Keysight Technologies, Inc. plays a low-profile but foundational role in the digital value chain: its equipment is used to verify that components, networks and electronic systems meet expected performance requirements. Based in Santa Rosa, California, the American company combines measurement hardware, design software and technical services. Its customers include manufacturers, telecommunications operators and research laboratories.
Roots at Hewlett-Packard
Keysight’s history traces back to the instrumentation business of Hewlett-Packard, founded in 1939. Before becoming a brand widely associated with computing, HP grew through electronic measurement equipment. These operations were brought together within Agilent Technologies as part of the separation initiated in 1999. In 2014, Agilent’s electronic measurement business became independent under the name Keysight Technologies.
This heritage explains a positioning focused on measurement precision and support for engineers. Its scope subsequently expanded, notably with the acquisition of Ixia in 2017, in network and network security testing, followed by Eggplant in 2020, a specialist in software test automation.
Measuring hardware, simulating systems
The catalog includes oscilloscopes, spectrum and network analyzers, signal generators and laboratory power supplies. These instruments make it possible to observe electrical phenomena, characterize components or reproduce operating conditions. They are used both during research and development and in product validation and manufacturing quality control.
This hardware foundation is complemented by software tools for simulation and electronic design, notably those built around PathWave. The aim is to bring digital models into closer alignment with measurements taken on prototypes, then automate testing. Keysight works in radio communications, high-speed interconnects, power electronics and embedded systems. In the automotive sector, its solutions support testing related to electric vehicles and communications, among other applications. In aerospace and defense, they contribute to the validation of radio and radar systems.
What comes next?
Testing needs are evolving as digital infrastructure becomes more complex. Preparations for 6G, optical links in data centers and computing architectures designed for artificial intelligence require the characterization of increasingly demanding signals. Quantum computing also provides a field of application for control and measurement instruments, without presuming a timeline for its industrialization.
For Keysight, the challenge is to connect design, simulation and physical testing more closely within coherent processes. This direction strengthens the role of software while retaining instrumentation as the foundation. However, the group remains exposed to its customers’ investment cycles: research spending, industrial capacity and the pace of network deployment determine part of the demand.