QNX today announced that the QNX Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0 will be the foundational operating system for The Eclipse Foundation’s Safe Open Vehicle Core (S-CORE) Project, helping to accelerate the group’s efforts to turbocharge automaker Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) development timelines and reduce costs in moving projects from research to production and onto roads.
This marks an important milestone in the development of a common, open, and safety-critical software platform for the automotive industry.
The S-CORE project is a collaborative open-source initiative under the Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) Working Group.
It brings together leading major automakers, suppliers, and technology partners – including BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, ETAS (a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH), Qorix, and Accenture – to develop an open-source core stack for SDVs, specifically targeting embedded high-performance Electronic Control Units (ECUs).
The first S-CORE release (v0.5) should provide core functionalities including application orchestration, inter-process communication (IPC), and logging & persistency.
To enable these features to be evaluated and deployed on a robust foundation, QNX SDP 8.0 will be the supporting operating system for the initial reference platform, a milestone that was made possible via the company’s recently launched QNX Everywhere initiative, which expands access to QNX’s high-performance foundational software for non-commercial use, targeting students, schools, research organizations, and OEMs for early prototyping purposes.
The QNX Everywhere initiative provides free access to QNX SDP 8.0 for non-commercial use, along with complimentary resources and on-demand training, making embedded systems learning, experimentation, and innovation easier than ever before.
“Embracing our role as the foundational operating system for the Eclipse S-CORE Project is a testament to QNX’s trusted reputation within the automotive industry,” said John Wall, COO and Head of Products, Engineering and Services, QNX.
“This milestone benefits OEMs by enabling easy and simple access to QNX 8 software for non-commercial use for advanced prototyping to accelerate development cycles. By enabling Eclipse S-CORE and with support from a who’s who of major automakers and Tier 1s, we’re thrilled to provide more non-commercial developers with free access to QNX SDP 8.0, enabling them to build the future of automotive technology with confidence and efficiency.”
By combining industry-proven operating systems like QNX with the flexibility and transparency of open-source development, S-CORE empowers contributors and adopters alike to innovate faster and more efficiently – from proof-of-concept to production.
