Develop IEC 61508 Ready Applications with NXP: Solutions for Industrial Functional Safety

Your path to IEC 61508 compliance and beyond

Certified foundations

NXP microcontrollers and processors are developed following stringent IEC 61508, offering hardware and software that are qualified for industrial functional safety.

Accelerated system certification

Leverage NXP SafeAssure® program, including comprehensive safety manuals, FMEDAs and compliant item certifications, to reduce your system-level safety analysis effort.

Robust architectures

Our solutions feature safety island architectures and integrated hardware safety mechanisms (ECC, BIST, MPUs) for inherent reliability and high diagnostic coverage.

Pre-certified software

Utilize NXP functional safety software (SAF, SPD, SCST) to cut down software development and validation time for safety-criticalapplications.

Proven applications

From IEC 61508 SIL-2 certified Battery Energy Storage Reference Design s to solutions for collaborative robotics, Servo drives and smart factory automation, NXP powers industrial applications where safety is critical.

 

 

Navigate the functional safety landscape with NXP

IEC 61508

IEC 61508 is the cornerstone of functional safety. It's the bedrock for applications requiring high integrity, dictating requirements for hardware fault tolerance, systematic capability and quantitative failure rate targets for specific safety integrity levels (SILs 1 to 4).

At NXP, we’ve specifically developed our i.MX 95 family of applications processors and MCX E microcontrollers with IEC 61508 compliance in mind. Features such as independent safety domains (for example, dedicated Cortex-M cores for safety processing), error correcting code (ECC) on memory, and robust diagnostics help your design meet stringent SIL requirements.

Determine SILs with confidence

The process of assigning SILs involves a thorough risk assessment, identifying hazards and evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm. This dictates the required reliability and diagnostic coverage of your safety functions.

NXP simplifies SIL determination by providing comprehensive safety documentation for its components, including safety manuals, FMEDA reports and compliant item certifications. This support from NXP SafeAssure® program reduces your system-level safety analysis efforts and accelerates time to market.

Overcome implementation challenges

As a designer, you can often face challenges with complex safety architectures, managing systematic failures, dealing with common-cause failures, and ensuring robust diagnostic coverage. At NXP, we help you overcome these challenges when developing IEC 61508-ready designs and applications through:

Architectural excellence

Our processors feature safety island architectures (for example, dedicated safety MCUs or isolated safety domains on larger SoCs), allowing the safety-critical functions to operate independently and predictably.

Integrated diagnostics

Our processors feature safety island architectures (for example, dedicated safety MCUs or isolated safety domains on larger SoCs), allowing the safety-critical functions to operate independently and predictably.

Software for safety

Our functional safety software including the safety software framework (SAF), along with structural core self-test (SCST) libraries, are developed following strict safety standards (IEC 61508). Our structural core self-test libraries are IEC 61508 certified while our safety software framework is precertified. Together these software components aim to reduce your software development and validation burden.

Design with NXP to be IEC 61508 ready

Choosing NXP means partnering with a leader in functional safety. Our commitment extends beyond silicon, encompassing certified processes, comprehensive safety software and a robust ecosystem of development tools and expert support. This holistic approach empowers you to design and certify your industrial applications to the highest functional safety standards, confidently delivering innovative and reliable solutions to the market faster.

Ready to achieve your functional safety certification goals?

Explore NXP's comprehensive portfolio of functional safety-enabled microcontrollers, processors and reference designs, and discover how our solutions can simplify compliance, reduce risk, and accelerate your time to market.