LDRA claims a first with support for Arm-based chips for safety-critical design
Object-code verification has been extended by LDRA to deliver advanced software testing for Arm-based chips used in safety-critical aerospace and defence and automotive applications. Arm chipsets are becoming increasingly prevalent in the core CPUs of both aircraft and automobiles where safety-critical verification is essential. LDRA says its support enables software developers to leverage the LDRA tool suite to verify code coverage at both the assembly and source code levels.
Arm-based devices can often be found in ISO 26262–compliant automotive applications up to and including ASIL D, and they continue to gain traction as ADAS and autonomy become increasingly significant. LDRA points out that for some time, Intel and PowerPC have been the architecture of choice for aircraft computers to gain high-integrity computing in a rugged, SWaP (size, weight, and power) -constrained environment. However, as Arm has proved its reliability, low power, and versatility in automotive and mobile applications, LDRA says that avionics engineers are now also turning to general-purpose Arm processors. By extending object-code verification to Arm-based chips, LDRA enables compliance to Level A—the highest safety requirements—of DO-178C, the safety-critical standard for aerospace, and provides an opportunity for automotive developers to provide a similar level of assurance for the most demanding of applications in their domain.
LDRA has provided the LDRA tool suite to enable companies to meet safety-critical and security-critical standards compliance in multiple industries including aerospace and defence, automotive, rail, nuclear power, industrial control and medical devices. Compliance to the highest safety-critical standards requires testing of assembly level code. LDRA has offered companies this level of support for more than 40 years.
LDRA’s decision to join Arm’s Functional Safety Partnership Program has enabled it to equip the Arm community with functional safety capabilities, specifically driving compliance efforts in those application areas requiring functional safety and security standards. LDRA supports many compilers and tool chains, such as those from Green Hills Software, IAR, Wind River, Tasking, and Keil.
