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| CrossWorks | |
|---|---|
| Name | CrossWorks |
| Developer | Rowley Associates |
| Released | 1995 |
| Latest release version | (varies by edition) |
| Programming language | C, C++ |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Genre | Integrated development environment |
| License | Proprietary, commercial |
CrossWorks
CrossWorks is a commercial integrated development environment designed for embedded systems development. It provides editors, compilers, debuggers, and project management tools for microcontroller and microprocessor targets used in consumer electronics, aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. CrossWorks integrates with hardware debuggers and supports cross-compilation for multiple architectures from host platforms.
CrossWorks is an IDE tailored to embedded development targeting microcontrollers produced by vendors such as ARM, Atmel, STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, Microchip Technology, Texas Instruments, Renesas Electronics, Silicon Labs, and Nordic Semiconductor. The product combines compiler toolchains, linker scripts, runtime libraries, and on-chip debug support compatible with debuggers and probes from vendors including SEGGER, Lauterbach, Arm Ltd., STMicroelectronics (ST-LINK), and OpenOCD. It addresses needs found in projects tied to standards and platforms like POSIX, FreeRTOS, Zephyr Project, MQTT, CAN bus, and USB stacks. CrossWorks is used in industries and projects associated with organizations such as NASA, European Space Agency, Lockheed Martin, Bosch, Siemens, Siemens AG, General Electric, Schneider Electric, Boeing, and Airbus.
CrossWorks originated in the mid-1990s, emerging alongside toolchains like GCC and commercial competitors such as IAR Systems and Keil. The product evolved through support for legacy architectures including ARM7TDMI, ARM9, and later cores like Cortex-M0, Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4, Cortex-M7, and Cortex-A series. Over time, CrossWorks added integrations to ecosystem projects and vendors such as Segger J-Link, ST-LINK, JTAG, and standards like IEEE 802.15.4 and Bluetooth SIG profiles. It has been adopted by academic groups linked to institutions such as MIT, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London for embedded systems curriculum and research.
CrossWorks supports host operating systems including Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux distributions used in professional toolchains. Target architectures encompass widely deployed embedded cores from ARM Holdings families, real-time cores from Renesas, microcontrollers from Microchip Technology (formerly Atmel Corporation), digital signal controllers from Texas Instruments, and low-power SoCs from Nordic Semiconductor and Silicon Labs. CrossWorks toolchains interoperate with processor cores specified in documents by ARM Architecture Reference Manual, vendor datasheets from STMicroelectronics, and ecosystem tools such as ARM Keil MDK and GNU Compiler Collection variants.
CrossWorks provides a feature set comparable to professional embedded IDEs like IAR Embedded Workbench and Keil uVision: an integrated editor with syntax highlighting and code navigation, a project manager, compiler and assembler front-ends, linker configuration, and on-chip debugging. Debugging features include breakpoints, watch windows, register views, and flash programming compatible with probes like J-Link, Lauterbach TRACE32, and SWD/JTAG interfaces standardized by IEEE 1149.1. Support for real-time operating systems and middleware includes connectors for FreeRTOS, Zephyr Project, mbed OS, and stacks for CANopen and Modbus. Build automation integrates with continuous integration platforms used by teams at GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Jenkins.
Typical workflows with CrossWorks mirror established embedded development practices used by teams at companies such as Intel Corporation, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Sony, and NVIDIA. Source control integration supports systems like Git, Subversion, and Mercurial. CrossWorks projects can be incorporated into build pipelines that use tools such as CMake, Make (software), Ninja (build system), and continuous integration servers including Jenkins, Travis CI, and CircleCI. For hardware debugging, CrossWorks interoperates with probe vendors and standards including SEGGER J-Link, ST-LINK, CMSIS-DAP, and the OpenOCD project, enabling hardware-in-the-loop testing in setups employed by aerospace contractors like Rolls-Royce Holdings and automotive suppliers such as Continental AG.
CrossWorks is distributed under commercial licenses with editions tailored to different vendors and cores, similar in segmentation to offerings from IAR Systems and ARM Ltd. Commercial licensing models permit use in proprietary products developed by corporations such as Philips, Honeywell, ABB, and Thales Group. Academic licenses and evaluation builds target universities and research labs including Caltech and Carnegie Mellon University for coursework and prototyping. Licensing terms typically include support agreements and access to updates analogous to contracts used by enterprises procuring software from Microsoft or Oracle Corporation.
CrossWorks has been used in product development for consumer devices, industrial controllers, medical devices regulated by standards overseen by bodies like FDA, aerospace avionics referenced to RTCA DO-178B/C practices, and automotive systems guided by ISO 26262 safety standards. Reviews and adoption compare it to toolchains from IAR Systems, ARM Keil, and open-source stacks built around GCC. Users in maker communities and companies such as Adafruit Industries, SparkFun Electronics, and Seeed Studio have combined CrossWorks-built firmware with hardware platforms leveraging sensors from Bosch Sensortec and wireless modules from Digi International and Murata Manufacturing.
Category:Integrated development environments