With this software support, Renesas Electronics Europe aims to make it easier to integrate Linux into industrial equipment. To this end, the manufacturer offers the RZ/G Linux platform with 'Super Long-Term Support' (SLTS) and guarantees Linux kernel stability for ten years. This would greatly reduce maintenance costs. The problem with 'connected' devices is that vulnerabilities in operating systems become known time and again, which then have to be closed. However, as kernel versions evolve, older kernel versions are no longer supplied with security patches, meaning that the security gaps in existing devices remain open or the manufacturer has to patch the device itself, which is very time-consuming. If Renesas now takes care of this problem, it can actually save industrial customers high development costs.

The RZ/G-Linux platform is a validated Linux package that allows users to immediately start developing application software in a stable operating environment. The package contains the Linux kernel with 'Board Support Package' (BSP), multimedia functions (H.264 codec, 3D graphics), a framework (Qt, HTML 5) for graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and security functions. Renesas is responsible for the maintenance and version management of the Linux distribution. BSP support is currently available for the RZ/G1M-MPU. This application processor has two Cortex-A15 cores, a PowerVR graphics unit with 3D functions, hardware video codecs and various peripherals such as Ethernet, CAN, USB, I²C, etc. Renesas is planning additional support for other products from the RZ/G1 MPU series, which currently consists of five different components.

With cloud development environment

With the RZ/G-Linux platform, Renesas wants to attract users who are currently working with a commercial real-time operating system or without an operating system at all. However, experienced embedded Linux users can also benefit. The platform offers a cloud development environment within the integrated software development tool Renesas e² studio. This gives embedded programmers the opportunity to write and compile their code on cloud servers, where the Linux distribution and the BSP are also actively maintained. This should minimize the number of development iterations, improving productivity in all phases of work. The platform includes comprehensive tools for code validation and analysis using a proprietary and comprehensive online database. The tools support the user in identifying potential sources of errors and provide specific troubleshooting recommendations during debugging.

In addition, the Renesas Marketplace is a centralized platform where technology partners offer additional hardware and software solutions that are verified for the Renesas RZ/G-Linux platform. Users can purchase and download security tools, embedded vision libraries and other software. To further establish the RZ/G-Linux platform, Renesas is continuously expanding the Marketplace partner community and supporting key partner companies worldwide.