NXP's updated i.MX Linux strategy gives customers clearer paths for innovation and long-term support (LTS), helping them align software maintenance, security updates and lifecycle planning with the needs of long-life embedded products.
As the lifespan of embedded products increase, teams will require a more predictable software maintenance path for their production programs. At the same time, evolving cybersecurity expectations and regulations emphasize the importance of clear support terms, vulnerability remediation and software transparency across the product lifecycle.
This updated approach is designed to give customers clearer choices across the product lifecycle: continued quarterly innovation through NXP-Linux-Mainstream and a more stable, long-term software path through NXP-Linux-Long-Term Support (LTS) streams.
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Many embedded product developers need to maintain software platforms for several years after product launch. For these i.MX users, long-term software planning is not only about new features. It is also about security updates, vulnerability handling, software bills of materials, controlled change and predictability.
Regulatory developments such as the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) are also increasing the importance of cybersecurity practices for products with digital elements. The European Commission states that the CRA introduces mandatory cybersecurity requirements for manufacturers and includes expectations around the design, development and maintenance of products, as well as vulnerability handling during the product lifecycle.
For i.MX users, these market and regulatory dynamics reinforce the need for a Linux strategy that supports both ongoing software evolution and long-term production maintenance.
The updated i.MX Linux strategy is built around two complementary software paths: Mainstream and LTS.
NXP-Linux-Mainstream is planned to continue providing quarterly releases free of charge. This path remains important for teams who need access to ongoing software evolution, enablement for newer i.MX devices and regular updates aligned with NXP's mainstream software development flow.
NXP Linux LTS streams are being introduced to provide a more stable LTS path focused on security and vulnerability updates, bug fixes and controlled change. These streams are intended for customers that need a production-oriented software foundation with reduced code churn, controlled change, and long-term support.
Together, these two paths allow teams to choose the right model for their product lifecycle. Developers can continue using NXP Linux Mainstream for quarterly software evolution, while those with longer maintenance needs can use NXP Linux LTS streams for a more stable software baseline.
The updated strategy also clarifies how i.MX Linux software maturity is managed across the product lifecycle. For i.MX devices in the active launch and post-launch phases, NXP Linux Mainstream will continue to provide general availability (GA)-quality software through quarterly releases. GA-quality software represents NXP’s production-intent software maturity level and is recommended for production use.
For legacy i.MX devices beyond the defined mainstream GA-quality window, NXP Linux Mainstream may transition to a mature software quality level. 'Mature' software, based on a prior GA-quality software baseline, is a stable, feature-complete baseline that continues to receive:
In short, for customers that need production-oriented long-term support on legacy or longer-life platforms, NXP-Linux-LTS streams are generally the recommended path.
Customers are encouraged to align their product and software lifecycle plans with the applicable NXP-Linux-LTS stream to improve predictability and reduce unnecessary software churn.
NXP Linux LTS streams are designed as a staggered, multi-stream release model aligned with long-term Linux and Yocto Project lifecycles. The objective is to provide a stable software stream with reduced code churn and a focus on security, vulnerability and bug-fix maintenance.
During the Yocto Project LTS lifecycle, NXP Linux LTS streams are scheduled to receive updates on a four-month cadence after continuous integration and regression testing. These updates are expected to include:
For exceptionally critical common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) or security breaches, NXP may issue an intermediate LTS release or patch rather than wait for the regular four-month cadence, depending on the circumstances and the criticality assessment.
This NXP-Linux-LTS model is intentionally different from a feature-driven NXP-Linux-Mainstream release. Its primary value is to provide a stable, predictable, long-term maintenance baseline for customers building long-life industrial products. By minimizing unnecessary code churn, NXP-Linux-LTS can help customers reduce maintenance effort, lower requalification costs, and plan their software lifecycle with greater predictability.
To preserve LTS model stability, only i.MX devices that meet GA-quality criteria by the start of a given NXP-Linux-LTS stream are planned for inclusion. However, exceptions can be made for a new i.MX product's inclusion into an existing NXP Linux LTS stream upon NXP evaluation that determines whether it aligns with the core LTS objectives of stability, predictability and minimal code churn.
The standard subscription to NXP Linux LTS provides teams with access to NXP-defined LTS streams. This is intended for developers who want a predictable software maintenance path aligned with the supported LTS stream structure.
For developers who need a more customized software path, NXP also offers premium service options. Depending on customer requirements and engagement scope, premium services may include customer-specific software maintenance activities, such as:
This distinction is important as NXP Linux LTS provides access to NXP-defined stable streams, while premium services are intended for customized software work driven by specific customer requirements.
Software transparency is becoming a higher priority for teams managing long-life embedded products. As part of the updated strategy, NXP will provide software bills of materials (SBOMs) for NXP-distributed software in both NXP Linux Mainstream and NXP Linux LTS streams.
The Yocto user guide also illustrates SBOM creation for a final software image, helping customers understand how to generate broader software composition information for their own product configurations.
The updated i.MX Linux strategy is designed to give teams a clearer path for software lifecycle planning, including those that need:
By separating mainstream innovation from long-term stable maintenance, NXP is making it easier for teams to align their i.MX Linux software strategy with their product lifecycle, security maintenance needs and long-term planning requirements.
Contact your NXP representative to learn more about the i.MX Linux software strategy and determine which path best fits your product lifecycle. Customers with long-life products are encouraged to evaluate NXP-Linux-LTS early and align their product and software lifecycle planning with the applicable NXP-Linux-LTS stream. NXP can help customers assess whether NXP-Linux-Mainstream, NXP-Linux-LTS, or a premium service engagement is the right fit for your software lifecycle needs.
Champ Iyengar leads i.MX Software strategy, product management and marketing at NXP. He brings 25+ years of embedded software and automotive experience building customer-focused software products and ecosystems across IoT, robotics, automotive and mobile at NXP, Qualcomm, TI, Renesas and Motorola.