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The Linux Foundation launched the Enabling Linux in Safety Applications (ELISA) project on February 21, 2019, to help companies build Linux-based safety-critical systems and show how those systems address safety requirements. ELISA develops shared tools, processes, reference material, and use cases; it does not certify Linux itself or automatically make a Linux-based product safe.

Why Linux safety needs a system-level case

Linux can be used as a component in systems where failures may put people or infrastructure at risk, including robotics, medical devices, smart factories, transportation, and autonomous driving. Those are possible application areas, not evidence that every Linux deployment in them is safety-certified.

The central challenge is demonstrating that a particular system meets its safety objectives in its intended context. That means considering how the system responds to user errors, hardware failures, and environmental changes. A safety case may also depend on evidence about reliability, quality assurance, risk management, development processes, and documentation. At ELISA’s launch, The Linux Foundation identified unclear documentation and a lack of appropriate tools as obstacles to making that case.

What ELISA does

ELISA—Enabling Linux in Safety Applications—is an open-source collaboration building on earlier SIL2LinuxMP and Real-Time Linux work. Its purpose is to help companies develop Linux-based safety-critical applications and demonstrate how those applications address applicable requirements. The project’s current description says members define and maintain common tools and processes, and that ELISA works with certification authorities and standardization bodies.

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Its work includes shared reference documentation and use cases, education across open-source development and safety engineering, community feedback and automation for quality assessment and assurance, and support for monitoring incidents and hazards in critical components. These resources can help organizations organize and strengthen their safety work; responsibility for the specific system and its certification evidence remains with the relevant organization and stakeholders.

What ELISA does not certify

ELISA is not a blanket certificate for Linux, a guarantee that a particular kernel or distribution is safe, or a substitute for evaluating a complete product. Certification concerns a specific system, its intended use, applicable safety requirements, and the evidence presented for that system. Using Linux, joining ELISA, or adopting a project resource alone does not establish certification.

Kate Stewart, then Senior Director of Strategic Programs at The Linux Foundation, described the launch challenge as “The challenge has been the lack of the clear documentation and tools needed to demonstrate that a Linux-based system meets the necessary safety requirements for certification,”

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Who launched and joined the project

The Linux Foundation’s February 21, 2019 launch announcement named Arm, BMW Car IT GmbH, KUKA, Linutronix, and Toyota as ELISA’s founding members. Membership has changed over time, so later examples should be read as dated snapshots rather than as a complete live roster.

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On March 17, 2025, The Linux Foundation announced that Honda and KernelCI had joined ELISA. It described KernelCI as a community-based, distributed open-source test-automation system focused on Linux kernel quality, stability, and long-term maintenance.

In a February 26, 2026 announcement, ELISA said NVIDIA joined as a Premier member and listed Boeing and Red Hat as existing Premier members at that time. The announcement also named general and associate members. These notices illustrate participation at particular dates; they do not establish any member’s certification outcome.

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Is ELISA still active?

Yes. ELISA’s official news listing included project posts and workshop coverage through September 2026. Topics included a London workshop held June 9–11, 2026, AI tooling and requirements, mixed-criticality architectures, latency monitoring, and a Tools Working Group article dated September 1, 2026. Published activity shows the community continues to work; it does not, by itself, establish that a particular deliverable is complete or that a system has been certified.

How to participate

ELISA’s official site invites people to subscribe to mailing lists, join discussions and community meetings, contribute to tools and documentation, take part in working groups, and attend events. These are practical routes for safety professionals, Linux developers, and organizations to engage with the project’s collaborative work.

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