Google to move beyond automotive infotainment software with new open source platform
Google announced Tuesday that it plans for its Android Automotive OS (AAOS) to venture beyond infotainment to power software components through the vehicle.
This could include seat actuator, instrument clusters, climate control, lighting, cameras, mirrors, telemetry and more, a post on Android Developers Blog says.
Google also is promising faster over-the-air software updates, better voice assistants and more proactive vehicle maintenance alerts, according to The Verge.
“At Google we’re deeply committed to the automotive industry — not just as a technology provider, but as a partner in the industry’s transformation,” the post says. “We believe that car makers and users should have choice and flexibility, and that open platforms are the best enablers.”
Automakers face new challenges with vehicle modernization, the blog says. This includes fragmented software across compute components, poor portability between architectures and lack of granular update capabilities.
Matt Crowley, Android Automotive group product manager, also wrote a blog post about the platform, noting that today’s vehicle functions are controlled by software.
“But moving to software-defined vehicles doesn’t come without challenges,” Crowley writes. “Different manufacturers have developed different software architectures, integrating software modules from dozens of different suppliers. This fragmented approach means carmakers have to spend time on building infrastructure rather than what truly differentiates them in a fast-moving market.”
Google says in its post that it is introducing the Android Automotive OS for Software Defined Vehicles (AAOS SDV) to address these problems. It is an open platform featuring a modular structure, a topology-agnostic communication layer, and the support for granular updates.
AAOS SDV will be available this year in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for uses beyond infotainment.
“By bringing our SDV platform into the open-source domain, we empower the industry to develop or enhance features that lower costs, accelerate time to market, and provide significant advantages across the automotive landscape,” the post says.
It promotes AAOS SDV has a lightweight Android-based operating system incorporating low-level automotive specific frameworks for communications, diagnostics, software updates, and more. It adds the platform can power many different vehicle controllers, tackling core compute, body controls, and cluster domains.
“In addition, the AAOS SDV platform includes a new framework, Display Safety, for implementing instrument cluster applications including audible chimes, regulatory camera, and sophisticated graphics that blend seamlessly with AAOS IVI content,” the blog says. “Display Safety includes a safety design toolchain and a reference safety monitor, allowing OEMs to meet functional safety requirements leveraging the diverse platform safety mechanisms of Automotive SoCs.”
The goal is to reduce development time and costs while increasing innovation and agility, the post says. It says that the platform’s components can accelerate development with production ready software for various components at an accelerated time-to-market.
It also provides a new standard signal catalog to bring OEMs and automotive suppliers onto the same page eliminating redundant engineering efforts and significantly reducing platform development costs.
AAOS SDV also was designed ground-up to support virtual cloud development, the post says. It adds this enables partners to design, test, and validate components in the car well ahead of hardware availability.
“Vehicle functions are developed as topology-agnostic services which are reusable across different architectures,” the post says. “The platform treats the vehicle as a dynamic, connected system. This allows for granular, service-level updates with built-in dependency handling, enabling you to deploy new features over-the-air and create continuous improvement loops.”
It also is designed to simplify the development of telemetric AI training feedback loops, accelerating the development of advanced features for both enterprise fleets and consumer vehicles, the post says.
“This new foundation, built in collaboration with our automotive partners, provides an open infrastructure for the non-safety parts of vehicles—allowing carmakers more choice and time to focus on delivering unique experiences and innovations their customers love,” Crowley said in his post. “ For drivers, these in-car experiences will feel much more cohesive and the latest features will reach your driveway faster. From a truly integrated voice experience to proactive maintenance reminders, your car will become a true extension of your digital life.”
The posts add that Renault Group and Qualcomm will be some of the first to bring the AAOS SDV to oper-source later this year.
According to the Verge, Google is competing with Apple over control of software development efforts. It notes that Apple announced CarPlay Ultra features last year that takes over functions such as HVAC and radio controls.
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