Go-go gadget virtualisation! Lars Kurth

Over the past decade we’ve seen virtualisation fully mature in the data centre. It’s now beginning to move into the embedded space – largely thanks to the low-power devices being produced by Intel and ARM.

Virtualisation provides these environments with the same benefits it has for the data centre. First, it makes possible the merging of workloads on to a smaller set of hardware, which reduces costs, power and space usage. Second, the abstraction of the hardware makes it possible for applications to be decoupled from hardware specifics. And third, the benefit of hardware-based isolation results in better protection against software defects – and if any failures occur, they can be contained easily.

The hypervisor plays a key role in the virtualisation of embedded systems, especially in use cases like automotive, navigation systems and non safety-critical aviation systems.

With automotive and embedded it’s essential to have mature technology, light-weight architecture and a vibrant open source community to meet the performance and compliance needs of these environments. The Xen Project is the top hypervisor choice for embedded systems and automotive because of its maturity, lightweight architecture and open source community. It’s currently being used by GlobalLogic, EPAM, Assured Information Security, BAE systems, Dornerworks and StarLabs.

Furthermore, an open source approach to embedded virtualisation brings about standardisation that will benefit embedded and car manufacturers. This, in turn, will lead to reduced costs and greater innovation.

More details on the next phase of Xen Project will be discussed during its annual Developer and Design Summit. This takes place on July 11 to 13 in Budapest, Hungary. Lars Kurth has worked in the mobile industry for 16 years and is community manager for xen.org.