Google and Facebook picks Zephyr RTOS for next generation technologies

01 October 2020 | Abigail Opiah

Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) have selected the Zephyr Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) as one of the technologies that will be used to build their next generation of infrastructure and products.

The companies will collaborate with other Platinum members of The Zephyr Project, an open-source project at the Linux Foundation.

"Google believes in building secure products for all of our users, and we are excited to join forces with Zephyr to develop a secure real-time operating system," said Puneet Kumar, Director of Engineering, Chrome OS.

"The Zephyr Project has built a strong community of experts, and we look forward to working with all of the participating organizations to improve the state of the RTOS our products depend on."

Facebook has a long history of open-source investment, and recently joined the Linux Foundation at the Platinum-level.

The social media company is also actively involved in multiple open source communities in the semiconductor space.

"Facebook is pleased to support the Zephyr project which shows great promise in accelerating the pace of RTOS innovation," said Ric Wheeler, Engineering Manager. Olof Johansson, Engineering Director.

"The project's focus on establishing neutral governance, encouraging a diverse development community and the attention to security will help create a thriving and sustainable open-source ecosystem around Zephyr. We are excited to be part of that."

The project is seeing an uptick in products developed on the RTOS, specifically those that help monitor COVID-19, according to the company. 

"Zephyr's focus on product level quality and integrating key technologies have made it an ideal platform for rapid time to market for IoT based solutions," said Kate Stewart, Senior Director of Strategic Programs at The Linux Foundation.

"With the COVID-19 situation challenging us all, it's very encouraging to see companies choose to use Zephyr as part of their solutions."