LDRA tool suite offers unique object code verification for coverage at the assembly level and code level, required for DO-178C Level A standard

WIRRAL, England — (BUSINESS WIRE) — October 7, 2020 — LDRA today announced its extension of object-code verification to deliver advanced software testing for Arm-based chips used in safety-critical aerospace & defense and automotive applications. With Arm chipsets becoming increasingly prevalent in the core CPUs of both aircraft and automobiles, safety-critical verification becomes essential. LDRA’s support enables software developers to leverage the LDRA tool suite to verify code coverage at both the assembly and source code levels.

Arm’s Adoption into Aerospace, Automotive

Arm-based devices can often be found in ISO 26262–compliant automotive applications up to and including ASIL D, and they continue to gain traction as ADAS and autonomy become increasingly significant. Conversely, Intel and PowerPC have long been the architecture of choice for aircraft computers to gain high-integrity computing in a rugged, SWaP (size, weight, and power)–constrained environment. However, as Arm has proven its reliability, low power, and versatility in automotive and mobile applications, avionics engineers are now also turning to general-purpose Arm processors. By extending object-code verification to Arm-based chips, LDRA enables compliance to Level A—the highest safety requirements—of DO-178C, the safety-critical standard for aerospace, and provides an opportunity for automotive developers to provide a similar level of assurance for the most demanding of applications in their domain.

“Object-code verification has long been available for other specialized processors, but extending it to general-purpose Arm processors enables safety-critical designers to take advantage of the rich Arm ecosystem in their designs,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director at LDRA. “By extending, LDRA has enabled avionic engineers to verify Arm-based applications to DAL A while enjoying the benefits of additional ecosystem flexibility and lower costs, and has opened the door for automotive engineers to apply this state-of-the-art technique in their sector as well.”

LDRA’s Rich Heritage and Leadership Support Safety-Critical Applications

In addition to championing coding standards, LDRA has provided the LDRA tool suite to enable companies to meet safety-critical and security-critical standards compliance in multiple industries including aerospace & defense, automotive, rail, nuclear power, industrial control, and medical devices. Compliance to the highest safety-critical standards requires testing of assembly level code—a level of support that LDRA has offered companies for more than 40 years.

LDRA’s decision to join Arm’s Functional Safety Partnership Program has enabled it to equip the Arm community with functional safety capabilities, specifically driving compliance efforts in those application areas requiring functional safety and security standards. Thanks to its rich heritage and leadership role in safety-critical support, LDRA supports many compilers and tool chains, such as those from Green Hills Software, IAR, Wind River, Tasking, and Keil.

Additional information about how LDRA helps software development teams build safety into their aerospace & defense and automotive systems is available at https://ldra.com/aerospace-defence/ and https://ldra.com/automotive/ respectively.

About LDRA

For more than 40 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and elimination, and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA has headquarters in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit www.ldra.com.

Readers may direct questions to:

Mark James
Email: mark.james@ldra.com

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Media contacts:
Kelly Wanlass, Hughes Communications, Inc., Media Relations
Tel: +1 (801) 602-4723, Email: kelly@hughescom.net

Mark James, LDRA, Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 151 649 9300, Email: mark.james@ldra.com