Kontron has announced that its COTS 3U VPX-based embedded computer has successfully been qualified and certified at the high-security level SIL-4 by Alstom for safe railway applications.

“We are very pleased to have been selected by Alstom, a worldwide leading supplier of reliable and safe transportation systems, to provide our COTS-based safety embedded computers,” said Alain Spors, director of sales at Kontron. “The Kontron offering meets the high level of quality and performance required by Alstom.”

The safe computing unit (SCU) computer consists of extractable Line Replacement Units (LRU) in order to provide a low maintenance time and repair (MTTR). Both the ventilation drawers and electronic cards are easily extractable.

The computing unit of the SCU featuring single board computers (SBCs) and an ethernet switch card takes advantage of the versatility and modularity of a 3U VITA 46 VPX standard architecture to offer a SIL-4 certifiable and long-term maintainable solution.

Thanks to its ISO / TS 22163 (formerly IRIS) certification, Kontron provides Alstom with a high level of design, production, testability, and traceability to meet the requirements of the railway sector.

Nicolas Catheland, programme manager at Alstom, said: “The qualification of the SCU for our new railway signaling programs confirms Kontron’s ability to meet the high standards of quality we expect, whether for products or long-term service delivery.”