Collaboration using software containers to accelerate embedded platform development

The new NXP Semiconductors Platform Accelerator, co-developed with MicroEJ, uses software containers with standard APIs to bring smartphone-like software design flexibility to the industrial and IoT edge, allowing a considerable reduction in customer development costs and improving time to market

The NXP Platform Accelerator leverages MICROEJ VEE software containers with standard APIs to bring a smartphone-like software design process experience to the industrial and IoT edge. MICROEJ VEE allows software portability across NXP's wide portfolio of RTOS-based MCUs and Linux-based Applications Processors, facilitating manufacturers to accelerate new product development and reduce costs significantly. Furthermore, the solution delivers dedicated APIs to create straightforward access to advanced functionalities integrated in NXP's processor portfolio, such as power management and 3D/2D graphics.

Smart devices across industrial and IoT markets are difficult to develop and deploy. Many are created for a single purpose, with fixed functionality and limited computing capability that may need to be improved to support the evolving needs of an increasingly automated environment. Scaling product capability needs redeveloping and integrating low-level software, RTOS or higher-level OS, and middleware, which can create major development challenges and greatly slow product development.

The solution solves this challenge by using software containerisation that allows binary software portability across the breadth of NXP's processors portfolio, from MCUs to applications processors. Reusability at the binary level allows customers to prototype new products quickly and create a wide portfolio of complex smart devices that evolve with market needs and trends. Furthermore, the solution allows sandboxed application deployment at the edge, bringing smartphone-like capability to the edge, such as partial or complete over-the-air updates, downloadable apps, and microservices.

"Just like what happened in the smartphone industry, containerisation can be a tremendous tool to drive the rapid development of new smart device platforms," said Charles Dachs, senior vice president and general manager, Industrial and IoT Edge, NXP. "By integrating MicroEJ's software container with NXP's broad portfolio of edge processing solutions, we equip engineers to bring more products to market faster, with reduced costs, and to support the continuous evolution of their smart devices across industrial and IoT markets."

"Software portability and BoM optimisation are often mutually exclusive," said Fred Rivard, CEO of MicroEJ. "The NXP Platform Accelerator combines these two objectives, thanks to tiny software containers. This small-footprint innovation allows developers to benefit from both an optimised bill of materials and a modern software design process. This enables engineers to create new products and platforms more quickly, design products that are lower power and lower cost, while still allowing for feature-rich differentiation and innovation by device manufacturers."

The solution integrates advanced development tools, including simulation, virtual device management, a multi-language framework for a combination of C, Java, and JavaScript languages, and agile collaboration processes and support for Android Studio, IntelliJ and Eclipse IDEs. Also, the NXP Platform Accelerator integrates dedicated APIs for power management and graphic functions, making it extremely easy for customers to utilise the complex and powerful hardware IP brought by NXP. For example, a simple call to 'low power profile' from the customer application layer will trigger performance optimisation for a given power profile. In addition, NXP-tailored containers support broad scalability and integrate NXP-specific optimisations and libraries that leverage processor hardware innovations.

The NXP Platform Accelerator is currently available for the company's processors, including power-efficient i.MX RT595 and high-performance multi-core i.MX RT1170 crossover MCUs.