Automotive Grade Linux, a collaborative open source project sponsored by the Linux Foundation, is bringing together automakers, suppliers and technology companies to accelerate the development and adoption of a fully open software stack for the connected car.
This week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the project is welcoming its latest member, Hyundai, to contribute to the ongoing harmonization of “connected car” standards, even as the company continues to invest hundreds of millions into making smarter cars more accessible. Not everybody can afford a Tesla.
With Linux at its core, AGL is developing an open platform from the ground up that can serve as the de facto industry standard to enable rapid development of new features and technologies.
Although the project initially focused on In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI), AGL claims to be the only organization planning to address all software in the vehicle, including instrument cluster, heads up display, telematics, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving.
As with all Linux projects, the AGL platform is available to all, and anyone can participate in its development. Open and democratic, AGL has attracted nearly every automaker to the project, as well as vendors of embedded systems and more.
According to Market Research Engine’s report in 2018, market revenue is estimated to reach over $153 billion by 2022, with an astounding CAGR of 33.38% during the period 2015-2022. The global smart car market is extremely fragmented, which is driving stakeholders in the eco-system to forge strategic partnerships and join communities like AGL.
The global connected car applications market is divided by some observers into Location Based Applications, Infotainment & HMI, Safety & Security, Convenience, Driver Assistance, and Others.
Safety & Security applications, related to smart city and regional efforts to address the growing number of cars, congestion, and road safety, are a large growth area within the complex. The evolution of standardized platforms, including embedding AI and Machine Learning into solutions, has the potential to dramatically improve safety, and lower the cost of “digitally instrumented” vehicles.
"Hyundai has been active in open source for years, and their experience will benefit the entire AGL community," said Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux at the Linux Foundation. "This is a significant milestone for us, as the rapid growth of AGL proves that automakers are realizing the business value that open source and shared software development can provide. We look forward to working with Hyundai as we continue on our path to develop open source solutions for all in-vehicle technology."
AGL is an open source project at the Linux Foundation that is changing the way automotive manufacturers build software. More than 140 members are working together to develop a common platform that can serve as the de facto industry standard. Adopting an open platform across the industry enables automakers and suppliers to share and reuse the same code base, which reduces development costs, decreases time-to-market for new products and reduces fragmentation across the industry.
"Open collaboration is essential as we realize our connected car vision," said Paul Choo, Vice President and Head of Infotainment Technology Center at Hyundai Motor Company. "AGL has built a robust platform that offers the flexibility to design and build new services on top of it, and quickly bring them to market. We look forward to working with the community to expand the platform and collaboratively develop the underlying technologies that are vital to the next generation of connected vehicles."
Developed through a joint effort by dozens of member companies, the AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) platform is an open source software platform for infotainment, telematics and instrument cluster applications. It provides 70% of the starting point for a production project and includes an operating system, middleware and application framework. Automakers and suppliers can customize the platform with features, services and branding to meet their unique product and customer needs.
The AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) platform, a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree, will be on display in the AGL booth at CES 2019 in the Westgate Hotel Pavilion, 1614.
The AGL booth will feature demonstrations of open source technology from AGL members AISIN AW, Audiokinetic, Cognomotiv, DENSO, DENSO TEN, EPAM Systems, Fiberdyne Systems, ForgeRock, Igalia, LG Silicon Valley Lab, Microchip, NTT DATA MSE, Panasonic, Renesas, SafeRide Technologies, Tuxera and VNC Automotive.
Edited by
Ken Briodagh
