VXWORKS:
Real-Time Operating System for the Intelligent Edge
VxWorks is a high-performance real-time operating system (RTOS) for the development of robust mission-critical embedded systems for the intelligent edge.
High performance, scalability, and determinism
Proven safety, security, and reliability
Reduced cost and time-to-market
VxWorks® enables the cost-effective development of the most advanced real-time systems, significantly reducing time-to-market and driving innovation, new business, and revenue.
The World’s Most Trusted RTOS
VxWorks is the only RTOS backed by a DevSecOps solution, enabling:
- Lower embedded software lifecycle costs and shorter time-to-market
- Standardization of development tooling and processes and increased automation and collaboration
- Improved visibility between edge and cloud systems
VxWorks is the first and only RTOS that supports embedded software deployment using OCI container technology, enabling:
- Standardization of tools
- Acceleration of product iterations
- Automation of the software pipeline to remove manual errors
VDC Research has ranked VxWorks as the #1 RTOS for mission-critical real-time systems.
When it matters, it runs on VxWorks
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The Edge of Performance
Intelligent edge devices increasingly demand high-performance compute capability, scaling to multiple processor cores without incurring operating system overhead and while maintaining low latency. This is particularly important with the adoption of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) for data processing at the edge. VxWorks provides the performance level needed, plus efficient implementation using AI/ML extensions including TensorFlow Lite for machine learning models and Python-based libraries (Pandas and NumPy) for data manipulation.
Efficient communication between components and modules is also crucial to the performance of mission-critical systems. VxWorks supports Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), guaranteeing deterministic real-time delivery of time-sensitive data.
Scales with Demand
As well as the increasing number of cores, advances in silicon technology also bring new processor architectures. Our extensive and growing list of supported boards for Arm®, Intel, and others means less time searching for compatible components and more time developing revenue-generating products.
Edge computing systems increasingly scale to support mixed-criticality use cases. Isolating safety and non–safety-critical functions from each other is essential. Wind River® Helix™ Virtualization Platform, which has a true Type 1 hypervisor, allows VxWorks and other guest operating systems to meet the demands of mixed criticality.
Proven Functional Safety
Achieving functional safety certification is an expensive and time-consuming undertaking regardless of the industry. VxWorks certification evidence enables development teams to achieve cost-effective certification to a wide range of standards, allowing them to focus on the code they build, not the tooling.
More than 600 functional safety certifications projects have been completed to date, spanning aerospace and defense (DO-178C DAL A, EUROCAE ED-12C, ARINC 653), industrial automation (IEC 61508 SIL-3), medical (IEC 62304 Class C), and automotive (ISO 26262 ASIL-D).
Superior by Design
With a focus on performance and security from the outset, VxWorks — with its proven, highly optimized kernel design — offers a deterministic solution with single-nanosecond latency, satisfying the hard real-time responsiveness demanded by the most stringent industry use cases.
Wind River supports a secure development lifecycle (SDL) across our products that is enforced by policy and implemented with processes and procedures, as defined by the NIST SP800-218 Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) standard.
VxWorks is backed by Wind River Security Center for CVE tracking and mitigation.
Redefining Time-to-Market
Next-generation embedded systems teams demand IT-like tooling and methodologies that enable a “shift left” approach, with software testing earlier in the lifecycle. Also, embedded systems development is increasingly embracing DevSecOps. Wind River Studio Developer supports the creation and provisioning of VxWorks-based systems, promoting shift-left, maximizing developer efficiency and enabling faster time-to-market.
Additionally, secure, efficient software deployment and updates are table stakes for the intelligent edge. VxWorks supports OCI containers and container orchestration with Kubernetes — helping remove manual errors, standardize tools, and accelerate the rate of product iterations.
VxWorks: Modern, Future-Proof, and Always Real-Time
Meet the VxWorks RTOS
VxWorks Safety Platforms
VxWorks makes it easier and more cost-effective for technology suppliers to meet the stringent safety certification requirements of EN 50128, IEC 61508, IEC 62304, ISO 26262, DO-178C, and ED-12C.
