Embedded Systems & Software Development

Fargo Moorhead is one smart metro -- and it is not just our 26,000 college students that make us that way.  It is also the numerous businesses that have quietly made the Fargo Moorhead MSA an international destination for embedded software engineering and "smart" technologies.

What sets us apart is a combination of global names -- such as Microsoft, John Deere and Bobcat -- and relatively unknown start-up engineering and design firms that are ready to take off.  This dynamic mix has evolved into a major cluster of global companies engaged in manufacturing, research and development of products that make our lives easier, safer and more convenient.   

Software Development
The accounting and business software cluster began in the 1980s with a company called Great Plains Software. Acquired by Microsoft in 2000, Great Plains became the Business Solutions arm of the world's largest software company.  Today, Microsoft's Fargo campus is their second largest worldwide, and their three buildings house over 1,000 employees. The success of Microsoft has led to the development of a cluster of software development companies and has proven that global IT firms can survive and thrive in the Midwest. 

Embedded Systems
Embedded systems, in the form of smart technologies and power management, have also grown in Fargo Moorhead thanks to global corporations that are committed to creating high-paying opportunities in the region.  Start-up ventures borne by local entrepreneurs, and acquired by companies including John Deere and Echelon Corporation, have led the sector's growth.  And strategic planning by community business, academic and research leaders has deepened the region's commitment to becoming a global leader in embedded systems. 

Echelon Corporation, with headquarters in San Jose and development operations in Fargo and Germany, is enabling smart energy solutions across a wide range of markets, including commercial buildings, smart homes, industrial plants, mining operations, schools, streetlights, warehouses, electric vehicle charging, solar farms, and advanced metering infrastructures.

John Deere is the world's leading manufacturer of farm equipment, and its local corporation, Phoenix International, develops electronics systems for Deere products.  Research and development of power systems, custom design engineering, testing and manufacturing all take place in the company's two facilities in Fargo. 

Vision
As part of a community vision of knowledge-based economic development, Fargo Moorhead is committed to maintaining and enhancing its position as a global destination for software and embedded systems engineering, research, development and commercialization. We have a strong base of companies engaged in these fields, and an educated workforce led by strong university programs in computer science and electrical engineering.     

Education
Fargo Moorhead's higher education institutions are committed to high quality embedded systems education.  North Dakota State University (NDSU), Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), Concordia College and Rasmussen College all offer courses in embedded systems. 

NDSU
NDSU is a large land-grant university offering over 100 degrees including B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in the core areas of embeddedsystems: computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering. NDSU has a strong program in embedded systems that is part of its Electrical and Computer Engineering program.  Undergraduate and graduate students of this program are highly sought after by major corporations such as John Deere, Rockwell Collins and IBM, not to mention dozens of local companies.  In addition, NDSU's Computer Science and Electric and Computer Engineering departments work with graduate schools in India to foster relationships that improves embedded systems research, development and design capabilities. 

Rasmussen College
Rasmussen College in Fargo Moorhead is one of the few colleges in the country that offers an associate's degree in embedded systems.  The program, created through a collaborative process between industry and academia, focuses on producing graduates that have the skills and experiences necessary to feed the local workforce.  The program admitted its first students in the fall of 2009.

 For career opportunities in software development and embedded systems, please visit Fargo Moorhead's Career website.