Companies bring functional safety applications to the road

Vector and HighTec EDV-Systeme have released the world's first successful integration of Rust applications with C-based AUTOSAR Classic basic software and, there, remove the last hurdles for using Rust in the automotive sector. With Vector's MICROSAR Classic Safe basic software in combination with HighTec's automotive grade LLVM open-source-based Rust and C/C++ compiler tools for Infineon AURIX TC3x and TC4x, embedded developers can use the Rust memory-safe programming language with all its advantages for functional safety applications even in the most demanding automotive ECUs. Vector's basic software and HighTec's compilers are safety-certified according to ISO 26262 up to ASIL D.

The modern programming language Rust is characterised by unique features for memory integrity and conflict-free concurrency at very high performance. These features notably lower safety risks, shorten development cycles, and lower costs. Therefore, Rust is currently the best choice for safety-relevant automotive systems that place high demands on safety and robustness.

The basic software MICROSAR Classic Safe is an ISO 26262 ASIL D qualified AUTOSAR Classic implementation and provides an integration of application software written in Rust. HighTec is the first provider of an ISO 26262 ASIL D-qualified Rust compiler for the AURIX MCU series TC3x and TC4x from Infineon. Like the C/C++ compiler from HighTec, this uses the advanced open-source technology LLVM and supports all the advantages of Rust. This comprehensive toolchain offering allows developers to integrate newly developed Rust code seamlessly with existing C/C++ code. The two partners, Vector and HighTec, proved that AUTOSAR software components written in Rust can be efficiently embedded in an existing AUTOSAR Classic environment.

"With this new solution from Vector and HighTec, developers create safe, efficient and flexible ECU software by combining the best of Rust and established C-based AUTOSAR development," said Dr Falco Bapp, senior manager solution management for Embedded Software and Systems at Vector. "This is a significant step for the future of automotive software development!"

"The joint solution from HighTec and Vector drives the automotive customer with a competitive advantage to build fast, safe, and secure software," said Mario Cupelli, CTO at HighTec. "Together with Vector, we shape the future of automotive software."