9elements cyber security
9elements Cyber Security is a German GmbH that develops and maintains production-grade open-source firmware (coreboot, openBMC, LinuxBoot) and proprietary security tooling, serving data center operators, cloud service providers, and server OEMs via custom development engagements and managed platforms like Canopy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBochum, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What 9elements cyber security does
9elements Cyber Security (legal entity: 9elements GmbH) is a German open-source firmware engineering company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Bochum at Kortumstraße 19-21. The firm develops and maintains production-grade open-source firmware solutions based on coreboot, openBMC, and LinuxBoot, targeting data centers, cloud service providers, and server/embedded hardware OEMs. Its technical scope spans host firmware, BMC firmware, embedded controller firmware, root-of-trust implementations, firmware security, and firmware testing across x86, ARM, and RISC-V architectures, with privileged NDA-level access to Intel Xeon collaterals and co-development relationships with AMD, ARM, Ampere, RISC-V, SiFive, ASpeed, and Nuvoton.
The product portfolio combines managed platforms with proprietary open-source tooling. Canopy is a production-grade upstream-aligned openBMC distribution offering fixed release schedules and long-term support. The coreboot SDK provides a Software Development Kit for next-generation Intel and AMD firmware. FirmwareCI delivers end-to-end firmware regression testing on real hardware integrated into CI/CD pipelines. Security tooling includes the Converged Security Suite (Intel TXT, Boot Guard, CBnT provisioning/testing), cbnt-prov (key/boot policy manifest generation), AUTOREV (closed-source firmware BLOB reverse-engineering), and goSWID (firmware SBoM generation in coSWID format).
The business model is services- and managed-subscription-driven with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue streams comprise custom firmware development engagements, managed firmware solutions (Canopy LTS, coreboot SDK), Linux development services, firmware test automation, and open-source firmware training programs. GTM is enterprise field sales targeting OEMs and hyperscalers, supplemented by silicon-vendor referrals (Intel, AMD, ARM recommend 9elements as implementation partners) and ecosystem presence through the Open Source Firmware Conference (which the company runs), OCP System Firmware Calls, and an active technical blog. Certifications achieved include OCP Accepted (2021) and ARM SystemReady SR (2023). The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding and operates as a founder/team-owned GmbH.
9elements cyber security firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 9elements cyber security
- Legal name
- 9elements GmbH
- Website
- https://9esec.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- 9elements Cyber Security is a German GmbH that develops and maintains production-grade open-source firmware (coreboot, openBMC, LinuxBoot) and proprietary security tooling, serving data center operators, cloud service providers, and server OEMs via custom development engagements and managed platforms like Canopy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
9elements cyber security industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open-Source Firmware Solutions
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Electronic Computers (3571)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Server Firmware, BMC & Remote Management (iDRAC/iLO/IPMI) (HDABADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Confidential Computing & Hardware-backed Protection (TEE/HSM) (HDADAFAJ), Supply Chain & Firmware Security for Industrial Devices (HDADAJAL), Cybersecurity Architecture & Security Integration (BPAEAAAL)
Keywords
Where 9elements cyber security is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bochum
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
9elements cyber security business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Firmware Development Services: Tailored firmware development engagements including Host/BMC/Embedded Controller firmware, Root-of-Trust implementations, security features, platform bring-up and maintenance.
- Managed Firmware Solutions: Ready-to-deploy firmware platforms including Canopy (openBMC) and coreboot SDK with long-term support and maintenance commitments.
- Firmware Training: Open-source firmware training programs including theoretical and hands-on practical components, utilizing platforms like UP² for workshop exercises.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
9elements cyber security product offering
Product offeringCore offering
9elements Cyber Security develops and maintains open-source firmware solutions centered on coreboot, openBMC, and LinuxBoot projects, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI implementations with auditable, production-ready alternatives for servers and embedded platforms. The company sells managed firmware products (Canopy openBMC distribution, coreboot SDK, FirmwareCI testing platform) and provides custom firmware development services including Host/BMC/Embedded Controller firmware, Root-of-Trust implementations, firmware security, and platform bring-up across x86, ARM, and RISC-V architectures.
Product overview
9elements Cyber Security is a firm offering centered on open-source firmware solutions, combining managed products with professional services. Its product portfolio includes Canopy (an upstream-first openBMC distribution), coreboot SDK, and FirmwareCI (end-to-end firmware testing). The company also maintains open-source security tooling including Converged Security Suite (for Intel TXT/CBnT/Boot Guard), AUTOREV (BLOB analysis), goSWID (SBoM generation), and VMBoot (VM booting from firmware). Services encompass custom firmware development, managed firmware solutions, Linux development, and firmware test automation, all built on open-source principles with upstream-first commitment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Canopy: Production-grade openBMC distribution - upstream-aligned and open-source, focused on stability, fixed release schedules, long-term support, and developer experience.
- FirmwareCI
- Blindspots FirmwareCI
- Converged Security Suite
Products and services
- Canopy An upstream-first openBMC distribution maintained by 9elements, focused on stability, long-term support, enhanced developer experience, and transparency. It is 100% open-source and production-ready, targeting server OEMs and data center operators.
- coreboot SDK
Quantifiable outcome
- coreboot continuous improvement demonstrated for Xeon Gen 1 to Gen 6 platforms with FSP API Mode
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use 9elements cyber security
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
9elements cyber security technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
9elements cyber security partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Arm (Neoverse CSS Project)coreJoint project bringing OpenBMC prototype to Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystem. Demonstrates PLDM/MCTP communication protocols and industry standards compliance with SBMR.
