Open Kernel Labs

Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs) was a specialized software company focused on developing microkernel-based hypervisors and operating systems for embedded systems. Founded in 2006 by Steve Subar and Gernot Heiser, the company originated as a spinout from NICTA (National Information and Communications Technology Australia), with its headquarters in Chicago and its research and development arm in Sydney, Australia.

The founders brought a powerful combination of business acumen and deep technical expertise. Steve Subar, with over two decades of experience in launching and leading high-growth technology companies, served as CEO. His journey with OK Labs began when he was selected as an entrepreneur-in-residence at NICTA in 2005, a role that led to the company's creation. Gernot Heiser, a renowned professor in operating systems at UNSW Sydney and a leader at NICTA's Trustworthy Systems group, served as CTO. His extensive research in microkernels, which formed the technical foundation of the company, traced back to the L4 microkernel developed in the early 1990s. This academic and research-driven background provided the core intellectual property that the business was built upon.

OK Labs' business centered on providing its core product, the OKL4 Microvisor, and associated professional services to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and developers of intelligent devices. The company operated in the embedded systems market, with a significant focus on mobile devices, automotive in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, and secure devices for military and government clients. Its business model involved licensing its software and providing support, enabling clients to build complex, secure, and reliable embedded systems. A major milestone was the deployment of its technology on over 2 billion devices worldwide, including a notable use case in the Motorola Evoke QA4, which used OKL4 to run two different operating systems concurrently on a single processor core.

The flagship product, the OKL4 Microvisor, was a Type 1 hypervisor that enabled mobile virtualization. Its key function was to create multiple secure, isolated partitions (called cells or Secure HyperCells) on a single processor, allowing different operating systems and applications to run concurrently without interfering with one another. This capability was crucial for security and reliability, for instance, by separating a user's personal data from secure corporate applications on the same mobile device. The microvisor was distinguished by its high performance, small memory footprint, and a minimal Trusted Computing Base (TCB), which enhanced security by reducing the amount of code running in the most privileged processor mode. The platform supported various processors including ARM, MIPS, and x86, and could host paravirtualized guest operating systems like Linux, Android, and Windows. Ultimately, the company's success and specialization in defense-grade security solutions led to its acquisition by General Dynamics in September 2012.

Keywords: Open Kernel Labs, OKL4 Microvisor, embedded systems, virtualization software, mobile security, hypervisor, microkernel, Gernot Heiser, Steve Subar, NICTA, General Dynamics, automotive infotainment, secure mobile devices, L4 microkernel, operating systems security, Type 1 hypervisor, componentized software, trusted computing base, paravirtualization, system-on-chip security