Linux Foundation, Intel Pick ACRN for IoT
The Linux Foundation is pushing a new hypervisor effort called ACRN aimed specifically at IoT.
ACRN is smaller than other hypervisors, so better suited to embedded applications within the connected car. The U.K. Register reports that ACRN is powered by 25,000 lines of code. It says that’s far fewer than 150,000-plus lines found in other hypervisors.
Plus, ACRN hypervisors will be able to prioritize traffic. That’ll be important for connected car applications too. That means safety-related workloads can get priority over entertainment-related traffic within connected vehicles.
“With project ACRN, embedded developers have a new, immediately available hypervisor option,” said Jim Zemlin. The Linux Foundation executive director adds that ACRN is optimized for resource-constrained devices.
ACRN uses a Linux-based Service OS and can run other OSs. Intel Corp. is the key contributor to this embedded reference hypervisor project. And the Register says “it looks like the ACRN hasn’t fallen far from the x86 tree.”
In its press release, The Linux Foundation includes quotes from ADLINK, Aptiv, LG, and Neusoft Automotive.
“As Intel’s strategic partner, Neusoft is pleased to join Intel in project ACRN,” said Meng Lingjun. “ACRN has landed in China’s automotive electronics industry with practical implementation. I believe ACRN can meet the development requirements of IoT technology. We’re pleased to work with open source communities and introduce ACRN into the ecosystem.”
ADLINK CTO Angelo Corsaro said the lack of open source virtualization hindered IoT and fog computing. He added that ACRN brings the agility and manageability of virtualized environments into embedded, real-time systems.
“This will be a key enabler toward making the Industrial Internet of Things happen for real,” Corsaro continued.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
