Member Spotlight: HighTec

Welcome to another Rust Foundation Member Spotlight blog! This series aims to introduce our community to various Rust Foundation Member organizations and their leaders. In this installment, we spoke with Mario Cupelli, CTO of HighTec EDV-Systeme GmbH (a Rust Foundation Silver Member Organization) who shared a bit about the company, how they use Rust, and more. 

Tell us about HighTec. What do you do and who do you serve? #

HighTec EDV-Systeme GmbH is the world’s largest commercial provider of compilers using innovative open source technologies with ISO 26262 ASIL D certified tools for embedded software development. 

HighTec also offers a safety-certified multicore real-time operating system (RTOS) called PXROS-HR, and a wide range of design-in services. 

HighTec’s flagship product is the proven ASIL D qualified C/C++ multiarchitecture compiler for leading multicore microcontrollers in the automotive and industrial sectors such as Arm®, TriCore™/AURIX™ families, Power Architecture (PowerPC), GTM and Renesas architectures. The latest addition to HighTec’s offering is the first LLVM-based Rust compiler for Infineon AURIX TC3x and TC4x which leverages the benefits of Rust and those MCUs for automotive and industrial applications.

How is HighTec using Rust? #

HighTec’s new Rust compiler for AURIX TC3x and TC4x uses the modern open source LLVM technology, to boost an efficient backend that is consistent with the existing C/C++ compiler tools offered by HighTec for AURIX. 

This compiler is characterized by its rapid build system and advanced code optimizations, which are specifically tailored to the architecture-specific functions of the AURIX microcontrollers. As a result, HighTec enables the benefits of Rust on those microcontrollers and accelerates the development and certification of safety-critical applications across a range of industries, including automotive and industrial automation.

Why did HighTec decide to join the Rust Foundation? #

HighTec is committed to continuously providing solutions for a safer and more secure embedded world. We see that Rust's memory management features, such as its ownership model, help prevent the types of vulnerabilities that are often the root cause of system failures and security breaches. This makes Rust an attractive option for developers looking to build robust, secure systems like automotive applications.

By joining the Rust Foundation, we are staying close to the technical evolution of Rust. In doing this, we can learn about developers’ needs early and contribute to the ecosystem, enabling them to build their applications with the best tools in terms of safety, security, and performance.

What are HighTec's hopes for the future of Rust? #

All of us at HighTec hope that the Rust community and ecosystem will continue to grow. We also look forward to seeing more support from semiconductor manufacturers in the near future. As a result, different industries will be able to benefit from all the advantages Rust has to offer in terms of safety, security, and performance.

What is your personal favorite thing about Rust? #

Rust is the best proof that open source means no tradeoff whatsoever in terms of safety and security.

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Thank you to HighTec for their support as a Rust Foundation Silver Member!

You can learn more about HighTec here.