DiSTI Expands Safety-Critical Display Capabilities With a RAD-Tolerant Software Solution 

For decades, DiSTI has supported aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and other high-reliability industries with technology developed for complex, safety-critical environments. Its expertise in advanced graphics and HMI development tools has helped organizations build visual interfaces where performance, reliability, and certification readiness are essential.

As these industries move toward more flexible and software-driven architectures, display systems must evolve alongside them. Development teams increasingly need sophisticated graphics that can operate across specialized platforms without introducing additional hardware dependencies, integration challenges, or certification complexity.

DiSTI continues to advance its technology in response to these changing requirements. Supported by its proven safety-critical foundation, visual development environment, and HMI development training, the company is extending what organizations can achieve on platforms that were not traditionally designed for advanced graphics.

This focus has now led DiSTI toward an important technology advancement—one that expands the possibilities for hardware-independent graphics in radiation-tolerant and safety-critical systems.

DiSTI and Microchip Technology’s Mi-V Ecosystem Partnership

DiSTI has taken a significant step toward advancing safety-critical graphics by entering into a strategic partnership with Microchip Technology, Inc. and joining its Mi-V ecosystem. Through this collaboration, DiSTI is bringing the GL Studio SC Software Renderer to Microchip’s PolarFire® SoC FPGA platform, enabling advanced graphics without dedicated GPU hardware.

Key aspects of this achievement include:

• GPU-independent graphics: GL Studio SC enables advanced 2D and 3D graphics to run in software on platforms without GPU or OpenGL support.
• Radiation-tolerant deployment: The technology demonstration brings DiSTI’s proven HMI development tool to Microchip’s 100-krad-capable PolarFire SoC FPGA.
• Open RISC-V® ecosystem support: DiSTI joins a growing network of tools, intellectual property, and partner solutions developed for specialized applications on PolarFire SoC FPGAs.
• Aerospace collaboration: DiSTI worked with Honeywell Aerospace during the development of the new technology demonstration.

DiSTI’s inclusion in the Mi-V ecosystem expands the options available to developers building safety-critical graphical applications. It also demonstrates the company’s ability to extend sophisticated display capabilities to embedded platforms where radiation tolerance, hardware constraints, and certification requirements play a central role. This specialized visualization expertise complements DiSTI’s broader capabilities in virtual maintenance training and interactive simulation for complex systems. 

What the GL Studio SC Software Renderer Enables for Safety-Critical Programs

Through its partnership with Microchip Technology, DiSTI has extended GL Studio SC to the PolarFire® SoC FPGA platform, enabling advanced 2D and 3D graphics to run entirely in software without GPU or OpenGL-capable hardware.

This gives aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive programs greater flexibility to select processors based on operational, computational, radiation tolerance, certification, and cost requirements rather than on graphics support alone.

As an HMI development tool for safety-critical systems, GL Studio SC helps teams:

• Bring advanced graphics to processors not designed for graphics-intensive applications
• Reduce reliance on dedicated graphics hardware
• Expand hardware options for specialized embedded programs
• Support graphics deployment on a 100-krad-capable system-on-chip

For space-related applications beyond Low Earth Orbit, this advancement is particularly significant. By combining DiSTI’s safety-critical graphics expertise with Microchip’s radiation-tolerant platform, the partnership opens new possibilities for graphical displays in environments where conventional GPU-based architectures may not be practical.

This advancement also complements DiSTI’s broader portfolio of virtual training solutions for complex aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial programs. 

Giving Safety-Critical Industries Greater Hardware Flexibility

The GL Studio SC Software Renderer enables advanced graphics to run without dedicated GPU or OpenGL-capable hardware, giving system architects greater freedom in processor selection.

Teams can choose platforms based on computational, environmental, cost, radiation-tolerance, and certification requirements rather than graphics support alone. This is especially valuable for aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive programs operating under specialized hardware constraints.

By running GL Studio SC on Microchip’s PolarFire® SoC FPGA, DiSTI further extends this flexibility to radiation-sensitive applications that conventional GPU-dependent architectures may not support.

Reducing Hardware Dependencies in Complex Display Systems

Dedicated graphics hardware adds another component to the system architecture. It can also introduce additional integration work, platform dependencies, and considerations across the development and certification process.

By rendering graphics in software, GL Studio SC reduces the need for a separate GPU. This allows teams to build graphical displays using a more streamlined hardware configuration.

For system architects, this can provide:

• Fewer graphics-specific hardware dependencies
• Greater freedom when planning platform architectures
• Reduced bill-of-materials costs
• More flexibility for platform upgrades and technology changes

This does not remove the need for careful system engineering or validation. It gives programs another architectural option when dedicated graphics hardware is impractical, unavailable, or unnecessarily complex.

Supporting More Streamlined Safety Certification

Safety-critical certification requires organizations to understand and document the components involved in the system. Each additional hardware dependency can add to the certification chain and increase the number of elements that must be considered.

The GL Studio SC Software Renderer helps reduce this complexity by removing the requirement for dedicated graphics hardware.

For programs pursuing DO-178C compliance, fewer hardware dependencies can support a more manageable certification process. DiSTI also provides certification support and documentation based on its experience with certified aerospace and defense systems.

The technology does not eliminate certification responsibilities. Instead, it gives teams a safety-critical graphics solution designed to support their compliance efforts while reducing the hardware components associated with graphical display implementation.

