Uppsala, Sweden-based software testing solutions provider IAR told QA Financial it has struck a deal with AI Sweden to gain access to the knowledge hub’s artificial intelligence expertise.
AI Sweden is the national centre for applied AI and brings together around 130 partners from the public and private sectors as well as academia. It is funded by the Swedish government and ivests in generating tools and resources to accelerate the use of AI.
“IAR will have the opportunity to work with AI Sweden to accelerate digital transformation in Sweden, while helping customers improve their workflows, increase their competitiveness, and speed up the time-to-market for innovations,” outgoing CEO Richard Lind explained.
“We see this partnership as a significant milestone for promoting innovation and modernization within digitalization,” Lind stated.
“The integration of AI algorithms in embedded systems is rapidly increasing, allowing embedded devices to perform more complex tasks,” he continued.
“Our testing solutions help streamline software development workflows, enabling our customers to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and enhance their competitiveness,” Lind emphasized.
By partnering with AI Sweden, IAR gains access to expertise, technology, and a network of organizations that share the ambition to accelerate the use of AI in Sweden, he pointed out.
Statistic analysis tool
The new partnership comes only weeks after IAR told QA Financial it hadintegrated a newly developed static analysis tool in its functional code QA platform, IAR Embedded Workbench.
The firm claims the analysis solution ensures that the testing platform meets stringent functional safety standards, including compliance requirements.
Anders Holmberg, CTO of IAR, explained that the new analysis tool makes sure testing meets stringent safety standards, provides crucial compliance and reliability information.
The integrated static analysis is able to detect potential errors and coding standard violations early in the development process. This integration ensures compliance and saves valuable time and resources.
Holmberg stressed it supports modern development practices, including Continuous Integration (CI) and automated builds, across platforms such as Linux (Ubuntu and Red Hat) and Windows.
Operational shape
IAR is increasingly becoming a dominant player in the QA space. The firm has grown to 458 million SEK in annual revenue last year.
For the third consecutive quarter, the company did manage to exceed analysts’ expectations, with DNB analyst Joachim Gunell telling QA Financial recently that “I believe that IAR is in its best operational shape in the six years we have been following the company.”
Founded in 1983 in Uppsala, Sweden, IAR provides software and services for embedded development, including QA testing, integration and transition plans and software security and reliability.
The firm recently caught the attention of the industry as it is gearing up for a new CEO, Cecilia Wachtmeister, who recently sat down with QA Financial for an exclusive interview.
Wachtmeister, who will take up the role on October 1, has held a range of roles in various technology companies in the last decade, with a focus on international sales.
Most recently, she was chief commercial officer at Kambi, a major B2B provider of sports betting services to licensed B2C gambling operators. The company provides a software platform with front end user interface, odds compiling, customer intelligence and risk management.
The search for a new CEO was announced earlier this year when, after three years in the job, current CEO Richard Lind confirmed his intention to step down later this year.
Lind assumed the role of CEO in September 2021 with a mission to steer the regional IT security heavyweight towards new growth within three years, explained Nicolas Hassbjer, chairman of the board of IAR.
However, Lind managed, along with the leadership team he assembled, to achieve this goal in two years, Hassbjer stressed.
Apart from IAR, Lind continues to be chairman of Flowmotion and has a number of advisory assignments for companies such as Innovation Strategy Forum, Intphiz and PerformanceSK8.
“During my years as CEO, IAR has undergone extensive cleanup and modernisation, which is expected to be completed this year,” Lind said at the end of March.
He oversaw a 50 million SEK cost reduction and “a cleanup” of the balance sheet, with over 400 million SEK in intangible assets, Hassbjer continued.
In addition, Hassbjer said there were significant investments in development, the elimination of technical debt, and integration of AI/ML solutions.
Lind will remain in place until Wachtmeister takes over in October.
UPCOMING QA FINANCIAL EVENTS
READ MORE
- Kobiton launches new capabilities for mobile testing
- ECB names new digital chief as QA climbs the priority ladder
- Maveric eyes IPO amid major US growth plans
- Exclusive: ‘AI productivity means more risk,’ warns Tricentis ML head
- QualityKiosk wins major testing deal with Dubai’s largest bank
Become a QA Financial subscriber – for FREE
News and interviews * Receive our weekly newsletter * Get priority invitations to our Forum events
