DDC-I introduces safety-critical Deos RTOS for AMD Steppe Eagle multicore processor

PHOENIX. DDC-I, a supplier of software and professional services for mission- and safety-critical applications, is announcing the availability of its Deos safety-critical, real-time operating system (RTOS) and certification artifacts, up to Design Assurance Level A (DAL-A), for AMD’s G4-based Steppe Eagle multicore processor.

Deos provides avionics developers targeting Steppe Eagle processors a DO-178-certifiable platform that combines performance with the high level of design assurance required for in-flight applications, officials say.

“Our safety-focused multicore support coupled with Deos cache partitioning, slack scheduling, time and space partitioning, and industry-standard ARINC 653 interfaces allow avionics developers to take full advantage of the Steppe Eagle platform and achieve maximum CPU utilization while providing the highest level of safety-critical operation,” says Greg Rose, vice president of marketing and product management at DDC-I.

Steppe Eagle is based on AMD’s high-performance, low-power, x86-compatible Embedded G-Series SOC platform. Available in dual- and quad-core variants at speeds of up to 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), Steppe Eagle provides up to 2 megabytes of L2 cache and consumes as little as 6 watts. Steppe Eagle processors feature enterprise class error-correction code (ECC) memory support, an integrated discrete-class GPU with DirectX 11 support, an integrated I/O controller, and a dedicated Platform Security Processor (PSP) compatible with ARM TrustZone security technology.

“AMD Steppe Eagle processors provide a unique blend of high-performance multicore computing, graphics, and integrated I/O in a scalable low-power package that makes them ideal for many avionics applications,” Rose adds.

Deos is a safety-critical embedded RTOS that has been certified to DO-178 DAL A since 1998. Featuring deterministic real-time response, the time- and space-partitioned RTOS employs patented slack scheduling to deliver higher CPU utilization than other certifiable safety-critical COTS RTOS, officials say.

Deos. built from the ground up for safety-critical applications, is a certifiable time- and space-partitioned COTS RTOS that has been created using RTCA DO-178, Level A processes from the first day of its product development. Deos provides an easy, low-cost path to DO-178 Level A certification, the highest level of safety criticality, officials add.

Development support for Deos includes DDC-I’s Eclipse-based, mixed-language OpenArbor IDE, which features C and C++ optimizing compilers, a color-coded source editor, project management support, automated build utilities, and a symbolic debugger. Also included is a virtual target hardware development tool, QEMU (Quick EMUlator), which allows developers to develop, debug and test their code on their development host PC in advance of actual target hardware availability.

DDC-I Inc. is a global supplier of real-time operating systems, software development tools, custom software development services, and legacy software system modernization solutions, with a primary focus on mission- and safety-critical applications. DDC-I's customer base is an impressive "who's who" in the commercial, military, aerospace, and safety-critical industries. DDC-I offers safety-critical real-time operating systems, compilers, integrated development environments and run-time systems for C, C++, Ada, and JOVIAL application development.

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