See DetailsVxWorks Customer Success Stories
See how our customers are finding success with VxWorks and our award-winning support services.
How VxWorks Helped
No multi-core design had ever been certified to avionics safety standards at the highest level of criticality on multiple cores. Then Wind River and Collins Aerospace collaborated on design, problem solving, and certification processes to achieve FAA CAST-32A multi-core certification objectives as part of the DO-178C DAL A certification process. For development flexibility, they chose VxWorks 653 Multi-core Edition, which enables multiple guest operating systems to run at different levels of safety criticality on a single hardware platform.
The Results
Together, Collins Aerospace and Wind River reduced certification risks while increasing available processing resources. Their collaborative approach to achieving DO-178C DAL A certification on multi-core bore the potential to fundamentally change the avionics industry. Their story is shared in a detailed article along with technical insights and best practices.
How VxWorks Helped
VxWorks has played a central role in the historic, ongoing mission of the Mars rover Curiosity, providing the core operating system of the spacecraft control system. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the lead U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system, has used VxWorks as its mission-critical OS brain for more than two decades. The total cost of the Curiosity project is approximately $2.5B and represents nearly a decade of passion and work, so the stakes are high, and a fail-proof, resilient RTOS is a core requirement.
The Results
On August 6, 2012, NASA advanced space exploration exponentially when it landed Curiosity in the Gale Crater on Mars. Curiosity was the most technologically advanced autonomous robotic spacecraft and geologist set ever to be deployed by any space venture. The groundbreaking mission is determining whether Mars is or has ever been capable of supporting life and is assessing its habitability for future human missions.
How VxWorks Helped
When KUKA Robotics wanted to introduce a new, more intelligent PC-based controller, the KR C4, the developers needed a software platform that could support multi-core processing to integrate management of robot, motion, sequence, and process control. They wanted to add functionality, including safety and connectivity, while reducing hardware costs. To meet all these needs, KUKA chose the VxWorks real-time operating system as the foundation for its robots. VxWorks enabled the team to cut costs and drive higher performance by replacing hardware-based functionality with software-based tasks.
The Results
The KR C4 represented a breakthrough for KUKA in its consolidation of control, HMI, and safety on a standard PC-based platform. The company developed an architecture supporting multiple integrated controllers that share a common database and infrastructure, with the scalability to handle workloads of varying criticality. With VxWorks, KUKA reduced its development risks and delivered an innovative product on time.
How VxWorks Helped
AgustaWestland wanted to deliver an innovative, futuristic aircraft in record time. To establish a breakthrough in vertical flight, the company’s goal was to design an all-electric rotorcraft in just six months. Project Zero is an unmanned, all-electric tilt rotor aircraft that hovers like a helicopter and converts to a fixed-wing aircraft in forward flight. AgustaWestland selected VxWorks 653 for its high performance, reliability, and ability to address the safety and security requirements of mission-critical applications.
The Result
The project team used the High-Integrity Flight Control Computer (Hi-FCC) platform developed by Selex ES, based on a Freescale (now NXP) Power Architecture® processor and VxWorks 653. This allowed the design team to use a mature, efficient platform combined with a high-quality software stack, with great support from both companies — reducing overall development and deployment time.
How VxWorks Helped
The Navy wanted to know whether an unmanned combat air system (UCAS) could operate safely and autonomously from aircraft carriers and be able to refuel in flight. Northrop Grumman responded with the X-47B, a 38-foot-long tailless unmanned aircraft designed to stealth specs, and it chose VxWorks as the software platform for the demonstrator program. Project partner GE Aviation also chose VxWorks as the foundation for its common core system, the backbone of UCAS-D computers, networks, and interfacing electronics.
The Results
VxWorks enabled Northrop Grumman to rapidly create, deploy, and maintain its safety-critical control system. Proven commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) certification products from Wind River helped the company rapidly and cost-effectively develop highly complex systems that meet rigorous military and commercial safety standards. In 2013, in recognition of this “great achievement in aeronautics and astronautics,” the U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman, and the X-47B industry team, including Wind River, received the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy.
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