What Arm Mbed Iot Device Platform does

Arm Mbed IoT Device Platform is a free, open-source IoT operating system and development tools ecosystem built and maintained by Arm Limited. It centers on Mbed OS, an open-source RTOS for Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers that exposes a well-defined C++ API, a built-in security stack (Mbed TLS / Mbed Crypto), storage components, and connectivity support across BLE, WiFi, Cellular, and LoRaWAN. The platform abstracts manufacturer-specific HALs and SDKs through universal communication drivers, enabling code portability across hundreds of certified Mbed Enabled development boards from silicon partners including Nordic Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, NXP, u-blox, and Quectel. Developer tooling spans three form factors — Keil Studio Cloud (zero-installation browser IDE), Mbed Studio (desktop IDE), and Mbed CLI (command-line interface) — and is complemented by thousands of code examples, libraries, and reference designs.

The platform serves professional IoT firmware engineers and OEMs building connected devices, with documented deployments spanning smart city infrastructure (AAEON street lighting nodes in Taipei targeting 25,000 units), cycling safety (See.Sense smart bike lights), and industrial IoT (Agora's multi-sensor asset monitor). Mbed OS integrates with Arm's commercial Pelion Device Management service for production-grade fleet connectivity, firmware updates, and security management.

The business model is freemium with no paid tiers, licensing fees, or direct software revenue. The platform operates as an ecosystem enabler that drives adoption of Arm Cortex-M silicon rather than as a standalone monetized product. In a defining strategic shift, Arm announced an End of Life timeline for Mbed with the site scheduled for archival in July 2026, signaling platform rationalization rather than continued investment.

Name

Arm Mbed Iot Device Platform

Legal name

Arm Limited

Website

https://mbed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arm Mbed is a free, open-source IoT operating system and development tools ecosystem for Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers, maintained by Arm Limited. It serves professional IoT developers and OEMs with Mbed OS, cloud and desktop IDEs, and security libraries. Arm has announced an end-of-life timeline with site archival in July 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IoT Device Platform

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Enablement, Characterization & Porting Services (HDAHAFAI)

Keywords

• IoT operating system
• Embedded development tools
• IoT device platform
• Firmware development
• IoT connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Open Source Platform (Free): Mbed OS, development tools (Keil Studio Cloud, Mbed Studio, Mbed CLI), and Mbed TLS are provided as free open source software. Revenue is not directly generated from software licensing. The platform serves as an ecosystem enabler for Arm's broader semiconductor and IP business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arm Mbed is a free, open-source IoT device platform providing an operating system (Mbed OS) and a set of development tools (cloud IDE, desktop IDE, CLI, and TLS/crypto libraries) for building, securing, and managing firmware on connected/embedded devices. It is built and maintained by Arm Limited and has been publicly announced for end-of-life in July 2026.

Product overview

Arm Mbed IoT Device Platform is a free open-source IoT operating system and development tools ecosystem for Arm Cortex-M devices. The platform centers on Mbed OS as the core operating system, supplemented by three development environments (Keil Studio Cloud browser-based IDE, Mbed Studio desktop IDE, and Mbed CLI command-line tool). Security capabilities are provided through Mbed TLS and Mbed Crypto libraries. The ecosystem extends to hardware support including development boards, modules, and components, with connectivity options spanning BLE, WiFi, Cellular, and LoRaWAN. Note: The platform has announced an end-of-life timeline with archiving scheduled for July 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mbed OS: Open source IoT operating system for Cortex-M devices providing connectivity, security, storage, device management and machine learning capabilities
• Keil Studio Cloud
• Mbed Studio
• Mbed CLI
• Mbed TLS and Mbed Crypto

Products and services

• Mbed OS

Quantifiable outcome

• Product development time reduced to 6 months for multi-sensor industrial device (3 software engineers, 2 hardware engineers)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nordic SemiconductorcoreTechnology or IntegrationNordic Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in ultra low-power wireless SoCs and connectivity devices for the 2.4 GHz ISM band. They are a Board Partner providing Mbed Enabled development boards including nRF51822 and nRF52-DK. Nordic's nRF52840 and other chipsets are supported on the Mbed platform with BLE and other connectivity features.
• STMicroelectronicscoreTechnology or IntegrationSTMicroelectronics provides silicon for Mbed Enabled hardware. The STM32F429IEH6 chipset is used in smart street lighting applications built on Mbed OS.
• AAEONcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAAEON manufactures the Aaeon Node for smart street lighting using Mbed OS. The device plugs into industry standard NEMA 7-pin sockets found on street lights and allows city-wide lighting control from a single platform.
• AgoraminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAgora uses Mbed OS for the EPM2M-AG-CELL epSensor, a flexible multi-sensor device for industrial asset monitoring, air quality sensing, and environmental monitoring.
• See.SenseminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSee.Sense builds smart bike lights using Mbed OS with Nordic nRF51 chipsets for cycling safety applications.
• Pelion Device Management (by Arm)coreTechnology or IntegrationPelion Device Management integrates with Mbed OS for device configuration, software updates, and security management in production IoT deployments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• RIOT OS: Open-source IoT-focused OS maintained by a global academic and industry consortium. Comparable to Mbed OS in targeting constrained IoT devices with a developer-friendly programming model.
• Contiki-NG: Open-source OS for next-generation IoT nodes, successor to Contiki. Comparable to Mbed OS in enabling low-power networked embedded devices, particularly with IPv6/6LoWPAN.
• NuttX: Apache-governed open-source RTOS with a POSIX interface. Comparable to Mbed OS as a community-driven embedded OS targeting MCUs and small SoCs, gaining traction in IoT and drone applications.
• Apache Mynewt: Apache-governed OS for resource-constrained MCUs. Comparable to Mbed OS as a vendor-neutral open-source RTOS targeting connected embedded devices.

Direct peers

• Azure RTOS (ThreadX): Microsoft's embedded real-time operating system family (ThreadX, NetX Duo, GUIX, FileX, USBX). Comparable to Mbed OS as a deeply integrated RTOS + middleware stack for connected embedded devices.
• FreeRTOS: Open-source RTOS originally by Richard Barry, now maintained by Amazon Web Services with deep AWS IoT integration. Closely comparable to Mbed OS in target workloads and developer audience, and the de-facto alternative for embedded IoT.
• Zephyr Project: Open-source RTOS for resource-constrained devices, governed by the Linux Foundation with broad vendor support. The leading direct competitor to Mbed OS for Cortex-M-class IoT development, and the most likely migration target as Mbed sunsets.

Others

• Pelion Device Management: Arm's IoT connectivity and device management service. Not a direct RTOS peer but tightly integrated with Mbed OS and positioned as the production-device successor for Mbed-based fleets.

Broad incumbents

• Green Hills Software INTEGRITY: Commercial safety-certified RTOS targeting aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial safety-critical applications. Comparable as a higher-end alternative to Mbed OS for embedded developers needing certified real-time platforms.
• Wind River VxWorks: Commercial-grade RTOS from Wind River with broad industry adoption in safety- and mission-critical applications. Comparable to Mbed OS in addressing embedded RTOS workloads but at the high-reliability/regulated end of the market.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/armmbed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ArmSoftwareDevelopers
• Facebookfacebook.com/armmbed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Arm Mbed Iot Device Platform