Red Hat, the global leader in open source solutions, has marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of the automotive industry with its In-Vehicle Operating System achieving ISO 26262 ASIL-B functional safety certification as a Safety Element out-of-Context (SEooC).
Built upon Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the operating system delivers real-time performance, rapid boot, and strict freedom-from-interference (FFI) between safety-critical and non-critical applications—ensuring that functions like infotainment never interfere with core systems such as ADAS or digital cockpits.
In partnership with exida, a global safety certification authority, the company pioneered a rigorous process to bring functional safety to open source systems. The certification reflects Red Hat's commitment to process integrity, technical depth, and global collaboration, with its developers and maintainers also earning exida’s Functional Safety Practitioner (FSP) credential.
Red Hat’s strategy goes beyond compliance. By offering a cloud-native, software-first development approach, it enables automakers to develop in the cloud, simulate virtually, and deploy on hardware seamlessly—significantly reducing development time and cost. The platform also includes a Safety Guidance document, tailored SDK, and integration across cloud, virtual, and physical environments, allowing manufacturers to accelerate innovation cycles.
To strengthen its automotive ecosystem, it is working with leading silicon partners including Renesas, Qualcomm, Intel, Arm, NXP, and Texas Instruments, beginning certification rollout with Renesas R-Car S4 and Qualcomm platforms.
Nissan, among early adopters, is collaborating with Red Hat to develop its next-gen SDV architecture, while Renesas and Qualcomm praised Red Hat’s commitment to safety, scalability, and open innovation.
Francis Chow, VP and GM of Red Hat In-Vehicle OS and Edge, said, 'This is an inflection point for the automotive industry's transformation toward SDVs. We’re helping automakers innovate faster and safer, with the reliability and openness that Red Hat is known for.'
Jonathan Moore, Director, Advanced Systems, exida, highlighted Red Hat’s ‘upstream first’ open source model and collaboration with global experts as key to meeting functional safety standards. Moore also commended Red Hat’s developers for earning Functional Safety Practitioner (FSP) certification, reflecting their strong commitment to both safety and open source.
Kazuma Sugimoto, General Manager, Software Engineering, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, shared that Nissan is working with Red Hat to develop its next-generation software-defined vehicle platform. He said the collaboration will support Nissan’s transition into a leader in the evolving software-defined mobility space.
Aish Dubey, VP & GM, High Performance Computing SoC, Renesas, noted Renesas’s ongoing collaboration with Red Hat and announced that the In-Vehicle OS will first be certified on the Renesas R-Car S4 platform. He said the combined solution enables flexible, scalable system designs for ADAS, IVI, and cross-domain functions with safety and security at the core.
Laxmi Rayapudi, VP, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, reaffirmed Qualcomm’s support for the partnership in delivering a certified OS that drives the future of automotive technology.
Comprehensive Partner Ecosystem
As part of its strategic push to accelerate the automotive industry’s transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs), Red Hat has announced the formation of a comprehensive partner ecosystem built around its In-Vehicle Operating System. This growing network brings together leading silicon providers, middleware developers, application software vendors, and systems integrators to deliver pre-integrated, production-ready solutions that reduce complexity, speed development, and unlock innovation.
The move reflects a broader industry shift. Traditional automotive development, reliant on a fragmented mix of IP vendors, tier-1 suppliers, and global systems integrators, is giving way to more tightly coordinated collaboration models. In this new landscape, Red Hat is positioning its In-Vehicle Operating System as the unifying foundation—a secure, open, and safety-certified platform on which partners can build and integrate their technologies with confidence.
Through collaboration with silicon vendors, it ensures software portability via hardware abstraction, allowing developers to harness the full capabilities of the chip without compromising compatibility across architectures. Middleware and ISV partners contribute to seamless integration of mission-critical applications, while global systems integrators help OEMs develop end-to-end, high-value platforms, enabling faster validation cycles, improved user experiences, and new monetisation opportunities.
By curating this robust ecosystem, Red Hat empowers the automotive industry with greater agility, flexibility, and choice, accelerating the rollout of next-gen vehicles that are safer, smarter, and software-first. This ecosystem approach is not just about technology—it’s about building the collaborative infrastructure needed to redefine mobility at scale.
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