The scope of modern embedded solutions is vast, from smartwatches and smart glasses to complex automotive devices and medical equipment. Whether you're developing a smart home product, an automated car parking system, or an inertial guidance system for aviation, the embedded software development team you partner with is crucial for the project's success.
So, what does it take to develop embedded solutions? How do you gather a team of skilled engineers for your next embedded software development project? Let's discuss.
The demand for embedded software development talent is soaring—but here's the catch
According to Statista's research, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices worldwide will increase nearly threefold: from $13,134M in 2022 to $37,477.1M in 2032. The Global Market Insights report states that the embedded software market worldwide will exceed $250B by 2032, driven by the increasing adoption of IoT, 5G, and AI-powered systems across industries. With electric vehicle sales projected to increase by 35% year-over-year, the demand for embedded systems, especially microcontrollers, is expected to surge. Additionally, the adoption of 5G technology is expected to create a $1T economic boost by 2030, leading to the rapid expansion of embedded systems in devices like smartphones, medical equipment, and automotive systems.
As embedded software becomes more integrated with AI, machine learning, and IoT, businesses will face the challenge of finding skilled talent. This, in turn, makes finding offshore tech teams an essential strategy for accessing specialized expertise and scaling development quickly.
The growing demand for embedded software development services makes an embedded software engineer highly valued on the market. According to Glassdoor, the average embedded software engineer's salary in the UK is $59,488 and $125,844 in the USA.
Despite the increase in demand for embedded software engineers and high salaries, there is a shortage of skilled embedded specialists worldwide. This shortage is particularly alarming for the semiconductor industry, as suggested by McKinsey's article on closing the talent gap within the domain. Thus, more and more businesses are choosing to outsource development to trusted embedded software companies.
Building a successful embedded software development team
Businesses that develop embedded solutions usually opt for one of these popular options:
- Setting up an in-house development team;
- Finding an embedded software development partner offshore;
- Using a combination of both options.
Each of these strategies has its pros and cons.
For example, building a successful embedded software development team in-house for a company without experience with embedded software development is challenging. It involves a lot of risks associated with the reliability and security of embedded devices.
By contrast, IT outsourcing companies with an extensive portfolio of embedded projects have already developed a number of best practices. They can ensure that delivered solutions correspond to the existing security and industry standards. What's more, embedded outsourcing projects are usually more cost-effective. It is a huge advantage for companies wanting to control their budget. However, the main reason for delegating embedded software development is often the need to speed up delivery and time to market. An outsourced embedded development team can significantly improve your company's development capabilities.
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The companies often augment their in-house departments with external embedded teams as it allows to minimize the risks associated with following one strategy only while leveraging the benefits of both. Here's what you should consider when choosing an external embedded software development team.
1. Explore the most convenient destinations
Businesses deciding to outsource embedded software development often consider hiring embedded software developers in European countries like Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. These locations are famous for their strong technical education and a great number of developers with experience in various technologies.
For example, over 525,000 professionals are employed in the IT industry in Poland, making it the largest tech talent pool in the region. In Romania, there are over 200,000 experts. Bulgaria has over 101,000 ICT professionals, and Ukraine boasts more than 307,000 ICT experts.
North American enterprises often consider partnering with software development companies from Latin America, namely Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, and others. Combined, the region has over two million ICT specialists.
India still remains one of the most popular destinations for offshoring for companies worldwide. With over two and a half million developers, the country is in the top three largest tech talent pools.
We at N-iX have development centers in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Colombia, and India. It allows clients from all over the world to choose the most suitable location for international collaboration.
2. Choose a reliable embedded software development partner
When looking for an embedded software development vendor, you need to gather real customer feedback about different companies and review their portfolio of embedded projects.
If you need full-cycle embedded software development, your vendor must have experience in software architecture and prototype design, hardware and firmware development and testing, and also system integration. Depending on the case, team composition could significantly vary. It's important to ensure that the embedded software development companies you're considering have specialists who can provide you with the needed services. A core team for a project that covers full-cycle embedded software development services with C++ could be as follows:
- 2 senior C++ software developers;
- 1 middle UI/UX designer;
- 1 senior DevOps;
- 2 middle QA specialists.
