMD/Xilinx platforms, serving 800+ industrial companies and training 3,000 engineers annually as AMD's exclusive Premier Design Partner in 10 European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

FPGA Design Services & Training

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Computer Training (611420), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmable Logic (FPGAs/CPLDs) (HDAHAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electrical Controls, PLC & Industrial Automation (EDAOABAE), IP Enablement, Characterization & Porting Services (HDAHAFAI)

Keywords

• FPGA training services
• Embedded systems design
• Programmable logic development
• VHDL IP cores
• FPGA development tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training & Coaching: Instructor-led training courses on FPGA technology, embedded systems, VHDL, Vivado, and AMD platforms. Offered in multiple formats: Power Workshops (5 days), Workshops (3 days), Easy Start (2 days), and Online Live. Courses conducted in German for face-to-face and English for online. Customized in-house training available for corporate clients.
2. Development Services: Embedded development services including requirements capture, IP design and validation, 3rd-party IP integration, porting to newer FPGA technologies, Zynq7000 and MPSoC systems, bare metal/RTOS/Embedded Linux software, high-speed interfaces (PCIe, Multi 10G Ethernet, USB, DDR-RAM), timing constraints, and driver/UI development. Projects billed hourly or fixed price.
3. Products & Hardware: Sale of proprietary hardware products including ADL-1000 Data Logger, PGC-1000 Grabber Card, and L5 Compression/Decompression IP core. Products target industry, defense, automotive, robotics, and data center markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PLC2 (plc2 GmbH / plc2 Design GmbH) provides professional FPGA training courses, custom embedded systems development services, and proprietary hardware/IP products centered on AMD/Xilinx programmable logic platforms. The company's offerings span instructor-led training on AMD architecture, VHDL, and Vivado tools, end-to-end embedded FPGA design services, and hardware products such as the ADL-1000 Data Logger, PGC-1000 Grabber Card, and L5 (De-)Compression IP core, along with the open-source PoC-Library.

