Green Hills Software has announced a collaboration with NXP® Semiconductors to provide integrated hardware and software solutions for the development and deployment of safety-focused hybrid-critical Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) regional architectures. This solution is built on NXP’s new S32K5 microcontroller (MCU) series. It integrates Green Hills’ ASIL D safety-certified µ-velOSity™ real-time operating system (RTOS), µ-visor® hypervisor, industry-leading compiler, and advanced MULTI® debugger with system visualization tools.
This collaboration enables OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to securely integrate hybrid-critical Electronic Control Unit (ECU) functionalities, reducing system complexity, lowering development costs, accelerating time-to-market, and enhancing software reuse in next-generation automotive projects.
As automotive electronics evolve, manufacturers require flexible and high-performance computing platforms that can effectively integrate hardware and software while ensuring interference-free, real-time performance and system reliability. The demand for faster development cycles also necessitates an advanced software environment to simplify the integration, optimization, and deployment of complex, multi-core, multi-OS ECUs.
Key advantages of the NXP-Green Hills solution include:
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Secure and Reliable ECU Integration – The µ-visor® hypervisor ensures nearly zero overhead while securely integrating multiple operating systems within virtual machines, such as AUTOSAR Classic or µ-velOSity. It leverages hardware-based isolation to protect workloads running on the Arm® Cortex®-R52 core.
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High Efficiency and Performance – The µ-velOSity RTOS is optimized for low footprint and ease of programming, seamlessly running on the S32K5’s Cortex-M7 or Cortex-R52 cores. When used with Green Hills’ optimized compiler, this provides an efficient software foundation to maximize the S32K5’s scalable performance.
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Advanced Safety and Security – The S32K5 MCU supports ASIL D safety and ISO/SAE 21434 automotive cybersecurity standards. Green Hills’ RTOS, compiler, and runtime libraries are all certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D, and the company offers expert services to assist customers in designing and certifying their safety systems.
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Accelerated Debugging and Development – The MULTI IDE provides a unified view of all S32K5 real-time kernels and operating systems (such as AUTOSAR, FreeRTOS, or µ-velOSity), significantly reducing debugging and development time. Features like TimeMachine® reverse debugging, historical visualization, MISRA C compliance analysis, and automated static code analysis simplify problem detection and resolution.
This comprehensive hardware/software solution is ideal for automotive applications requiring ISO 26262 ASIL D certification, including regional controllers, domain controllers, and advanced body and safety controllers. By combining NXP’s advanced MCU technology with Green Hills’ proven expertise in safety-critical software, automotive manufacturers can confidently build next-generation SDV architectures with enhanced reliability, safety, and efficiency.