Carts, LLC

What Carts, LLC does

Carts, LLC, doing business as Silicon Design Associates, is a small privately-held US engineering services firm headquartered in Oceanside, California, with operations tracing back to 1985 (originally as COM Technology, incorporated in 1990 as Communications and Real Time Systems, transitioned to LLC in 1999, and rebranded as Silicon Design Associates in December 2025). The company provides specialized hardware design and embedded software engineering services, organized around four integrated practice areas: FPGA and digital logic design (VHDL/Verilog across Xilinx/AMD, Altera/Intel, and Microsemi/Actel platforms, including high-speed protocols PCIe, Ethernet, and SERDES); hardware design (PowerPC architectures, FPGA integration, VME/PCI/PMC/SCSI/Ethernet interconnect, analog and DC-DC power design, and microcontroller expertise across Atmel, Microchip, and Motorola families); embedded software (real-time applications on Embedded Linux, VxWorks, and Windows, with BSP and HAL development); and custom device drivers (Windows WDM/KMDF/UMDF and Linux kernel-level code). All staff hold professional engineering backgrounds, and the firm operates as registered developers for major industry partners.

The firm serves clients requiring complex hardware-software integration in three primary verticals: the communications industry, industrial control and precision measurement systems, and real-time/deterministic systems. Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-driven professional services engagements ranging from complete turnkey development to specialized Independent Verification and Validation and Test and Measurement support. The company provides long-term sustaining engineering and lifecycle support for complex hardware products, employing an early-testing methodology that brings software to a testbed as soon as a PCB is prototyped to minimize integration risk.

Go-to-market is sales-led and entirely direct, relying on a single website (carts.com), a contact form, telephone, and email to capture enterprise project inquiries. The company operates as a domestic US service provider, with a small (1–10 employee) footprint and no disclosed revenue, funding, customer logos, or partnerships. Marketing infrastructure is minimal, consisting of a content website describing service capabilities and an opt-in SMS program for project updates and technical support communication with existing clients.

Name

Carts, LLC

Legal name

CARTS, LLC

Website

https://carts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carts, LLC (Silicon Design Associates) is a small US engineering services firm providing FPGA/ASIC design, hardware engineering, embedded software, and custom device driver development for communications, industrial, and real-time systems clients on a project basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: Professional engineering services billed on a project basis, including complete turnkey development projects, specialized support efforts such as Independent Verification and Validation, and Test and Measurement services. Services range from system design through integration and testing to final system testing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Carts, LLC (dba Silicon Design Associates) is a specialized engineering services firm providing FPGA/ASIC development using VHDL/Verilog, custom device driver development across Windows, Linux, and real-time operating systems, embedded software for real-time applications, and comprehensive hardware design including PowerPC architectures. Services range from complete turnkey development projects to specialized support efforts such as Independent Verification and Validation and Test and Measurement.

Product overview

Silicon Design Associates is an engineering services firm (rebranded from CARTS, LLC in December 2025) providing specialized hardware and software design services. The company offers four integrated service areas: FPGA & Digital Design (VHDL/Verilog development for Xilinx, Altera, and Microsemi platforms), Hardware Design (PowerPC architectures, analog/power design, microcontrollers), Embedded Software (real-time applications for Embedded Linux and VxWorks), and Custom Device Drivers (kernel-level code for Windows and Linux). These services work together to deliver complete hardware-software solutions for communications and real-time systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FPGA & Digital Design

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• MicroConsult GmbH: MicroConsult is an embedded software and hardware engineering consultancy providing training and project services around real-time systems, drivers, and FPGA design - closely parallel to Silicon Design Associates' service portfolio.
• Vector Informatik: Vector Informatik provides embedded software engineering services, AUTOSAR expertise, and driver/tooling development for safety-critical systems - a direct peer in embedded and device-driver engineering services.
• DornerWorks: DornerWorks is a small embedded systems engineering services firm offering FPGA design, embedded software, and hardware development - directly comparable in size, service mix, and customer profile to Silicon Design Associates.
• Critical Software: Critical Software delivers safety-critical embedded systems engineering, FPGA, and real-time software services across aerospace, defense, and industrial markets - directly comparable to Silicon Design Associates' real-time and communications focus.

Broad incumbents

• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence provides EDA tools and design services spanning FPGA, ASIC, and embedded hardware-software co-design. A broad incumbent whose design services arm competes in the same FPGA/digital design niche as Silicon Design Associates.
• Synopsys: Synopsys offers EDA tools plus professional design services for FPGA/ASIC and embedded systems. Competes with Silicon Design Associates in the FPGA design services market but operates at vastly greater scale with a full IP and tooling portfolio.
• Siemens EDA: Siemens EDA (formerly Mentor Graphics) offers EDA tools and design services for FPGA/ASIC and embedded systems. Overlaps with Silicon Design Associates on FPGA and hardware design services but at much broader enterprise scale.
• Wind River Systems: Wind River provides embedded RTOS (VxWorks), Linux, and professional services for safety-critical industries. Direct overlap with Silicon Design Associates' VxWorks and Embedded Linux BSP/driver expertise, but Wind River operates at much larger scale with a broader product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Green Hills Software: Green Hills Software offers the INTEGRITY and µ-velOSity real-time operating systems along with embedded engineering services. Comparable to Silicon Design Associates on the VxWorks/real-time BSP and driver development axis, though its core offering is an RTOS product.
• LDRA Technology: LDRA provides embedded software quality tools and associated services for safety- and security-critical systems. Overlaps with Silicon Design Associates in the embedded software and driver development niche, though LDRA's core product is tooling rather than services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

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 Carts, LLC