Developing Embedded Software Should Not Wait for Hardware. Intel Simics Makes that Feasible.

Teams that develop embedded systems often need their testing phase to begin long before physical hardware is available. The software must be ready even when silicon, prototype boards, and lab environments are weeks, months, or years away, or when only a few physical test benches are available. 

This creates a familiar challenge for anyone who builds embedded applications. And it applies especially to those who create mission critical software for aerospace, automotive, industrial, or communications systems. Most teams only have one spacecraft to test on, for instance, and it’s rarely expendable. Even for less-expensive embedded devices such as fitness trackers, early hardware prototypes are rarely ready when developers want to experiment with an innovative “what if…?” brainstorm. 

Teams are forced to wait for access to physical hardware before they can move forward. Development slows down. Testing is delayed. Product verification and validation are postponed. Schedules slip.

One established way to respond is to use a full-system simulator and virtual platform to model an embedded system’s electronic hardware such as chips, boards, and multi-machine systems. Intel® Simics® has made this possible for years. Developers use virtual representations of their target hardware so that software development can progress in parallel with hardware development.

 And now, with the Intel® Simics® 26.09 release, it’s even easier for software teams to develop, test, and debug embedded systems before physical hardware arrives. Through highly deterministic virtual platforms, Intel Simics helps teams shift development left, debug issues earlier, and improve software readiness.

These three key innovations in the Intel Simics 26.09 release help teams accomplish their development and testing goals sooner.

Aerospace, defense, and government SoC models

One set of features is sure to be appreciated by developers who work on aerospace, defense, and government development programs. Intel Simics 26.09 has new virtual system-on-chip (SoC) models for the virtual hardware they need. Space processor chips, engine control processors, and communication processor chips often push the envelope in electronics design and thus need new code.

Previously, developers needed to wait until hardware was available before they could make significant progress. And without this SoC model, they could not gather insights for their development such as in performance testing, integration testing, and load testing.

The new off-the-shelf model can be instantly delivered and is ready for team customization.  These SoC models provide deterministic execution, fault injection and deep observability that can be difficult to achieve on physical hardware. 

Automotive vECU models

Developing automotive embedded software often requires physical electronic control units (ECUs), complex wiring setups, debugging equipment, and specialized lab environments.

The new automotive virtual ECU (vECU) microcontroller model removes the limitations caused by lab resources or hardware availability. Without a vECU, developers have to spend time setting up complex wiring, waiting for an ECU debugger, and physically visiting a lab where they can create and test code. Teams can create multiple simulated ECU hardware. 

The result? With the new release, developers can create, replicate, and test ECU environments without waiting for physical hardware availability. They can code, test, and debug earlier. They can iterate on software designs, validate functionality and improve collaboration across distributed engineering organizations.

Pre-integrated Wind River edge platforms

Getting started with a development environment can be time-consuming. Nobody wants a yak-shaving exercise to take valuable time away from the embedded software development that motivates them. Teams must configure their own platforms, validate compatibility, and troubleshoot setup issues before meaningful work begins.

To get underway faster, Intel Simics 26.09 provides preconfigured and validated integrations for Wind River’s edge platforms, including VxWorks and Wind River Linux. Each Intel Simics release is validated against the latest available Wind River edge platforms, giving teams confidence that they are working within a tested and supported environment. Start up the environment and get underway developing and testing software. No extensive setup required.

Beyond speed

By enabling embedded software teams to develop and test before hardware arrives, Intel Simics allows organizations to bring mission-critical systems to market faster, improve software quality, and make more efficient use of valuable engineering resources. For organizations facing aggressive delivery schedules and increasing system complexity, the ability to validate functionality earlier and enter hardware integration with greater confidence can be a significant competitive advantage, resulting in a more predictable development process and faster time-to-market.