Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• XIRAC integrates Shannon’s maximum entropy theorem directly into the RTOS core to regulate processor workloads, minimize context switches, and optimize process preemption. • By migrating unlimited application-layer tasks into the kernel, XIRAC significantly improves system performance, scalability, and adaptability in constrained embedded environments. • The innovative “object-emulated programming” paradigm reduces learning curves, eliminates library function and threading dependencies, and enhances developer productivity. • Real-world deployments across smart home, spectrometer, and educational platforms demonstrate optimized chip utilization, increased product competitiveness, and operational robustness.
Abstract
In the fiercely competitive landscape of product-oriented operating systems, including the Internet of Things (IoT), efficiently managing a substantial stream of real-time tasks coexisting with resource-intensive user applications embedded in constrained hardware presents a significant challenge. Bridging the gap between embedded and general-purpose operating systems, we introduce XIRAC, an optimized operating system shaped by information-theory principles. XIRAC leverages Shannon’s information theory to regulate processor workloads, minimize context switches, and preempt processes by maximizing system entropy tolerance. Unlike prior approaches that apply information theory to task priority alignment, the proposed method integrates maximum entropy into the core of the real-time operating system (RTOS) and scheduling algorithms. Subsequently, we optimize numerous system parameters by shifting and integrating commonly used unlimited tasks from the application layer to the kernel. We describe the advantages of this architectural shift, including improved system performance, scalability, and adaptability. A new application-programming paradigm, termed “object-emulated programming,” has emerged from this integration. Practical implementations of XIRAC in diverse products have revealed additional benefits, including reduced learning curves, elimination of library functions and threading dependencies, optimized chip capabilities, and increased competitiveness in product development. We provide a comprehensive explanation of these benefits and explore their impact through real-world use cases and practical applications.
1. Introduction
Real-time operating systems (RTOSs) have long faced stringent constraints, aiming to execute unpredictable tasks within deadlines while ensuring seamless interaction with limited hardware resources (Wang, 2017; Zirak, 2023). These challenges are deeply rooted in the conventional architecture of operating systems and schedulers, which necessitate application software development to evolve gradually and unpredictably, often relying on constrained tools such as functions and threads. Consequently, in any processor and its associated operating system, there is a trade-off among speed, resource efficiency, and ease of application programming.
The challenges in real-time computing have led to a clear divide in computer systems, classifying into two distinct categories: general-purpose computers and embedded systems (Wang, 2017). However, the rapid progress of embedded systems and their associated platforms, particularly in intense product-oriented competition, has blurred this distinction. In many cases, the terms 'general-purpose computer' and 'embedded system' have become ambiguous.
Such competition raises a critical question: what lies ahead in the realm of technology? The answer hinges on the trajectory of computer hardware development, as Moore's law approaches its limits with the advent of 4 nm technology. While new computing paradigms, such as quantum computing, are evolving rapidly, they are not intended to replace classical computers. Instead, even as the need for augmenting classical computer capabilities remains acute, particularly in the realm of embedded systems, the outlook for scaling and speeding up their hardware resources is not promising (Min-Allah et al., 2012; Fang et al., 2020; Zirak, 2023). Given these constraints, optimizing scheduling in future robust operating systems (ranging from classical embedded systems to emerging quantum supercomputers) is crucial.
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Alireza ZIRAK (2025). XIRAC: an optimized product-oriented near-real-time operating system with unlimited tasks and an innovative programming paradigm based on the maximum entropy method. Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1631/FITEE_2400102
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is XIRAC?
XIRAC is an optimized product-oriented near-real-time operating system that applies maximum entropy principles to task scheduling, enabling efficient management of unlimited tasks and resource-intensive applications on constrained hardware.
How does XIRAC apply information theory?
XIRAC uses Shannon's information theory to regulate processor workloads, minimize context switches, and preempt processes by maximizing system entropy tolerance, integrating maximum entropy directly into the core RTOS and scheduling algorithms.
What is object-emulated programming?
Object-emulated programming is a new application-programming paradigm emerging from XIRAC's migration of application-layer tasks into the kernel. It reduces learning curves and eliminates dependencies on traditional library functions and threading, enhancing development efficiency.
What practical benefits does XIRAC demonstrate?
Practical implementations show improved system performance, scalability, and adaptability, along with optimized chip capabilities, reduced learning curves, and increased competitiveness in product development across diverse applications such as smart homes, spectrometers, and educational platforms.
Where has XIRAC been validated?
XIRAC has been applied in diverse products and projects, including smart home systems, spectrometers, and educational and practical platforms, on small-to medium-scale processors, demonstrating robust performance and broad applicability.
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