Ferrous Systems Achieves IEC 61508 (SIL 2) Certification for Rust Core Library Subset

Certification accelerates adoption in safety-critical industries. Customer integration is underway.

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ferrous Systems, the leader in Rust-based software solutions for embedded and safety-critical systems, today announced that it has achieved TÜV SÜD certification for a subset of the Rust core library (core) according to IEC 61508 (SIL 2). The core subset is included in Ferrocene 25.11.0, the latest update to the company’s open-source, qualified Rust compiler toolchain. This milestone removes a major barrier to Rust adoption in regulated industries, allowing development teams to take full advantage of Rust’s performance and safety benefits while meeting strict compliance requirements.

“Rust is impractical to run in embedded or safety-critical environments without core, and core can’t be certified without rigorous validation using toolchains like Ferrocene,” said Florian Gilcher, managing director at Ferrous Systems. “This release reaffirms our commitment to providing modern Rust compilers — and now certified libraries — to meet the needs of the safety-critical world.”

About core
Core underpins all other libraries in Rust. It is available in “no_std” applications and provides an essential toolkit for embedded development. Unlike most libraries, core is deeply intertwined with the Rust compiler.

Ferrous Systems began work on certifying a subset of core in autumn 2023 to support functional safety standards such as ISO 26262 and IEC 61508. Partners, including Cryspen and Thoughtworks, also contributed tools and time to the project.

TÜV SÜD certified this first subset of the Rust core library according to IEC 61508 (SIL 2). The certification applies to the Ferrocene toolchain and its use on qualified targets, including Armv7E-M and Armv8-A.

We support additional standards on an accelerated timeline while guiding customers toward higher safety levels.

About Ferrocene
Ferrocene is the first open-source Rust compiler toolchain to be qualified for use in safety-critical applications, enabling development teams to build safer systems, reduce engineering effort, and accelerate certification. It is TÜV SÜD-qualified for safety-related development according to ISO 26262 (ASIL D), IEC 61508 (SIL 3), and IEC 62304 (Class C), and supports qualification efforts toward SIL 4 and DO-178C (DAL C). Ferrocene is available for Linux and QNX Neutrino, and additional RTOSes on request. Its source code is licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0 and includes an open-source safety manual and certification artifacts to meet stringent safety and security requirements.

Ferrocene 25.11.0 includes improvements from upstream Rust 1.89 and 1.90, including explicitly inferred const generic arguments, additional lints, cross-compiled doctests, and support for i128 and u128 types in extern "C" functions. Core certifications will be maintained and updated alongside future Ferrocene releases, ensuring compatibility and traceability in compliance-sensitive environments.

Industry Adoption Underway
Several companies are currently using Ferrocene’s certified core subset in safety-critical systems and are on track to be among the first to deploy safety-certified products built with Rust:

• Sonair is using it for ADAR — the world’s first safe 3D ultrasonic sensor for autonomous robots. It runs on a quad-core Armv8-A, alongside an Armv7E-M sub-system.
• Kiteshield is using it to build a Rust-based safety system for underground mining, designed to prevent collisions between manual and autonomous machines. The system will eventually need to meet strict safety requirements, including components certified up to SIL 3 under IEC 61508.
• Additional partnerships are also being explored with organizations for use in automotive applications.

Looking Ahead
Ferrous Systems plans to grow the core subset over time, prioritizing developments according to customer needs. Work is already underway to expand the subset to cover additional standards and the highest safety integrity levels. Companies interested in having core certified for specific use cases are encouraged to contact us.

About Ferrous Systems
Founded in 2018 in Berlin, Ferrous Systems is the leading provider of Rust-based software solutions for embedded and safety-critical systems. The company plays a key role in advancing Rust for use in regulated industries through the development of Ferrocene, the first open source Rust compiler toolchain qualified to meet the highest automotive, industrial and medical standards. Ferrous Systems is an active contributor to the Rust project and the embedded Rust ecosystem, and collaborates closely with industry partners to deliver reliable, memory-safe software solutions for high-assurance systems worldwide. It also offers training, consulting and long-term support to help development teams adopt Rust with confidence. To learn more, visit ferrous-systems.com.