Short dive:
- Panasonic Automotive Systems and Arm have signed an agreement to standardize automotive architecture for software-defined vehicles, according to Press release of November 7th.
- The two companies say they recognize the need for the industry to shift from a hardware-centric to a software-centric development model to address challenges created by high-cost, vendor-specific proprietary interfaces.
- Through collaboration, Panasonic and Arm seek to adopt and extend the device virtualization framework VirtIOand use Panasonic’s graphics processing unit technology, Unified HMIto implement a zonal display architecture for vehicles built on Arm.
Diving information:
The partnership between Panasonic and Arm comes from their participation in Scalable Open Architecture for the Embedded Edge, or SOAFEEan industry-wide initiative that aims to bring together the automotive and software industries to make AI-enabled SDVs a reality.
As the automotive industry moves toward consolidating multiple vehicle electronic control units into a single powerful ECU, such as a Cockpit Domain Controller or high-performance computer, OEM and Tier 1 suppliers were challenged by the suppliers’ proprietary interfaces, the release said.
Together, the two vendors aim to broaden VirtIO standards for more automotive applications, which includes standardizing interfaces for real-time operating systems to decouple the software of advanced driver assistance systems from hardware dependencies.
“SDVs continue to be one of the most exciting opportunities for automakers today, but realizing this vision requires innovative approaches that allow software developers to begin their work before physical silicon is available,” Dipti Vachani, SVP and general manager of the automotive business line. at Arm, the statement reads.
Panasonic and Arm will also collaborate to implement VirtIO in virtual hardware, bridging the gap between virtual and physical automotive systems.
“By combining our organizations’ experience and industry leadership, we are confident that this collaboration will unlock the potential of software and serve as a crucial foundation for building the future of automotive technology towards SDV,” said Masashige Mizuyama, EVP and CTO of Panasonic . the release.
The partnership between Panasonic and Arm is the latest collaboration between automakers and suppliers on SDVs. In the month of April, Porsche has announced a deal with Silicon Valley-based startup Applied Intuition to develop vehicle software, which he followed up on BMW Group and Tata Technologies signing a joint venture agreement to collaborate on SDVs.