Explore the topic: Embedded software development: How to benefit from it
3. Ensure the embedded software engineers have the necessary skills
When it comes to hiring a software development team for an embedded project, you need to be specific about your tech requirements. Here is the list of must-have skills for an experienced embedded software engineer:
- 3-5 years of experience with C/C++ programming;
- Knowledge of basic protocols: I2C, SPI, UART, LIN and advanced protocols: SATA, PCIe, USB, CAN, MOST;
- Experience with microprocessor and microcontroller architectures;
- Expertise in General-Purpose Operating Systems (GPOS) and Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS);
- Knowledge of networking technologies such as Ethernet, TCP/IP;
- A solid understanding of the different types of memory, including RAM, ROM, and Flash;
- Knowledge of design patterns and algorithms;
- Basic knowledge of other programming languages which can be complementary, such as Java, .Net, or Python.
Done right, hiring external software development teams opens a way to a number of strategic business advantages. Here are a few examples from our long-term clients.
Read more on How to find top embedded software engineers for your project
Examples of successfully outsourced embedded software projects
Hiring embedded software developers for your projects offers a number of benefits such as access to the best specialists, better project scalability, and a more predictable bottom line. N-iX is a global software development company that has been providing custom software development services since 2002. We have over 2,400 software developers with experience in a wide range of industries and technologies.
The development of embedded software solutions is one of our key services. N-iX engineers have a proven track record of delivering embedded software projects. Here are three success stories that illustrate the benefits of cooperation with offshore embedded software engineers.
1. WEINMANN Emergency
WEINMANN Emergency partnered with N-iX to extend its in-house team with embedded engineers who have healthcare domain expertise. WEINMANN Emergency is a Germany-based company that develops mobile medical devices for emergency vehicles, helicopters, and airplanes. N-iX engineers have been collaborating with the IT department of WEINMANN Emergency on MEDUCORE Standard², a defibrillator with monitoring functions. We have been working on embedded Linux firmware development with C++.
The device has an intuitive user interface and loads the necessary presettings, depending on the patient's age (infants, children, adults). It allows medical professionals to easily switch between AED and manual modes. It also measures the SpO2 level and non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) of the patient.
2. Anoto
Anoto is a Swedish company that engineers, develops and markets digital writing and drawing solutions. The company sought a team of embedded software developers with strong .Net and C/C++ experience. Anoto had worked with N-iX for 12 years. Our long-term partnership resulted in the development of several solutions that help transform handwritten notes and drawings into digital data. Anoto's digital solutions are used in such industries as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, financial services, transport, and logistics.
3. Global gate and fence hardware manufacturer
N-iX has partnered with a leading Europe-based global manufacturer and supplier of gate and fencing hardware for developing a solution that ensures the safe opening of gates through access codes and provides easy yet controlled access to the premises. The N-iX team has collaborated with this client on firmware and hardware development, and testing. Thanks to a wide range of best practices and industry know-how of our experts, the solution meets the complex technical requirements of the project.
Wrap-up
Embedded devices are now widely used in both consumer and industrial sectors. Their number is going up and so is the demand for strong embedded software engineers. Building an embedded software development team in-house involves a number of risks and pitfalls, and an experienced IT outsourcing company can help you avoid them.
If you are looking for embedded software engineers and want your product to be a success story, don't hesitate to contact N-iX. With end-to-end embedded services offering, over 22 years of experience in software development for global enterprises, and expertise in IoT, AI, ML, computer vision, cloud computing, and other technologies, we can help you build a reliable embedded development team for your next project.
Sources:
- IoT connected devices by vertical 2033 | Statista
- Embedded Systems Market Size, Forecasts Report 2025-2034 | Global Market Insights
- How Many Developers Are in the World? | Data Playground
- Embedded Software Engineer in United Kingdom 2025 | Glassdoor
- Embedded Software Engineer in United States 2025 | Glassdoor
- How semiconductor companies can fill the expanding talent gap | McKinsey
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