Automotive Grade Linux releases latest version of open infotainment platform
28 December 2016
Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) has released the latest version of its infotainment platform. Developed through a joint effort by dozens of member companies, the AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) 3.0 is an open-source infotainment platform positioned as a de facto industry standard.
The goal of the UCB infotainment platform is to provide 70-80% of the starting point for a production project. This enables automakers and suppliers to focus their resources on customizing the other 20-30% to meet their unique product needs. As part of UCB 3.0, AGL is also releasing a software development kit (SDK) that enables rapid application development on the AGL platform. The AGL UCB 3.0 is suited for deploying navigation, communications, safety, security and connectivity. It includes several key features:
A new home screen and window manager
An improved application framework and application .
A new SDK for rapid application development.
Reference applications including media player, tuner, navigation, Bluetooth, WiFi, HVAC control, audio mixer and vehicle controls.
Integration with simultaneous display on instrument cluster.
Smart Device Link for mobile phone integration.
Rear view camera and rear seat entertainment on MOST ring.
Wide range of hardware board support including Renesas, Qualcomm Technologies, Intel, Texas Instrument, NXP and Raspberry Pi.
Many AGL members have already started integrating the UCB 3.0 into their production plans. AGL UCB has several strong supporters and contributors including Toyota, Mazda, Aisin AW, Continental, DENSO, HARMAN, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and others.
The AGL community consists of close to 90 companies and is rapidly growing. Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota are among the first carmakers to participate in the AGL collaborative project. Although initially focused on infotainment, AGL plans to support instrument cluster, heads up display, telematics/connected car, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), functional safety and autonomous driving in the future.
Currently, many automakers use proprietary operating systems for infotainment. Car manufacturers typically contract out the software to a supplier that provides proprietary code with limited portability and reuse. Applications must often be ported from one platform to the next, resulting in slow innovation. Sharing a single software platform across the industry allows for code reuse and a more efficient development process. Developers and suppliers can build once and have a product work for multiple OEMs instead of having to build different versions for each make and model.
This is our third release of the AGL UCB in the past year. This unprecedented level of collaboration is a clear indication that the automotive industry is adopting an open source development methodology that is resulting in faster innovation with more frequent software releases and new features. Sharing a single software platform across the industry decreases development time which enables automakers and suppliers to bring new products to market faster so they can stay ahead of new advances in mobile technology.
—Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux
AGL will be demonstrating the UCB 3.0 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017. Demo applications for rear seat display, video playback, AM/FM radio, wheel input device, navigation, HVAC control, media player and browser, settings and home screen will be on display.
AGL members ATS, AisinAW, DENSO, ForgeRock, Intel, Microchip, NTT Data MSE, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and Texas Instruments will also be onsite demonstrating their products running on the UCB 3.0.
Automotive Grade Linux is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. The AGL UCB distribution, which is hosted by The Linux Foundation and open to anyone, is available for download here.
This is what the Personal Computer Industry should have done! Congratulations to the AGL members. This will enable rapid advances for in-car computer systems.
Posted by: msevior | 28 December 2016 at 07:39 PM
Go get RedHat or any one of the other dozen commercial grade PC or server OSS. You are not excluded from installing them on your system. Many of my friends and colleagues live this way.
This automotive version is a quasi-committee base of minimal Services and Apps deemed necessary I suppose. A vehicle is a little more complex and cozy than a microOS in the varied controllers out there.
We all knew it was coming. Must keep the Vehicle control security access isolated and separated from User Access devices (PDAs), otherwise the systems will be hacked.
Posted by: Dr. Strange Love | 29 December 2016 at 09:37 AM
Dr. Strange, actually I've been a bono-fide member of the open-source community since 1994. I run Linux on all my servers and use it on laptops and PC's where-ever possible. However many of the most useful PC programs don't have a Linux version. Linux on the PC could have been like Android and now AGL. Free and a first class citizen of as a target for 3rd part developers.
Oh well, at least it's a much smaller target for hackers and malware authors :-)
Posted by: msevior | 29 December 2016 at 07:17 PM
Msevior. Agree.
Posted by: Dr. Strange Love | 31 December 2016 at 08:33 AM