AdaCore is taking part in the SCHEME research project on high-integrity processing platforms for use in harsh environments
The project involves a consortium of UK industry and academia to deliver the next generation of such platforms for use in the aerospace and other industries associated with harsh environments.
Microprocessor design and manufacture is complex, and typically, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) automotive and general-purpose microprocessors are repurposed for aerospace. That approach has issues of obsolescence, complexity and design trade-offs with long-term cost implications. Furthermore, a new generation of more complex, autonomous, and connected aerospace systems is needed to meet net-zero targets.
Such systems are also increasingly required to be cyber secure. Repurposing COTS processors to meet such requirements is complex and non-cost-effective due to the increased burden when certifying products.
SCHEME will develop a new generation of safety-critical and cyber-secure microprocessors. The microprocessor and support infrastructure will be engineered from the bottom-up to provide a long-term, cost-effective, high-integrity processing approach. The bespoke processor will reduce design and through-life costs, ensure the security of supply, and provide protection from the global issues that face the semiconductor industry.
SCHEME will provide the UK with a highly capable micro-processing platform that can be deployed in both aerospace and adjacent sectors where safety criticality and cyber security are of utmost importance. This includes emerging sectors that are key to the future of the UK economy, such as autonomous vehicles and small modular nuclear reactors. Furthermore, the consortium has the potential to provide a complete packaged product for high-integrity systems development to many potential customers, both within and outside the UK.
Jan Góralczyk, Programme Manager of the SCHEME project co-ordinating company, Rolls-Royce, said, “AdaCore brings a comprehensive portfolio of skills in delivering high-integrity software. Their expertise in compilation tooling, processor simulation, and dynamic analysis will be key enablers in achieving the objectives of the SCHEME project. Furthermore, AdaCore’s understanding of the industry, both in terms of software technology and prospective customers, will help ensure the activities undertaken and the expected outcomes from SCHEME will stay relevant to the industry’s evolving needs.”
A vital component of the SCHEME’s processing solution is the supporting software tool infrastructure.
Kyriakos Georgiou, SCHEME’s Project Manager at AdaCore, said: “The AdaCore UK R&D Centre is well positioned to produce software development and verification tooling that enables reduced cost and delivery time for safety-critical and cyber-secure applications.” Such products will cover validation and verification processes, generating certification evidence, and software cyber-security hardening. These SCHEME-developed technologies will be integrated within a modern development environment supporting state-of-the-art practices.
The £37.5m investment program is co-funded by the ATI Programme, which funds civil aerospace research in the UK and which is delivered in partnership by the Aerospace Technology Institute, the Department for Business & Trade and Innovate UK.
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