Open CMSIS Pack Blog Post Dec 2021

Owned by Bill Fletcher
Dec 07, 2021
2 min read

DRAFT - expected publication date 09-12-21

It’s been 6 months since Arm transferred the CMSIS-Pack technology to the Linaro IoT and Embedded Group under a new project named Open-CMSIS-Pack.  The project is delivering a standard for software component packaging and related foundation tools for validation, distribution, integration, management, and maintenance of microcontroller software. It aims to create a flexible and easy to use end to end development flow - from project creation to execution of the software on real or virtual hardware - for embedded software.

Main areas of work to date:

  • Project Manager -  essentially uses Project Files and CMSIS-Packs to create self-contained CMSIS-Build input files

  • Directory organisation - workspaces, pack inventory and root directories

  • Taxonomy and multi-context terminology

  • Component identifier syntax

Next milestones for end of December 2021:

Longer-term goals:

  • Evolution of the CMSIS-Pack standard and enable adoption by wider software industry to deploy frameworks, for example for Cloud connectivity or machine learning

  • Deliver foundation technology and base tools that can be integrated into toolchains from Open-CMSIS-Pack partners and the wider eco-system

  • Improve the inter-operability of various software projects by providing a common way to describe components, interfaces, and other attributes

CMSIS-Pack technology already provides device support for close to 9,000 different microcontrollers, making project integration of drivers, middleware and other software components across multiple Arm-based devices much easier. AWS recently made an announcement to deliver FreeRTOS LTS libraries in CMSIS Pack format: https://www.freertos.org/2021/10/freertos-lts-libraries-are-now-part-of-our-partner-toolchains.html

STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors and Arm are the founding members of the Open-CMSIS-Pack project which is hosted in the Linaro IoT and Embedded Group.

Visit http://open-cmsis-pack.org and visit the associated repositories to learn more. You can also follow the links to find notes and recordings of our weekly meetings which you are welcome to join.

For more details please contact contact@linaro.org.