Safety Critical Software
Safety Critical Software refers to software systems whose failure could result in loss of life, significant injury, environmental damage, or catastrophic economic loss. These systems are designed with rigorous engineering processes to ensure extremely high reliability, fault tolerance, and predictable behavior under all conditions. They are commonly used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical devices, nuclear power, and industrial automation.
Developers should learn about Safety Critical Software when working on systems where human safety or critical infrastructure depends on software reliability, such as autonomous vehicles, medical equipment, or aviation control systems. This knowledge is essential for implementing formal verification, fault-tolerant architectures, and compliance with industry standards like DO-178C (aviation), ISO 26262 (automotive), or IEC 62304 (medical devices).