computer science

Kontron

Kontron is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kontron rather than just read about it. In short: Kontron AG is an Austrian-based multinational group headquartered in Linz, specialising in IoT technologies and embedded computer solutions. The globally operating company offers hardware and software solutions as well as services, including technologies for artificial intelligence, 5G, and edge computing.

Key takeaways

Kontron belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kontron to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kontron from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kontron AG is an Austrian-based multinational group headquartered in Linz, specialising in IoT technologies and embedded computer solutions. The globally operating company offers hardware and software solutions as well as services, including technologies for artificial intelligence, 5G, and edge computing. Kontron focuses on the automation of industrial processes, the optimisation of intelligent and secure transport systems, and developments in the fields of communication/connectivity, medical technology, and energy – including renewable energies such as solar power and electromobility. Through its in-house development and production services, Kontron covers entire value chains. The company is listed on the SDAX and TecDAX of the German Stock Exchange and employs more than 7,000 people in 20 countries.

History Kontron was founded in 1959 by Branco Weiss in Zurich as a service provider for scientific instruments and, among other things, developed ultrasonic measuring devices for obstetrics and equipment for blood group determination. In 1974, Weiss sold the company to Hoffmann-La Roche, which in 1989 sold it on to the Munich-based car manufacturer BMW, which used it for the development of control systems, hardware and software for x86 processor technology. From the acquired Kontron AG, Hoffmann-La Roche AG carved out Kontron Medizintechnik AG (founded in 1980 in Eching as Kontron Leiterplatten GmbH) and in 1984 transferred it to the subsidiary Kontron Instruments AG, established in 1971 in Neufahrn near Freising. The company moved its registered office to Zurich in 1988 and subsequently to Schlieren and Rotkreuz. When operations there were discontinued in 1994 and the company was to be transferred to Kontron Immobilien AG in Dübendorf, employees founded ECR AG as a management buyout from Roche Diagnostics. In 2000, the now independent Kontron Embedded Computers AG was listed on the Neuer Markt. The corporate group was originally headquartered in Augsburg and consisted of the Kontron Europe GmbH, with its main sites in Ismaning, Augsburg, Deggendorf, and Saarbrücken (other locations included San Diego, Fremont, California, Montreal, Plzeň, Toulon, Bangalore, Taipei, Tokyo and Beijing). Effective 1 September 2000, Kontron purchased the industrial computer manufacturer PEP Modular Computers of Kaufbeuren. In 2002, the leading providers in the field of embedded computer technology, Kontron AG and JUMPtec AG, decided to merge. Shareholder approvals were granted at the JUMPtec AGM on 19 June 2002 and at the Kontron AGM on 3 July 2002. At that time, more than 1,400 employees were working for the two companies in over 20 countries. In December 2004, 13 former JUMPtec and Kontron employees founded Congatec in Deggendorf. Kontron acquired Dolch in 2005. At the 2007 Embedded World trade exhibition in Nuremberg, Kontron introduced a product called UGM-M72, a modular graphics card for Computer-on-Module systems, which was based on Universal Graphics Module (UGM) design specification standard published by XGI Technology and Kontron in June 2007. The card used the M72 GPU from ATI Technologies, and was 84 x 95 mm in size. Version 1.1 of UGM standard was published in July 2008, and Advanced Micro Devices (the parent company of ATI) announced in August 2008 that it would support the new standard. A web site for UGM standard was maintained by XGI and Kontron until the Great Recession in 2009. In September 2009, Kontron Compact Computer AG acquired a majority stake in DIGITAL-LOGIC AG in Luterbach (Switzerland) from company founder Felix Kunz, a manufacturer of embedded PCs and computer systems. Three years later, this plant was closed. As announced on 20 May 2010, Kontron, via its US subsidiary, acquired 100% of the US AP Labs group, based in San Diego, California. The acquired company is regarded as one of the leading system integrators in the defence and aerospace sectors and develops highly complex, rugged computer systems and specialised applications. On 24 July 2013, Kontron announced that it would close the Eching, Roding and Kaufbeuren sites by mid-2014 and concentrate its business at the Augsburg location. In 2017, as announced in February of that year, Kontron was taken over by the Austrian IT services company S&T AG, after S&T had already acquired a 30 per cent stake in Kontron in October 2016. The purchase was largely financed by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn, which acquired just under 30 per cent of S&T AG through a capital increase. In June 2022, the parent company S&T was renamed Kontron AG and the registered office of the new Kontron AG was relocated to Linz, Austria. In August 2022, Kontron AG sold significant parts of its IT services business to VINCI Energies S.A., part of the listed French group VINCI. In July and August 2023, Kontron acquired Comlab AG (a Swiss company manufacturing data communication repeaters for railways), Hartmann and W-IE-NE-R group of companies from Phoenix Mecano, and Cellular Automotive Module Unit from Telit Cinterion. In September 2023, it was announced that Kontron acquired Altimate, the Bucharest-headquartered software company specialising in traffic control, automated fare collection, tolling, and enforcement of traffic violations. In January 2024, the largest acquisition in the company’s history to date took place with the majority takeover of Katek SE. This broadened the product portfolio in the renewables segment (EV charging, solar) and significantly expanded the Group’s manufacturing options. The number of employees increased to around 7,000 worldwide as a result of this acquisition, and revenue rose to €1.685 billion (2024). For 2025, Kontron expects revenue growth to €1.800 million. For operating profit (EBITDA), Kontron anticipates growth to at least €270 million.

Product areas The product range of the Kontron Group comprises services as well as cross-industry hardware and software solutions in the IoT sector, with a focus on industrial automation. According to the company website (as of 2025), the products and solutions are structured into: boards and standard form factors, systems, software & solutions, customised products, and services. The service and software portfolio of the Kontron Group is divided into the following segments (selection):

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kontron

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kontron claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kontron before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kontron ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kontron

In research: Kontron appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kontron in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kontron is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies based in Augsburg, Companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Computer companies established in 1959, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kontron outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kontron in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kontron means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kontron out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kontron in simple terms?

Why does Kontron matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kontron?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kontron.