* Metrowerks releases Automotive Grade Linux
Soon, having Linux “under the hood” may take on a more literal meaning.
Austin’s embedded Linux vendor Metrowerks recently announced the release of what it calls Automotive Grade Linux, a version of the open source operating system modified to run as an electronics control system in automobiles.
Metrowerks took a standard Linux kernel, boiled it down and then tweaked it to act as a control system for such computerized automobile functions as airbag deployment, anti-lock breaking and cruise control systems. Specifically, the code has been optimized to meet industry requirements for automotive computing, such as low power consumption, fast boot-up time (who has time to let their car’s PC warm up?) and sub-40-millisecond response time for onboard vehicle computer systems.
Metrowerks will sell its software to developers of automotive computing and telematics systems, as well as to automakers. The timing for the emergence of this type of Linux is good, as automakers are looking for ways to develop more reliable computerized components at lower cost. Technologists at GM have said that more than a third of the cost in making an automobile is now associated with electronics and software. The car maker has also said that it expects the amount of software in the average auto it makes to reach 100 million lines of code by 2010. (For perspective, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional had 29 million lines when it was released.)
The Automotive Grade Linux announcement also follows the recent formation of the Open Source Real-Time Linux project, which aims to standardize how Linux is developed as RTOS software. Although the two efforts are not related, these are strong signs that Linux is becoming a more embedded piece of infrastructure in all types of computing applications.
