Safety compliance of Rust libraries - Our Journey with the Rust Core Library

The adoption of Rust in safety-critical applications, particularly within industries like automotive, hinges on the ability to qualify software components effectively. In this talk, we delve into the essential processes and tools necessary for the qualification of Rust libraries, addressing the stringent requirements set forth by ISO26262.
We provide an overview of the qualification context, focusing on the documentation artifacts and code coverage reports mandated by ISO26262. Through examples and insights, we examine the sample requirements and documentation for the Rust Core library, shedding light on the intricate details crucial for compliance.
Furthermore, we discuss the current state of the Rust toolchain concerning the generation of code coverage data. Notably, we highlight certain limitations, particularly regarding features related to Modified Condition/Decision Coverage (MCDC) coverage, which are currently unsupported. We share our contributions to Ferrocene aimed at addressing these gaps and offer a glimpse into our future endeavours in this domain.
In conclusion, we believe that our experience and contribution for the qualification of Rust Core library will serve as a pivotal step towards establishing a robust process template for qualifying other software components. We posit that this initiative will significantly facilitate the adoption of Rust in safety-critical applications, particularly within industries like automotive, by ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and fostering future growth.