BlackBerry Limited and Elektrobit announced they are collaborating on integration efforts to support the Rust programming language, empowering developers to build safe, reliable and efficient automotive software. 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. 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(R) QNX(R) 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(R) QNX(R) 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 recognized by independent auditors at TÜV Rheinland as with the world's first ASIL D safety- certified commercial hypervisor.