To help maximize performance, QNX will support an interface layer between the ARM and the DSP cores based on TI's DSP/BIOS Link technology. This makes it possible to offload media processing to the DSP, freeing up the ARM core for other applications, said Dave Curley, vice president of marketing at QNX.

The QNX support also emphasizes reliability. If an application fails on the ARM core, the QNX Neutrino real-time operating system (RTOS) will automatically contain the problem and the application can be restarted without affecting other software.

The DaVinci support, Curley said, strengthens a multicore initiative that QNX launched last fall. Using the company's Neutrino real-time operating system (RTOS) and the Momentics IDE, this initiative supports asymmetric (AMP), symmetric (SMP) and bound multiprocessing (BMP). The latter capability, Curley said, is unique, and it lets programmers assign threads to a given processor.

QNX this week also announced the Multi-Core Expedite Program, which provides 120-day free evaluations of the QNX Neutrino multi-core technology development kit and the dual-core Intel Pentium processor extreme edition.

Green Hills Software announced tool and RTOS support for the DaVinci architecture earlier this year.