Ubuntu Core is now available on MediaTek’s Genio platform

This is the first optimized Ubuntu Core image available on MediaTek’s Genio 350, 510, 700, and 1200 platforms released under the strategic partnership between Canonical and MediaTek Inc. 

Today Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, and MediaTek announce the official Ubuntu Core launch of the very first optimized Ubuntu Core image for MediaTek’s Genio platform. Through this optimized image, developers will now be able to download and use Ubuntu Core for MediaTek Genio 350, 510, 700, and 1200 as a starting point for IoT development. Developers can explore creating wide ranging applications in almost any field, such as retail, robotics, industrial, medical, and consumer electronics, with Ubuntu Core’s support on MediaTek’s Genio platforms.

This image is open to the public and anyone will be able to download and flash the image on MediaTek’s Genio development kits by following instructions available on ubuntu.com. 

“With this release, MediaTek Genio developers will be able to create applications across hundreds of use cases with a new level of performance, while enjoying faster development time and a quicker time to market,” said Sameer Sharma, Associate Vice President of IoT at MediaTek. “The addition of Ubuntu Core to previously released Ubuntu Desktop and Servers gives developers more OS options, improved on-device security, and lightweight operating requirements.” 

Reduce time to market and maintenance costs with Optimized Ubuntu Core

By using Ubuntu Core, MediaTek is creating a generation of devices that will allow developers to: 

• Achieve faster time to market thanks to a widely adopted full featured OS with integrated sample applications and libraries that work out of the box.
• Ensure enterprise-ready hardware and software that complies with existing and new regulatory standards, thanks to Canonical’s software updates and long term maintenance and support. 
• Reduce software maintenance effort and cost and allow for further scaling thanks to optimized image’s enabled ecosystem with OEM/ODMs, long-term lifecycle management, and professional services that support commercial deployments.

MediaTek is actively collaborating with Canonical to provide developers with a reliable, security-focused, and high performing open source operating system for creating IoT applications on MediaTek’s powerful Genio platforms. Enterprises who use this optimized Ubuntu Core image can help meet regulatory compliance and security demands in the IoT industry with an operating system that is supported for up to 12 years.

“Canonical is committed to working with our silicon partners to enable Ubuntu on a wide range of SoCs and platforms to help deliver a reliable and secure OS to developers and enterprises. This Ubuntu Core LTS release on MediaTek’s Genio platform will now round off our three main Ubuntu flavors with Ubuntu Desktop, Server, and Core. Users of Ubuntu Core can now take advantage of Core’s security, reliability, and device management features,” said Cindy Goldberg, VP, Silicon Alliance, Canonical.

Ubuntu Core is ideal for IoT use cases that need security, reliability, and easy management 

With Ubuntu Core, developers can take advantage of these main features which include: 

• Strict application confinement with snaps where each application is containerized and isolated, preventing compromised applications from affecting core system or other applications. 
• An immutable, read-only root filesystem, preventing unauthorized modifications to critical system components ensuring system integrity and resilience against corruption or tampering. 
• Secure boot which further enhances security by cryptographically validating each component in the boot sequence, ensuring only verified software is executed during startup.
• Full disk encryption, protecting data on the physical device and ensuring information remains confidential when it is compromised.
• Automatic and transactional updates with roll back to previous state, allowing devices to remain secure and up to date with minimal downtime.
• A lightweight OS which is five times smaller than Ubuntu Classic – perfect for resource constrained environments.

Are you working on a commercial project?

Canonical partners with silicon vendors, board manufacturers, and leading enterprises to shorten time to market. If you are deploying Ubuntu on MediaTek Genio platforms and want access to ongoing bug fixes and security maintenance or if you wish to learn more about our solutions for custom board enablement and application development services, please reach out to Canonical. 

If you have any questions about the platform or would like information about our certification program, contact us.

About Canonical

Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, provides open source security, support and services. Our portfolio covers critical systems, from the smallest devices to the largest clouds, from the kernel to containers, from databases to AI. With customers that include top tech brands, emerging startups, governments and home users, Canonical delivers trusted open source for everyone. 

Learn more at https://canonical.com/