Extending Advanced Graphics to Radiation-Tolerant Platforms

DiSTI has successfully implemented GL Studio SC on Microchip’s PolarFire® SoC FPGA, enabling advanced 2D and 3D graphics to run in software on a 100-krad-capable platform without a dedicated GPU.

This advancement is particularly relevant for aerospace and space applications beyond Low Earth Orbit, where radiation tolerance, platform reliability, power efficiency, and hardware availability influence system architecture. It gives development teams greater flexibility to introduce sophisticated graphical displays on processors designed for demanding operating environments.

Helping Development Teams Move From Design to Deployment More Efficiently

GL Studio provides a visual design environment that supports the development of graphical interfaces from early design through embedded deployment.

Development teams can use the environment to create and prototype interfaces before integrating them into the target platform. The GL Studio SC Software Renderer extends this workflow to processors without GPU or OpenGL support.

This connected approach can help teams:

• Develop graphical interfaces visually
• Move from prototyping toward embedded implementation
• Reduce graphics-specific hardware integration requirements
• Maintain a more consistent workflow across development stages

By combining its visual development environment with a software-based safety-critical renderer, DiSTI gives teams a practical way to bring sophisticated graphics to constrained and specialized platforms.

Creating More Intuitive Displays for Mission- and Safety-Critical Environments

Safety-critical interfaces must communicate information clearly and consistently. In aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive environments, operators may depend on these displays to interpret system conditions and make timely decisions.

The GL Studio SC Software Renderer allows development teams to implement advanced graphical displays without being limited to processors with built-in graphics support.

For end users, this can contribute to:

• More intuitive graphical interfaces
• Consistent user experiences across supported platforms
• Improved situational awareness
• Reduced hardware complexity within the overall system

The value is not simply the ability to display more graphics. It is the ability to bring appropriate 2D and 3D visualization to safety-critical platforms where graphics options have historically been restricted.

How Different Industries Can Benefit From Hardware-Independent Graphics

The benefits of software-rendered safety-critical graphics extend across several industries.

Aerospace and Space

Aerospace and space programs often operate within strict hardware, environmental, and certification constraints. Running GL Studio SC on a radiation-tolerant PolarFire SoC FPGA gives developers another option for implementing advanced displays, including space-related graphical applications beyond Low Earth Orbit.

Defense

Defense systems frequently use specialized embedded platforms selected for operational reliability rather than graphics capability. DiSTI’s software renderer enables advanced interfaces on processors that may not include dedicated graphics acceleration.

Medical

Medical applications require dependable interfaces and carefully controlled system architectures. Hardware-independent graphics can give medical development teams greater flexibility when selecting processors for safety-critical devices.

Automotive

Automotive platforms continue to incorporate increasingly sophisticated digital interfaces. As the industry progresses toward the software-defined vehicle, a software-based renderer can provide greater flexibility when developing advanced HMI applications across different processor architectures.

The exact implementation requirements vary by industry and program. Across these verticals, however, the core benefit remains consistent: advanced graphics are no longer limited to platforms with dedicated GPU or OpenGL support.

Built on DiSTI’s Proven Safety-Critical Technology Foundation

The GL Studio SC Software Renderer builds on DiSTI’s established work in safety-critical graphical interface development.

Its foundation includes:

• Decades of deployment in certified aerospace and defense systems
• DO-178C certification support and documentation
• A proven safety-critical runtime with extensive operational history
• Successful platform ports, including validation on the Microchip MPFS250 Video Kit

This background is important because safety-critical programs require more than graphical capability. They need technology supported by experience in environments where reliability, documentation, and certification readiness are central to deployment.

The successful port to the PolarFire SoC FPGA demonstrates DiSTI’s ability to extend its safety-critical graphics technology to a new class of radiation-tolerant, RISC-V-based platforms.

Supporting Programs Beyond Software Delivery

DiSTI supports qualified safety-critical programs beyond the delivery of the GL Studio SC Software Renderer.

Available support includes:

• Platform integration assistance
• Certification documentation
• Product and implementation training
• HMI development training

These services help teams understand how the renderer fits within their target architecture and development workflow. They also provide access to DiSTI’s experience as programs progress from initial implementation toward validation and deployment.

The GL Studio SC Software Renderer is now available for qualified safety-critical programs.

Expanding What Is Possible for Safety-Critical Display Development

The partnership between DiSTI and Microchip Technology demonstrates how advanced safety-critical graphics can be extended beyond conventional GPU-based platforms. By bringing GL Studio SC to Microchip’s radiation-tolerant PolarFire® SoC FPGA, DiSTI is giving development teams greater flexibility in processor selection while reducing dependence on dedicated graphics hardware.

This advancement builds on DiSTI’s experience supporting graphical interface development across aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive applications. Its relevance extends from space-related displays and defense environments, including military simulation training, to advanced automotive HMI programs shaped by software-defined vehicle architectures.

With its visual development environment, safety-critical runtime, certification support, integration assistance, and implementation expertise, DiSTI helps organizations bring sophisticated 2D and 3D interfaces to demanding platforms without requiring dedicated GPU or OpenGL-capable hardware.

To learn more about the GL Studio SC Software Renderer or discuss a qualified safety-critical program, contact DiSTI at sales@disti.com.