We are
Kern­konzept

Our company is dedicated to developing the open-source software L4Re, providing digital safety and security since 2012.

Our History

Committed to L4Re since 2012

Kernkonzept is a renowned company located in the “capital of operating systems”, Dresden in Saxony. We founded it to consult customers who need highly secure, trustworthy and reliable products, using our state-of-the-art L4Re technology that is still and will always be open-source.

Michael Hohmuth, Adam Lackorzynski and Alexander Warg have been developing the L4Re Microkernel and L4Re user land components as well as the software platform since the 1990s, studying and working at TU Dresden.

Today our founders are supported by a dedicated team of 30 employees, many of them working with L4Re for decades. Together we are leading the development and evolution of the open-source L4Re Operating System Framework, making it better every day.

This is us

The people who are Kernkonzept

Our system engineers are leading the development and evolution of the L4Re Operating System Framework. Everyone in our team is deeply committed to the open-source software project L4Re, and the spirit of the open-source community is still a formative influence for our corporate culture.

Most of the world’s L4 researchers and L4 developers are working at Kernkonzept today and share our company’s vision: to provide an independent, open-source and microkernel based operating system framework for European digital sovereignty.

Out of our profound knowledge about low level operating systems and platforms, from Linux and Free BSD to microkernels like MACH or L4, we can build customized computer systems for any need – real-time, virtual, and secure.

OUr Values

L4Re Operating System Framework

Our Vision

A paradigm for secure computer systems

From the start of our company it has been our vision to provide a universally applicable, trustworthy, flexible, scalable, safe and secure operating system framework to protect humans and critical infrastructures. Our L4Re Hypervisor is a key pillar for European digital sovereignty, during the “digital decade” and beyond it.

We provide our customers with a tailor-made, secure foundation for their computer systems by creating a fully functioning technology and also by advising them comprehensively about designing their software architecture.

Our open-source L4Re technology is applicable for any purpose and all conceivable requirements. That also means that we collaborate closely with hardware manufacturers in creating a new paradigm for developing safe and secure computer systems.

OUr Values

Smart, elegant, simple

Always keeping in mind where our company is coming from and what our core values are, we aim to be a haven for dedicated system developers, allowing creative minds to work very much like hackers.

We do not consider ourselves nerds: Our super competent engineers can pull magic out of their sleeve, finding creative and quick solutions based on decades of programming experience.

Guided and motivated by responsibility, reliability, and a down-to-earth attitude, we interact and present ourselves in a friendly, open, and uncomplicated manner.

Most important: We are wired by L4Re. Our engineers talk in code and tech and they smile with emoticons. We are delighted by the beauty of code and the simple functioning of very complex things. You could say that L4Re is in our hearts!

Connected by L4Re

L4Re inside our hearts

Our open-source operating system connects us to a worldwide community of software geeks and scientists.  It shapes our careers: On some L4Re components we have been working for decades. Everybody at Kernkonzept carries L4Re in their hearts. 

L4Re is the embodiment of everything I have learned about computers and systems.

ALEX, Company Shareholder

Our philosophy

Founded on open source

L4Re is an open-source software (OSS), developed and maintained by a community of dedicated scientists and software geeks. There are multiple benefits of OSS – both for our customers and society as a whole.

Today open-source code is used in the majority of applications and by a growing number of companies and organizations. Its code base is almost always more secure than proprietary software: It is reviewed and tested by hundreds of experts who work purely merit-based with no economic ties to a company.

OSS is fully transparent: The code base is open as well as the discussions and developments in the community. There are no small print surprises or unforeseen limits. OSS protects you from vendor lock-in.

With L4Re we can explore multiple ways to solve your problem and provide any capability needed. This significantly reduces your time-to-market. Start small and expand your tailor-made software solution according to your needs – again saving time and money.

Mission statement

We safeguard your development

As profound specialists for safe and secure operating systems and hypervisors we can accompany and guide you in all phases of your product development and over the whole life cycle of your product line. Our tailor-made systems minimize the duration and complexity of your security and safety certifications and accreditations, thus saving you lots of time and costs.

With their long-standing experience our operating system engineers can accommodate every platform and software architecture (see our list of BSPs). As our customer you are being supervised by an operating system engineer with more than 10 years of professional experience who accompanies you over the entire duration of our cooperation.