- Google announces updated version of Android Automotive operating system
- Tech giant hopes software can support key car functions
- Cars Could Eventually Require More Than 300GB of RAM, Micron Says
Google has just announced an updated version of its open source Android Automotive operating system for vehicles, which it hopes will allow the software to support the “non-safety” parts of today’s and tomorrow’s software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
In recent years, both passenger cars and commercial vehicles have become increasingly complex. With the advent of electric vehicles and their simplified powertrain architecture, automakers have turned to computing power to both control the vehicle and deliver cutting-edge infotainment systems.
Often described as software-defined vehicles, the phrase loosely applies to anything that can be updated, upgraded, diagnosed and repaired remotely, using a data connection in the car to connect to the Cloud.
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In a blog post by Google Group Product Manager Matt Crowley explains that modern cars are quickly becoming “computers on wheels.”
“From preheating your car in the morning to using your smartphone as a car key, many functions of today’s vehicle are controlled by software,” he writes.
But modern automakers also face a number of obstacles, mainly because most of them have limited coding and software experience and have therefore had to create entire divisions dedicated to rapidly emerging technologies.
Second, Crowley says most automakers integrate software modules from dozens of different vendors.
“This fragmented approach means automakers have to spend time building infrastructure rather than what truly differentiates them in a rapidly changing market,” he says.
As you’ve probably already predicted, Google and Android want to make things simpler by releasing Android Automotive OS for Software Defined Vehicles (AAOS SDV), which they say provides an open infrastructure for the “non-safety” parts of a vehicle.
This will include things like next-generation AI voice assistants, cabin climate and climate, steering settings and infotainment services.
Like Apple with its Apple CarPlay Ultra system, Google and Android want more drivers to leverage Android Automotive for the in-car digital experience, while convincing automakers that letting the software giant take care of the tricky parts will streamline its development processes.
But like Apple CarPlay Ultra, Google may also see pushback from customers and automakers who don’t want Google to handle the inevitable amounts of driver data flowing through its systems.
Analysis: The disadvantages of “computers on wheels”
Like it or not, the software-defined vehicle revolution is in full swing, and as automakers turn to software to open up new revenue streams, the vehicles of the future will only become more and more complex.
In a recent report from The Register, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said cars will eventually require more than 300 GB of RAM to operate, as automakers continue to advance toward higher levels of autonomous driving capabilities.
Currently, a modern Tesla has 8 to 16 GB of RAM, depending on its age, which is about the same or double that of the current Apple iPhone.
To achieve a level of autonomy that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel and take their eyes off the road safely and legally, Mehrotra estimates that automakers will need to introduce nearly 20 times that amount, bringing a vehicle more in line with a high-end desktop computer.
Not only could this massively increase the price of tomorrow’s vehicles, but it could also lead to a shortage of memory chips as the industry struggles to keep up with demand from competing automakers, all vying to bring the latest autonomous driving technologies to market.
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