The face of the automobile is changing. With the rise of new technologies, this transition is inevitable. The recent years have seen a number of announcements about the future of the auto industry. From Porsche revealing its first electric car to Google announcing the first truly driverless car to Tesla’s first autopilot software release in 2015, the automobile industry has come a long way.
All of these changes are orchestrated by one thing — software. In fact, software based mobility is becoming so important that it’s driving the emergence of a new paradigm in the automotive industry — software-defined vehicles.
The SDV (software-defined vehicle) is a model for developing cars. It represents an automobile transformation from electromechanical terminals to intelligent, expandable mobile terminals with continuous software upgrades. These vehicles represent a departure from traditional software production but it’s necessary to stay competitive with changes in car design and manufacturing.
SDV And Automotive Transformation – What To Expect
The automobile transformation is here. With a centralized architecture for software-defined vehicles, the potential for these automobiles to be developed for even further benefits is limitless. Self-driving cars are poised to revolutionize the auto and transportation industries over the coming years.
However, many people question whether or not the current systems that allow these vehicles to operate safely without human intervention can support this type of software in the long run.
Right now, self-driving cars depend on dozens of electronic control units, known as ECUs, dispersed throughout the car. Each ECU is accountable for a different task like speed management, torque delivery or breaking control for example. With this being said it still remains unclear whether this architecture will be adequate for supporting the multitude of AI applications that will eventually be linked with each vehicle.
AI software is complex and wide-ranging – which requires centralized management and high-performance computing resources. By using a unified architecture, OEMs can update as well as integrate advanced software features as they’re developed without negatively impacting other systems. Just like smartphones that get software updates periodically, these are machines that are built with being perpetually updated in mind.
By deploying a new vehicle computing architecture that’s upgradable, as well as built around high-performance computers, automakers can now develop loyal customers who won’t need to worry about the latest version of their car’s technology not fitting with their gadgets or remaining relevant over time.
New features, capabilities and business models all go together to benefit the end user as well as the automotive industry. New business models will transform the relationship between auto manufacturers and customers, enabling them to install new features at any time into vehicles as they become available throughout the life-cycle of that vehicle.
It can also be a good opportunity for developers, as they get new opportunities to develop innovative applications for the vehicles. This ecosystem will continue expanding into other technologies, and these new services require more support.
Future of Cars Technology – Hint: Software
Software-defined vehicles promise to make the driving experience safer, easier, and more efficient. Software controls more and more of the functionality in vehicles, and this trend is expected to continue. As software becomes more sophisticated in our cars, automobile manufacturers will need to stay on top of the latest innovations to remain competitive.
Wipro believes that SDVs are the future. As a company focused on leveraging technology, we look forward to building a trusted relationship with our partners in an effort to create smarter vehicles together. It’s an exciting journey and we are eager to help auto manufacturers build their automobile systems of delight.
