Software suite verifies assembly/object level code on ARM CPUs for DO-178C Level A compliance

LDRA 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-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.

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 with 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 toolchains, such as those from Green Hills Software, IAR, Wind River, Tasking, and Keil.