The Open Group announced that it has partnered with a consortium of leading European real-time technology developers, industrial manufacturers and research organizations to develop a new framework for Java-based real-time applications on modern parallel processor systems. The strategic objective of the JEOPARD project is to provide the tools for platform-independent development of predictable systems that make use of SMP multicore platforms and field programmable gate array components.

    Supported by the European Commission, the Java Environment for Parallel Real-time Development project is investing over $4.9 million in an advanced framework for real-time Java running on multicore and parallel systems. This platform-independent framework will maintain the robust reliability essential for safety and mission critical applications, while using the additional processing power available from the latest parallel platforms.

    These tools will enhance software productivity and reusability by extending processor technology already established on desktop systems for the specific needs of multicore embedded systems. The project will actively contribute to standards required for the development of portable software in this domain, such as the Real-Time Specification for Java.

    Scott Hansen, director of European Projects at The Open Group stated: "The JEOPARD consortium partners are experts in all layers of a multicore embedded system, from the processor architecture to the Java virtual machine and the C and Java API layers. We're confident the project will solve the critical issues in each of these layers, thereby providing a powerful interface for the applications developer at the highest level."

    Led by The Open Group, the JEOPARD consortium includes four universities and research institutes: University of York, Vienna University of Technology, FZI and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca; three industrial manufacturers: EADS, RadioLabs and SkySoft; and two embedded systems technology suppliers: aicas and Sysgo. The technology research is being directed by aicas to ensure project results meet the highest industry level standards for reliability and real-time performance.

    The interface will be based on existing technologies, including the Real-Time Specification for Java and Safety-Critical Java. These technologies currently provide a strong foundation for the development of complex and highly reliable real-time systems, but they do not yet provide support for multicore systems. Even more challenging, some of the technologies can not address more than one processor at a time, making it impossible to develop applications that scale with the number of processors available on current and future multicore systems.

    "Embedded systems developers require a stable platform based on recognized standards if they are to invest in new applications that fully exploit multicore systems," explained Fridtjof Siebert, CTO of aicas and technical director for the consortium. "The JEOPARD project will provide an evolutionary path that maintains the advantages of Java such as portability, interoperability, object orientated design, while enabling real-time systems developers to achieve higher performance levels and scalability with increasingly sophisticated multicore platforms."