SUSE says it has become the first enterprise Linux vendor to deliver validated real-time operating system support for LF Energy’s SEAPATH architecture, an open-source framework designed for virtualised digital substations.
According to the company, SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time has been technically enabled for SEAPATH through a collaboration with Savoir-faire Linux, combining a real-time kernel with KVM virtualisation and cluster support. The aim is to give power grid operators and equipment vendors an enterprise-supported platform for deploying software-defined substations, as utilities modernise ageing infrastructure under pressure from renewables integration and rising electricity demand.
LF Energy created SEAPATH to support a shift from dedicated substation hardware toward software-defined, hardware-agnostic architectures that can host protection and automation functions on virtualised infrastructure.
In initial performance validation conducted by Dutch grid operator Alliander, SUSE said its real-time kernel met sub-30-millisecond latency requirements associated with high-voltage power grid protection. SUSE said this validation makes it the first commercial Linux vendor to support SEAPATH.
“Power grids are among the world’s most critical infrastructures, and their modernisation requires technologies that combine openness, reliability and long-term support,” said Frank Feldmann, Chief AI and Strategy Officer at SUSE. “By enabling SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time for SEAPATH, we are giving transmission and distribution operators an additional enterprise-supported option for building software-defined substations. For European operators in particular, this provides a path to greater technological choice and control over critical infrastructure while supporting their digital sovereignty objectives.”
The announcement comes as European transmission and distribution operators increasingly cite supply-chain risk, interoperability, and “digital sovereignty” as drivers for adopting open source software stacks in operational technology environments. SUSE said SEAPATH is being advanced by major European grid operators including RTE in France and Alliander in the Netherlands.
SUSE said enterprise subscriptions for SEAPATH environments include technical support, security maintenance, and long-term lifecycle management.
“Building a sustainable multi-vendor ecosystem is central to SEAPATH,” said Eloi Bail, Chair of the LF Energy SEAPATH Technical Steering Committee. “By integrating SUSE Linux Enterprise and evaluating it against the project’s technical requirements and testing framework, SUSE is adding another implementation and support option for grid operators pursuing their virtualisation journey, as well as for protection and automation vendors bringing virtualised Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) – essential components for grid protection and control – to the market. Expanding that choice is exactly what an open platform such as SEAPATH is intended to enable.”
“Our role at Savoir-faire Linux is to help technology providers and utilities turn the SEAPATH reference architecture into deployable industrial solutions,” said Christophe Villemer, Executive Vice-President at Savoir-faire Linux. “Working with SUSE, we brought together their enterprise Linux expertise and our deep knowledge of SEAPATH’s real-time, high-availability and integration requirements. The result is an additional enterprise-supported option for the SEAPATH ecosystem and another step toward broader industrial adoption of virtualised protection and control.”
SUSE and Savoir-faire Linux said they will present the technical implementation at the LF Energy Summit Europe in Berlin.
