News

IoT Platform Provider Express Logic Acquired by Microsoft

Microsoft this week acquired San Diego, Calif.-based Express Logic, which provides real-time operating systems (RTOS) for industrial embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

In its announcement, Microsoft noted that the acquisition is part of its plan to invest $5 billion in IoT technologies. "With this acquisition, we will unlock access to billions of new connected endpoints, grow the number of devices that can seamlessly connect to Azure and enable new intelligent capabilities," the company said. The price Microsoft paid for Express Logic was not revealed.

Among its many solutions, Express Logic is known for its ThreadX RTOS for microcontrollers, which has been installed in more than 6 billion devices worldwide. It is often deployed in "resource-constrained" environments that need security and edge processing but have low power available, such as light bulbs, temperature gauges, industrial controls and medical devices.

Features of ThreadX RTOS include a very small footprint (2KB instruction area and 1KB RAM), multicore support, pre-emption threshold scheduling, MISRA compliance and EAL4+ Security certification.

The company said that both its solutions and its staff were now becoming part of Microsoft. "As part of Microsoft, we believe our customers will be even better positioned to unlock exciting new capabilities of the IoT," Express Logic stated in a press release regarding the acquisition.

"Our goal is to make Express Logic's ThreadX RTOS available as an option for real time processing requirements on an Azure Sphere device and also enable ThreadX-powered devices to connect to Azure IoT Edge devices when the IoT solution calls for edge computing capabilities," Microsoft said, explaining how it plans to incorporate ThreadX RTOS with its current offerings. "While we recommend Azure Sphere for customers' most secured connections to the cloud, where Azure Sphere isn't possible in highly constrained devices, we recommend Express Logic's ThreadX RTOS over other RTOS options in the industry because of its additional certifications and out-of-the-box connectivity to Azure IoT Hub."

About the Author

Becky Nagel serves as vice president of AI for 1105 Media specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She also regularly writes and reports on AI news, and is the founding editor of PureAI.com. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. She has a background in Web technology and B2B enterprise technology journalism.

Featured

  • World Map Image

    Microsoft Taps Nebius in $17B AI Infrastructure Deal To Alleviate Cloud Strain

    Microsoft has signed a five-year, $17.4 billion agreement with Amsterdam-based Nebius Group to expand its AI computing capabilities through third-party GPU infrastructure.

  • Microsoft Brings Copilot AI Into Viva Engage

    Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available, extending Copilot's AI-powered assistant capabilities deeper into the Viva platform.

  • MIT Finds Only 1 in 20 AI Investments Translate into ROI

    Despite pouring billions into generative AI technologies, 95 percent of businesses have yet to see any measurable return on investment.

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.