IAR Systems and SCIOPTA announce collaboration to focus on safety-critical applications
(Business News, 11 Mar 2008 )
IAR Systems and SCIOPTA Systems have entered into an agreement on a joint solution of RTOS and development tools to address the needs of customers building safety-critical applications, including those that have a need for IEC 61508 certification.
Under the agreement between IAR Systems and SCIOPTA Systems each party will sell and support the combination of the SCIOPTA RTOS – a pre-emptive multi-tasking high performance real-time kernel – and IAR Embedded Workbench, which are both well adapted for safety-critical applications.
Many different embedded software applications can be seen as safety-critical, including those used in automotive, rail, avionics, oil refineries, chemical processing plants, nuclear power plants and medical electronics. As these software applications become increasingly complex, the costs associated with the development of embedded software in a safety environment also increase. Independently of whether or not the safety-critical application requires conformance to a certain standard such as IEC 61508, the choice of the right software development tools and the right RTOS will have a significant impact on the life cycle cost of the software application.
IAR Systems tools, including IAR Embedded Workbench, have long been popular for the development of high integrity and safety-critical applications, due to their track record of performance and stability. This reputation is reinforced by a high level of technical support and services that targets the specific needs of these important applications.
SCIOPTA also has a long-standing association with safety-critical applications: its pre-emptive multi-tasking high performance real-time kernel includes many built-in safety features that make it particularly suited to high integrity operation, including direct message passing. SCIOPTA is currently in the final stages of certification by TÜV to the IEC 61508 standard at Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3), a qualification that makes it an even more attractive option for developing safety-critical applications.
