Texas-based ARM microcontroller firm Luminary Micro has pulled in $25m of funding towards its bid to take market share from the big players such as NXP, STMicroelectronics, Atmel and OKI.

Set up in 2004, Luminary was started specifically to exploit the hard real-time potential of ARM's Cortex-M3 processor. "The M3 is deterministic, the first ARM core that is," Luminary founder and chief marketing officer Jean Anne Booth told Electronics Weekly.

Stand-alone ARM microcontrollers, as opposed to the bulk of ARM processors which exist as functional blocks on system chips, are available from a small number of suppliers.

Amongst these substantial players has stepped Luminary with a shotgun approach to product launches: announcing more than 50 microcontrollers so far, including its well publicised 'ARM for $1'.

The firm now claims to have design-ins in 63 countries. "These are funded projects using only Luminary and no other microcontrollers," said Booth, who also said end products were on the verge of hitting the shelves, although she would not say in what kind of products.

The processors are aimed at markets including motor control, power converters, security alarms, and networked intelligent sensors.

Investor Adams Street Partners of Chicago has joined existing investors New Enterprise Associates, EXA Ventures, and ATA Ventures in this round of funding which the company's third.

Adam Street partner Tom Berman has joined Luminary's board.

See also: Electronics Weekly's Technology Start-ups, where you can find articles on technology start-ups in the UK, an interactive map showing the location and business sector of each start-up, and links to useful websites for the technology entrepreneur.