Product overview

PLC2 operates as a comprehensive FPGA and embedded systems competence center offering a portfolio of training services, development services, and hardware/IP products. The core training offerings include professional-level courses on AMD architectures (Versal, Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC), Vivado design tools, VHDL programming, embedded Linux, and high-speed connectivity protocols. The product line includes the ADL-1000 Data Logger and PGC-1000 Grabber Card as hardware offerings, the L5 Compression IP as an intellectual property core, and the PoC-Library as an open-source VHDL IP core library. Development services provide custom FPGA design, integration, and consulting across industry, automotive, defense, robotics, and medical markets. The company serves as AMD's exclusive training partner with ATP status across Central Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training & Coaching Services Professional FPGA training courses covering AMD architecture (Versal adaptive SoC, Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC), tools (Vivado, Vitis), programming languages (VHDL/Verilog), embedded development, DSP and image processing, and FPGA connectivity protocols. Delivered as Power Workshops (5 days), Workshops (2-3 days), Easy Start (2 days), Online Live instructor-led virtual courses, in-house corporate sessions, webinars, seminars, and long-term education. Target audience is FPGA engineers and embedded developers in industrial, automotive, defense, robotics, and medical companies.
• Embedded Development Service Custom FPGA and embedded systems development services including IP block design and validation, third-party IP integration, porting to newer FPGA technologies, Zynq7000 and MPSoC-based system development, bare metal/RTOS/Embedded Linux software, high-speed interfaces (PCIe, Multi 10G Ethernet, USB, DDR-RAM), timing constraints, and driver/host frontend development. Projects are quoted hourly or fixed price with engagement models including extended workbench, collaborative development teams, or deliverable-based specification work. Target customers are industrial, automotive, defense, robotics, and medical engineering teams.
• Coaching Service Expert one-on-one or small-team coaching that bridges FPGA design theory to practice on real customer projects, supplementing the company's training and development service offerings.
• ADL-1000 Data Logger Proprietary FPGA-based hardware product for high-speed data acquisition and recording in industrial, defense, automotive, robotics, and data center applications.
• PGC-1000 Grabber Card Proprietary FPGA-based grabber card for high-speed data acquisition and video/image capture in FPGA systems, targeting data center and high-speed imaging use cases.
• L5 (De-)Compression IP Proprietary compression and decompression intellectual property core designed for FPGA implementation, licensed for use in high-speed data processing applications.
• PoC-Library Open-source VHDL IP core library of reusable intellectual property blocks maintained by PLC2 and made available to the FPGA development community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 25% energy consumption reduction achieved in EEEM research project for electric motors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AMD (formerly Xilinx)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Exclusive AMD Premier Design Partner since 2022. Long-standing partnership since 1995 when Eugen Krassin became the first worldwide AMD/Xilinx Authorized Training Provider (ATP). PLC2 serves as ATP in 10 European countries. Strong collaborative relationship for training content, tool access, and technical expertise sharing.
• ETAS (Robert Bosch GmbH subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ETAS, a heavyweight in the automotive sector and subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, joined PLC2 in 2022. This partnership strengthens PLC2's position in the automotive market and brings additional expertise in automotive software and embedded systems.
• EU Fractal Research ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU research project aiming to create a reliable computing platform node for cognitive edge computing under industry standards. Part of a scalable, decentralized Internet of Things ranging from smart low-energy computing systems to high-performance computing edge nodes. PLC2 positions itself as expert for the AMD Versal target platform.
• Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelfAutoDOC research project funded by BMWK as part of the 'Neue Fahrzeug- und Systemtechnologien' (New Vehicle and System Technologies) programme. Focus on organic computing for autonomous driving with safety-critical operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Doulos: UK-based independent training provider specializing in FPGA, ASIC, and HDL languages (SystemVerilog, VHDL) — a direct competitor to PLC2's instructor-led AMD/Xilinx and Verilog training catalog, also serving industrial engineers globally.
• Missing Link Electronics: German-based FPGA/SoC design house providing embedded development, IP, and signal-processing engineering services on AMD/Xilinx platforms — overlapping directly with PLC2's plc2 Design subsidiary in Central Europe.
• Enclustra: Swiss vendor of FPGA modules, SoC system-on-modules, and design services centered on AMD/Xilinx — a near-competitor on hardware products (FPGA-based grabber/acquisition boards) and high-speed interface IP.
• Fidus Systems: Canada-headquartered specialist in FPGA, SoC, and embedded design services. Closely comparable to plc2 Design GmbH on the development-services side, offering IP design, hardware bring-up, and high-speed interfaces.
• NewTec (NTL): German FPGA/embedded design services company offering application-specific FPGA development — directly comparable to PLC2's development services for industrial, medical, and automotive clients in the DACH region.

Broad incumbents

• Arrow Electronics: Global distributor running FPGA manufacturer training programs (including Xilinx/AMD linecard) and embedded design support — competes with PLC2 indirectly as a training-channel incumbent for enterprise engineers.
• EBV Elektronik (Avnet Company): European semiconductor specialist distributor under Avnet running AMD/Xilinx training and design-in services — a close geographic parallel to PLC2's ATP coverage in Central Europe.
• Avnet (Silica & Embedded): Global broad-line distributor and AMD/Xilinx training partner. Operates a much wider semiconductor distribution portfolio but is a sibling comparator in ATP-style training and design support for Xilinx customers.

Emerging players

• Sundance DSP: Niche FPGA/multiprocessor hardware vendor focused on DSP, high-speed data acquisition, and FMC modules — overlaps with PLC2's ADL-1000 Data Logger and PGC-1000 Grabber Card product niches.

Others

• Nvidia DLI (Deep Learning Institute): Adjacent training ecosystem for AI/accelerated computing engineers — increasingly overlapping with PLC2's Versal AI Engine curriculum as Versal competes with Nvidia SoCs in robotics, vision, and edge AI.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/plc2gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/1527073494191626

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 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 PLC2