BlackBerry and Elektrobit bolster automotive safety roadmap

As a memory-safe language, Rust provides a secure foundation for software to be built on and is quickly gaining momentum in the automotive industry, where mission-critical software is crucial.

Memory safety vulnerabilities are often security flaws; research shows that memory safety issues have accounted for 60% to 70% of all vulnerabilities across a range of operating systems. Without these common issues which affect many other programming languages such as C and C++, Rust makes an ideal choice for safety-critical software.

“Rust is fast becoming an important tool for the developer community, and we listened to our customers when they said they needed it supported,” said John Wall, SVP and Head, BlackBerry QNX. “Safety is our ethos and shouldn’t be something you opt-in to. It should always be there by default. With Rust we can continue to guarantee our customers a frictionless experience on our Software Development Platform, while not compromising on safety and performance-critical services.”

“We have been implementing projects in Rust since 2019, knowing the increasingly important role it is playing in enabling the development of mission-critical systems for our customers,” said Michael Robertson, Head of Products and Strategy, Elektrobit. “We have been pleased to share our knowledge and collaborate with BlackBerry QNX to integrate the Rust language into BlackBerry QNX products and to bring it into a state that is accepted by the Rust community.”

Elektrobit and BlackBerry QNX have a long history as collaborators and a robust production proven track record. Elektrobit worked closely with BlackBerry QNX on the Rust project, contributing code, ensuring code quality, handling project management and interaction with the Rust community.

Available for integration with BlackBerry’s safety-certified BlackBerry QNX product portfolio, Rust has the power to shape the future of mission-critical software as well as software-defined vehicles.

Meeting and maintaining functional safety standards are becoming increasingly more difficult as vehicles rely more on software and automation instead of simply hardware. Adhering to these standards will be critical to keeping a competitive edge and delivering business success. Expanding the programming languages available to BlackBerry’s developer community in a way that not only provides additional functionality, but also complements existing programming languages, will ensure customers are at the forefront of digital transformation across their respective markets.

BlackBerry QNX is already trusted in more than 215 million vehicles globally and is deployed in embedded systems around the world across a range of industries including commercial vehicles, heavy machinery and other markets. Its products have been pre-certified to many industry safety standards including ISO 26262, IEC 61508 and IEC 62304, with the company also recognised by independent auditors at TÜV Rheinland as the world’s first ASIL D safety-certified commercial hypervisor.