Hypervisors: Driving Transformation at the Edge

Hypervisors helped spark the cloud-computing revolution by enabling virtualization and the efficient use of compute resources. This technology is now creating an even greater transformation in the physical machines and embedded systems that touch our everyday lives. This is largely due to their ability to drive greater safety, improve flexibility, and lower costs.

Whether it is an airplane, car, or robot, safety is of fundamental importance to embedded systems. We promote the integrity of software like hypervisors and operating systems (OS) through standards and certifications such as DO-178C, ISO26262, IEC61508, and others. A safety certifiable software stack like VxWorks running on Helix Virtualization Platform ensures a critical system such as an aircraft crash avoidance system has been developed and tested with enough rigor that it can perform consistently and without fail.

A type-1 hypervisor like Helix Virtualization Platform further improves safety via its ability to run multiple operating systems (both certified and uncertified, and of mixed criticality), at high performance and in isolation. This means that even if a fault does occur in one guest, it will not affect the others. The virtualized nature of these systems then enables the failed system to recover quickly, improving fault tolerance and the safety of the lives that depend on it.

A hypervisor also provides greater flexibility when designing these systems. Engineers are free to develop in a range of commercial off the shelf, propriety, and open-source environments. These guests OSs can then be provisioned on the fly allowing a system to dynamically adapt to a change in resource requirements such as a computer vision system within a vehicle. Further, hardware can be virtualized. This means that updates and changes that might previously require a physical device upgrade or on-site technician visit can now be deployed via an over the air (OTA) update.

Finally, hypervisors can drive significant cost savings. First, fewer compute modules are needed to support system functions, since modules can be virtualized and consolidated. Fewer modules mean less wiring. That makes a vehicle less complex, easier to manufacture, and simpler to maintain. It also results in weight savings, which reduces fuel and energy consumption. Perhaps most impactful, the ability to run many OSs across multiple cores also allows manufacturers to introduce new software while still supporting legacy systems. This reduces the need for upgrades and can extend a vehicle or device’s service life by years or even decades.

Hypervisors like the Helix Virtualization Platform are making the machines we rely on safer, more flexible, and more affordable. They keep planes fault tolerant, cars on the road, and prevent robots from malfunctioning. They enable the latest software to be deployed remotely. Their ability to do all this, while extending the affordability and usability of these systems ensures their impact will continue to grow far into the future.