- IntelcoreStrategic partnership for open-source firmware on Intel Xeon 6-based platforms. 9elements actively upstreaming and maintaining coreboot code for Intel Xeon platforms with full NDA access to Intel collaterals. Joint presentations at OCP Global Summit 2024.
- ARMcoreARM SystemReady certification partnership. Joint development to enable coreboot + LinuxBoot on ARM64 systems, demonstrated on Qemu-sbsa-ref and Neoverse V2 Simulator. Joint paper on OpenBMC for Arm Neoverse CSS.
- AMDcoreCollaboration to enable 4th Gen EPYC server systems with open-source firmware. 9elements supported AMD openSIL development and created coreboot-based host firmware solution. Demonstration at OCP Regional Summit.
- Open Compute Project (OCP)coreCommunity level membership. Active participation in OCP System Firmware Calls (bi-weekly). Contributing to Open System Firmware project and OCP OSF license requirements.
- MullvadminorSystem Transparency project partnership to port Supermicro X11SSH-TF to coreboot - first modern upstream coreboot server platform.
- SupermicrocoreCollaboration on coreboot enablement for Supermicro server platforms including X11SSH-TF, X11SCH-F, and OCP Tioga Pass platforms.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
9elements cyber security competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AMI (American Megatrends): Largest commercial BIOS/UEFI and BMC firmware vendor globally, supplying Aptio and MegaRAC across the full x86 server and PC OEM ecosystem. Direct incumbent whose proprietary stack9elements is displacing in OCP and ARM Neoverse deployments.
- Insyde Software: Independent BIOS vendor serving leading x86 server, workstation, and notebook OEMs with UEFI firmware. Directly comparable as a competing IBV that 9elements' open-source coreboot engagements are positioned against.
- Phoenix Technologies: Long-standing commercial BIOS/firmware vendor serving enterprise, embedded, and IoT segments. Comparable as a mature incumbent whose proprietary firmware model9elements challenges with upstream-aligned coreboot and openBMC.
- HPE (Silicon Root of Trust / iLO firmware team): HPE maintains proprietary server firmware (iLO, Silicon Root of Trust) and is a target account for 9elements' open-source offering. Comparable as a vertically integrated OEM incumbent shaping enterprise firmware procurement.
- Dell Technologies (PowerEdge firmware): Major x86 server OEM with proprietary BMC/firmware stack across PowerEdge. Comparable as a Tier-1 OEM that 9elements would need to displace to expand beyond OCP/hyperscaler accounts.
Direct peers
- OpenBMC Project: Open-source BMC firmware framework that 9elements actively maintains through Canopy. While a community project rather than a company, it is the closest peer in the open-BMC stack and the foundation on which 9elements' managed offering is built.
- LinuxBoot Project: Open-source firmware project using Linux as the boot firmware, closely aligned with 9elements' LinuxBoot and u-root contributions. Directly comparable as an adjacent upstream initiative competing for the same open-firmware mindshare.
- coreboot Project: The foundational open-source firmware project where 9elements is the largest commercial contributor. Closely comparable as the open platform ecosystem that 9elements' SDK and services wrap into commercial offerings.
- Blindspot Software: Partner in delivering FirmwareCI; provides firmware CI/CD and testing automation directly adjacent to 9elements' test automation offering. Comparable as a specialist firmware testing vendor with overlapping service scope.
Emerging players
- Meta (Open Compute firmware team): Meta is both a customer and a parallel maintainer of openBMC and coreboot across its hyperscale fleet. Comparable as a sophisticated in-house firmware buyer/organization that overlaps heavily with 9elements' technical scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
9elements cyber security social profiles
Digital presence9elements cyber security financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
9elements cyber security leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
9elements cyber security funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
9elements cyber security M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 9elements cyber security
What does 9elements cyber security do?
9elements Cyber Security develops and maintains open-source firmware solutions centered on coreboot, openBMC, and LinuxBoot projects, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI implementations with auditable, production-ready alternatives for servers and embedded platforms. The company sells managed firmware products (Canopy openBMC distribution, coreboot SDK, FirmwareCI testing platform) and provides custom firmware development services including Host/BMC/Embedded Controller firmware, Root-of-Trust implementations, firmware security, and platform bring-up across x86, ARM, and RISC-V architectures.
Is 9elements cyber security a public or private company?
9elements cyber security is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 9elements cyber security founded?
9elements cyber security was founded in 2015.
Where is 9elements cyber security based?
9elements cyber security is headquartered in Bochum, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does 9elements cyber security make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Firmware Development Services are the primary driver. The others are managed Firmware Solutions and firmware Training.
Who are 9elements cyber security's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AMI (American Megatrends), Insyde Software, Phoenix Technologies, HPE (Silicon Root of Trust / iLO firmware team) and Dell Technologies (PowerEdge firmware). Direct peers are OpenBMC Project, LinuxBoot Project, coreboot Project and Blindspot Software. Meta (Open Compute firmware team) is listed as an emerging player.
Does 9elements cyber security have an API?
No public API is recorded for 9elements cyber security.
What industry is 9elements cyber security in?
9elements cyber security's product category is Open-Source Firmware Solutions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABADAL, Server Firmware, BMC & Remote Management (iDRAC/iLO/IPMI), with a secondary code of HDADAFAJ, Confidential Computing & Hardware-backed Protection (TEE/HSM). Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7371.