zephyrproject-rtos/sdk-ng

Zephyr SDK is a software development kit that provides cross-compilation toolchains and host tools for embedded systems development with the Zephyr RTOS.

The Zephyr SDK bundles pre-built toolchains targeting multiple processor architectures including ARC, ARM, RISC-V, x86, Xtensa, MIPS, Microblaze, OpenRISC, RX, and SPARC, along with host utilities such as QEMU, OpenOCD, and BOSSA for testing and debugging. Rather than requiring developers to source and build individual toolchains, the SDK provides integrated, tested binaries across supported host platforms—Linux on AArch64 and x86-64, macOS on AArch64, and Windows on x86-64—reducing setup complexity for projects targeting diverse embedded hardware.

Developers working on Zephyr RTOS applications should adopt this SDK when targeting any of its supported architectures, as it eliminates the need to independently obtain and configure cross-compilation toolchains. The project is most suitable for teams building firmware for embedded systems where multiple architecture support or simplified onboarding matters. The SDK's CI infrastructure automatically builds and tests changes, making it practical for contributors who need to verify toolchain modifications before release.

The project maintains active infrastructure for testing patches through pull request workflows, allowing contributors to validate changes to underlying toolchains like GCC before they reach stable releases. Release cycles follow a structured process where version updates trigger automated builds across all supported host platforms. The repository uses Git submodules to manage dependencies on external toolchain components, with documented procedures for updating these dependencies.