Mender by Northern.tech Extends Industry-Leading OTA Update Management to Microcontrollers (MCUs)

Unified fleet management across Linux and microcontroller devices is now available with Mender, the enterprise-grade OTA update infrastructure

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern.tech, the leader in device lifecycle management and the company behind Mender, announces today the new release of Mender, including support for microcontrollers (MCUs). Following customer demand, the new Mender MCU client extends the same enterprise-grade OTA update infrastructure, trusted by companies like Airbus, Siemens, Volkswagen, and ZF Group, to microcontrollers. As one of the most popular operating systems on microcontrollers, support for the Zephyr real-time operating system (RTOS) is now available, including a reference device for a quick, easy start with Mender on microcontrollers.

With connected IoT devices projected to reach 39 billion by 2030, microcontrollers are foundational to the next generation of IoT products. From industrial sensors and agricultural equipment to robotics and smart infrastructure, MCUs power critical systems worldwide. Developers of connected drivetrains, machines, and infrastructure, Dot Robot utilizes Mender for its microcontrollers in production. "Previously, we relied on our hardware-centric approach with a return-to-base policy; as a result, more resources were spent on service and less on cutting-edge features," states Willem Zwetsloot, Managing Director at DotRobot. "With Mender, we can stay at the forefront of edge computing, introducing features on a weekly basis. Mender gives us the control and confidence to securely manage updates across the entire fleet at scale."

As smart, IoT products continue to evolve, managing software updates across heterogeneous product fleets remains a persistent challenge. Today, OEMs are often dependent on siloed or manual processes with no fleet-wide visibility, protection, or management. The new release of Mender enables organizations with multi-device fleets to manage Linux and microcontroller devices from a single platform. "Every connected device deserves the same standard of secure, reliable OTA update infrastructure," comments Eystein Stenberg, CTO of Northern.tech. "IoT products are becoming more complex. Relying on one solution to deliver and manage software across product lines not only offers higher control, but also gains in security, efficiency, and time."

As regulations like the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) introduce mandatory requirements for secure, automated software updates across the full device lifecycle, organizations must reliably update their fleet — microcontroller, or otherwise — to minimize operational risk and demonstrate compliance. Mender for microcontrollers addresses the challenge while also offering a new level of visibility and management for heterogeneous fleets worldwide.

Mender for microcontrollers is available now. To learn more, visit mender.io.

About Mender

Mender offers robust, secure, and customizable over-the-air (OTA) software updates for smart devices. Powering OTA software updates for more than a million devices worldwide over a decade, Mender boasts a proven track record with Fortune 1000 clients, including Airbus, Lyft, Volkswagen, Siemens, Thales, and ZF Group.

Learn more about OTA software update management.

Mender is developed and maintained by Northern.tech. Founded in 2008, Northern.tech is the leader in device lifecycle management with a mission to secure the world's connected devices.

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SOURCE Northern.tech