Certifiable Java for Embedded Systems

The aim of this project is to develop a prototype development environment and platform for safetycritical software for embedded applications. There are three core constituents: A profile of the Java programming language that is tailored for safety-critical applications, a predictable Java processor built with FPGA technology, and an Eclipse based application development environment that binds the profile and the platform together and provides analyses that supports a safety case.
The main novelty of the project is that it consolidates and integrates a number of results from previous research by members of the team and others in a consciously engineered development environment and platform that supports certification of developed applications. The previous results include development of a highly predictable Java processor [23, 25], contributions to profiles for predictable Java [29, 3, 12], and development of analysis tools [4, 28, 19]. As most of the previous results are open-source,1 the results from this project will be available as open-source as well.
The expected result is of immediate interest for industry engaged in aerospace software development, as witnessed by the recent document by the European Space Agency (ESA) on On-board Software [31]. Thus the company GomSpace is following the development closely and is investing resources in giving advice on applicability. In a larger perspective, the technology is important for other companies that develop software intensive systems that have to be certified. The results are also expected to have an impact within the new European, Artemis funded, research project RECOMP.