As code bases grow in complexity and organizations commit more of their time and resources to software development, embedded engineers and enterprise developers are increasingly turning to software modeling tools to help manage this complexity while still meeting ever greater time-to-market pressures. The considerable market opportunities for modeling tools as one of the methods depended upon to clarify requirements, understand behavior, and design the functionality are highlighted in VDC’s recently published Software & System Modeling Tools report.
VDC estimates the market for embedded software and system modeling tools and related services will expand at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) greater than 10% through 2014. A growing requirement for interconnectivity between devices and their support systems is forcing engineers and developers to take other systems’ requirements and resources into consideration, contributing to a strong use case for modeling tools.
An increased focus on interconnectivity and intelligent systems in both the defense and avionics segments, as well as the expanding adoption of industry standards such as DO-178C, which emphasize traceability, reuse, and modeling, will spur growth in product sales in the industry going forward. VDC estimates show the military / aerospace industry is the largest vertical market for embedded SSMT in 2011.
We believe however, that government defense budget reductions and shifting military plans in Europe and the US may disrupt or cancel several planned projects. Therefore growth opportunities going forward will be dependent upon increased demand for automation in multiple industries and continued implementation of certification requirements in industries less penetrated by modeling tools such as medical, industrial automation and energy/power.