Overview
National Instruments, now branded as NI, is an American technology company that develops automated test and measurement systems, data acquisition hardware, and engineering software. Its products are widely used in electronics testing, research, industrial automation, and academic environments.
Technical Specifications
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Company Name | NI (formerly National Instruments Corporation) |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founders | James Truchard, Jeff Kodosky, Bill Nowlin |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Industry | Test and measurement, automation, instrumentation |
| Core Products | Data acquisition (DAQ), PXI systems, instrumentation, software |
| Key Software | LabVIEW, TestStand, DIAdem |
| Markets Served | Electronics, aerospace, automotive, academia, semiconductor |
| Ownership | Acquired by Emerson Electric Co. (2023) |
Description
NI provides integrated hardware and software platforms for automated testing, measurement, and control. Its systems allow engineers to design custom test setups using modular hardware such as PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) and CompactDAQ, combined with graphical programming environments like LabVIEW.
The company focuses on accelerating development cycles and improving test efficiency through software-defined instrumentation. NI solutions are commonly used for validating electronic components, prototyping systems, and monitoring industrial processes.
History
National Instruments was founded in 1976 in Austin, Texas. The company gained early recognition with the development of LabVIEW, a graphical programming environment that simplified data acquisition and instrument control.
Over the following decades, NI expanded into modular instrumentation systems, particularly PXI, which became a widely adopted standard for automated test systems. The company built a strong presence in both industrial and academic sectors.
In 2023, National Instruments was acquired by Emerson Electric Co., integrating its test and measurement capabilities into Emerson’s broader automation portfolio. Following the acquisition, the company increasingly uses the “NI” brand while continuing to develop its core platforms and software ecosystem.