SevenLab joins the Zephyr Project
We at SevenLab are thrilled to announce a significant step for our future embedded projects: SevenLab is now an official member of the Zephyr Project, which operates under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation.
This membership is more than just formal recognition: it is a commitment to the values, technology, and community behind one of the world’s most advanced real-time operating systems (RTOS).
What is the Zephyr Project?
The Zephyr Project is an open-source, real-time operating system (RTOS) designed for resource-constrained devices within the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Managed by the Linux Foundation, it is developed by a global community, distinguishing it from proprietary RTOS solutions often tied to specific hardware vendors.
Technically, Zephyr is characterized by its modularity and integrated support for modern communication standards. Key features include:
- Connectivity: Native support for protocols such as Cellular, Matter, Thread, Modbus, CAN, MQTT, CoAP, LwM2M, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and many many more.
- Hardware Abstraction: A focus on cross-architecture compatibility, allowing for easier migration between different microcontroller units (MCUs).
- Security & Quality: A focus on integrated security mechanisms and rigorous quality assurance processes.
- Modern Toolchain: Utilization of a contemporary development environment and a wide array of community-maintained drivers.
Unlike the minimalist approach of FreeRTOS, Zephyr is structured as a comprehensive, battery-included platform similar to a “tiny Linux.” It utilizes a Devicetree model to abstract hardware, which allows application code to remain portable across different microcontrollers. While this results in a larger initial footprint and a steeper learning curve, it provides a standardized environment where drivers, security stacks, and connectivity protocols are maintained as part of the core OS.
Why SevenLab Uses and Benefits from Zephyr
At SevenLab, Zephyr has become a core part of our development stack for embedded systems. Over the years, we have implemented it across various architectures, developing custom drivers and integrating stacks like DALI, DALI+, KNX RF, NFC, USB, BLE, and Thread.
As official members of the Zephyr Project, our engineers regularly contribute to the open-source codebase. This active participation gives us a thorough understanding of the internal architecture and the long-term roadmap. By building on a Linux Foundation governed RTOS supported by industry leaders like Nordic Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Silabs, Analog Devices, Renesas, ARM, Intel, and NXP, we ensure that the solutions we deliver are based on a stable, widely-supported foundation that remains maintainable for years to come.
How Our Clients Benefit from Our Membership
Our membership in the Zephyr Project provides advantages that go beyond simply using the RTOS. By participating directly in the project’s governance and development, we offer our clients a more integrated engineering approach:
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- Active Roadmap Participation: As members of the Technical Steering Committee (TSC), we are involved in the strategic decisions and voting processes that shape Zephyr. This allows us to align client projects with the upcoming technical direction of the ecosystem and ensure that the requirements of our customers are heard at a core level.
- Established Maintainer Network: We maintain direct working relationships with the project’s key architects and maintainers. When complex technical blockers arise, these connections facilitate faster problem-solving and provide clarity that isn’t always available through public documentation.
- Efficient Upstreaming: Our visibility within the project makes it easier to contribute code, drivers, and fixes back to the official Zephyr main branch. For our clients, this reduces long-term maintenance efforts, as specific project requirements become part of the upstream codebase rather than remaining as isolated, local patches.
- Early Insight into Working Groups: Through our involvement in internal working groups, we gain early visibility into architectural shifts and security developments. This enables us to build forward-compatible solutions and proactively manage the lifecycle of an embedded product.
About SevenLab
SevenLab is your partner for the development and optimization of demanding embedded systems and industrial IoT solutions. Based in Cologne, Germany, we guide companies from conception to series production. Our core competencies lie in the development of secure and reliable firmware, the integration of radio technologies (Cellular, BLE, Thread, LoRaWAN, Mioty, DALI+, KNX RF etc.), and the application of open-source technologies like Zephyr. We value clean code, agile development processes, and transparent collaboration to create digital products that work today and endure tomorrow.
Are you planning a new embedded project and looking for a partner who can leverage the advantages of Zephyr for you?
Contact us today to find out how we can make your connected devices more secure, efficient, and future-proof.
