The following press release was issued today by EEMBC, the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium.

For Immediate Release

Open Kernel Labs Joins EEMBC Hypervisor Workgroup

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — May 5, 2008 — The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) today announced that Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs), a supplier of secure embedded systems software and virtualization technology, is the newest member of the consortium's Hypervisor Subcommittee.

"OK Labs' experience in embedded virtualization technology will be an invaluable resource as we move forward with the development of EEMBC HyperBench™, our forthcoming benchmark suite that will measure the contribution of hypervisors to performance, code size, and energy consumption in embedded systems," said EEMBC President Markus Levy. "I'm very pleased indeed to welcome OK Labs as our newest EEMBC member."

A hypervisor is a program that allows multiple operating systems or execution environments to run simultaneously on a single embedded processor. In a multicore environment, a hypervisor can also distribute the operating systems and applications across multiple cores. The benefits of using a hypervisor as a virtualization platform include better load balancing and lower power consumption, by virtue of migrating processes dynamically to underutilized cores, and greater uptime through background firmware updates and redundant OS imaging.

"As developers are increasingly interested in utilizing the benefits of virtualization in embedded systems, they need to understand the impact of these technologies on system performance and power consumption," said Gernot Heiser, Open Kernel Labs CTO. "By providing a standardized platform — and vendor-neutral method for measuring virtualization overheads — the EEMBC hypervisor workgroup will arm developers with the tools to make an informed decision."

In addition to OK Labs, member companies that have participated in the EEMBC Hypervisor Subcommittee include AMD, ARM, Cavium Networks, Freescale Semiconductor, IBM, Intel, Marvell Semiconductor, MIPS Technologies, Nokia, and Trango Virtual Processors. EEMBC welcomes inquiries from companies that are interested in contributing to the development of HyperBench by becoming a member of the EEMBC board of directors or its Hypervisor Subcommittee. 

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About Open Kernel Labs
Open Kernel Labs' leading technology in embedded systems software and virtualization enables the development of safe, trustworthy, and affordable devices. Backed by the largest independent team of microkernel developers, OK Labs delivers OKL4, an advanced microkernel solution that offers the highest performance combined with strong protection and security features. OKL4 provides developers with a robust open-source platform for building secure, differentiated embedded applications. For more information about OK Labs and its products, visit www.ok-labs.com. OK Labs is a spin out from NICTA, Australia's preeminent Center of Excellence for information and communications technology, www.nicta.com.au.

Open Kernel Labs and OK Labs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Open Kernel Labs or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. HyperBench is a trademark and EEMBC is a registered trademark of the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

ENDS