OTTAWA, July 20, 2010 — QNX Software Systems Co. today announced that the QNX® Neutrino® Realtime Operating System (RTOS) Safe Kernel has been certified to IEC 61508 Safety Integrity Level 3, or SIL 3. This certification provides independent validation that the QNX Neutrino RTOS Safe Kernel offers a very high level of reliability and risk reduction when used in safety-critical systems for transportation, energy generation, process control, and other industries.
To achieve its superior reliability and fault tolerance, the QNX Neutrino RTOS Safe Kernel employs a modular microkernel architecture in which applications, device drivers, file systems, and networking stacks all run as separate, memory-protected components. This architecture, together with the Safe Kernel’s adaptive partitioning and multi-core support, provides a flexible and field-proven software foundation for mission- and safety-critical systems.
The certification process was performed by Sira Test & Certification Ltd., a world leader in conformity assessment that has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
QNX Software Systems is also introducing an IEC 61508 Certification Support Package to help users of the QNX Neutrino RTOS Safe Kernel achieve their own system-level IEC 61508 certifications, up to and including SIL 3. The package includes consulting services and documented confidence-in-use data to help users navigate the certification process.
“QNX® technology has a long and proven history in applications where safety and reliability are paramount,” said Yi Zheng, product manager, QNX Software Systems. “This certification is a testament to our ability to support customers who need a high level of reliability and risk reduction in their safety-critical applications.”
IEC 61508 SIL 3 certification represents the latest development in QNX Software Systems’ standards and certifications program. To date, the company has also achieved certification to Common Criteria EAL 4+, POSIX PSE52 Realtime Controller 1003.13-2003, OpenGL ES, and ISO 9001:2008.
IEC 61508 is an international standard defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission to convey the functional safety of electronic systems. Achieving certification requires systematic assessment by an independent certification body. SIL certification levels are defined by the IEC 61508 standard to designate a system’s reduction of failure risk: the higher SIL level, the lower the risk.
Availability
The QNX Neutrino Safe Kernel is expected to be available in July 2010. The IEC 61508 Certification Support Package is expected to be available in Fall 2010.
About QNX Software Systems
QNX Software Systems Co., a subsidiary of Research In Motion Limited (RIM), is a leading vendor of operating systems, middleware, development tools, and professional services for the embedded systems market. Global leaders such as Cisco, Daimler, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens depend on QNX technology for network routers, vehicle telematics units, industrial control systems, medical instruments, security and defense systems, and other mission- or life-critical applications. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems Co. is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and distributes products in over 100 countries worldwide. Visit www.qnx.com.
