Renesas Electronics announced that a subsidiary has completed the acquisition of Pictorus, a software developer based in Oakland, California.
Pictorus provides a cloud-based behavioral modeling platform designed to accelerate embedded system development.
Renesas said the acquisition will enhance Renesas 365, its platform for electronics system development spanning discovery, development, and lifecycle management.
With Pictorus, Renesas 365 will enable engineers to visually design, express, and simulate system behavior and intent. The platform is designed to help accelerate application development while supporting digital continuity from system modeling to software implementation and device deployment.
Renesas said the acquisition supports its broader digitalization vision of making electronics design more accessible to a wider market. The company is working toward building an electronics system design and lifecycle management platform with Altium.
Pictorus’ technology is designed to help engineers create system behavior visually by drawing block diagrams in a web browser. The platform can automatically convert diagrams into executable embedded software written in memory-safe Rust, with interoperability with C/C++ and Python.
Renesas said these capabilities can help accelerate and streamline development, particularly as software-defined systems advance across automotive, robotics, and industrial equipment.
Pictorus was founded by engineers with experience developing vehicle software for demanding environments. The company was created to address fragmented workflows in production-grade embedded systems by supporting rapid iteration, memory-safe code generation, and model-based design.
Renesas is a global provider of microcontrollers and semiconductor solutions across embedded processing, analog, power, and connectivity for automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT applications.
KEY QUOTES:
“Incorporating Pictorus’ capabilities advances system design on Renesas 365 by combining current architectural modeling capabilities with behavioral modeling and simulation. In addition, Pictorus’ technology will drive a further left shift through rapid virtual prototyping and code generation, accelerating exploration and evaluation, enabling faster, more optimal device selections.”
Leigh Gawne, Vice President of R&D and Digital Industries, Software & Digitalization at Renesas
“We started Pictorus because embedded firmware development still asks engineers to bridge too many gaps between hardware, software, simulation, and deployment. Engineers deserve something more modern and cohesive. What excites us most about joining Renesas is how strongly that vision aligns with the direction of the Renesas 365 platform. Renesas is uniquely positioned to connect hardware, software, and development workflows at a massive scale, and we’re excited to help build that future together.”
Chris Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Pictorus
