Continental declared that a cross-domain High-Performance Computer (HPC) had been installed in a vehicle. Hosting the cockpit and other car features, including as autonomous parking and driving safety, as well as holistic motion control, in a real-world vehicle application was made feasible for the first time.
The software-defined vehicles (SDVs) technology car uses Continental’s cloud-based Continental Automotive Edge Framework (CAEdge), which connects the vehicle to the cloud and features a virtual workbench to simplify and accelerate development, supply, and maintenance of software-intensive system functions.
It serves as a showcase for what the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) can look like for automotive engineers. The Snapdragon Ride Flex System-on-Chip (SoC) from Qualcomm Technologies was utilized in the implementation, and it came with the Snapdragon Ride Vision perception stack already incorporated.
“With the SDV technology car, we are able to demonstrate Continental’s ecosystem: from road to cloud, from virtual to real,” said Gilles Mabire, CTO at Continental Automotive. “As the first development partners for vehicle manufacturers in the world, we are proud of how we have moved beyond concepts and can showcase the capabilities and challenges of the convergence of automotive domains in a tangible software-defined vehicle.”
Diverse Portfolio of Functions and Development Expertise All in One Car
The SDV technology car is an example of the greatest and most inventive solutions available in a single-vehicle architecture from Continental Automotive group sector portfolio.
A variety of cutting-edge cross-domain HPC technologies are employed, including surround vision cameras, ultrasonic sensors, integrated braking systems, and automatic parking features with holistic motion control.
“The goal is not only to show how well functions work, but to validate how well multiple technologies can be integrated and work alongside each other in HPC-based vehicle architectures within a software-defined vehicle,” explained Jean-François Tarabbia, Head of Business Area Architecture and Networking at Continental Automotive. “This is a crucial step to convince the market that the goal to combine several control units in one HPC is not just feasible but can also render the cost benefits we want to achieve.”
The Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC is a crucial component for the first cross-domain HPC to be implemented in an actual automobile. It is the first family of SoCs in the automotive sector to enable multi-modal essential workloads on a single chip. Cost, power, and performance are all maximized in the design of the Flex SoC.
It enables automakers and suppliers to adopt a seamless, open, and flexible approach to vehicle design while quickening their time-to-market advantage. The improved driving experience that offers more comfort, safety, and support benefits the passengers.
“The concept of the software-defined vehicle relies heavily on high-performance hardware that can handle the amount of data,” said Tarabbia. “With Qualcomm Technologies, we have the strong technical collaborator by our side, who shares our ambitious approach to bring the software-defined vehicle onto the road.”
Enrico Salvatori, SVP and President Qualcomm Europe/MEA at Qualcomm Europe, Inc., added, “It is very exciting to see the Flex SoC realized in Continental’s HPC and new SDV technology car. The Flex SoC provides a more integrated and adaptable approach to designing and developing vehicle architectures. We look forward to continuing to work together with Continental towards the future of software-defined mobility.”
Continental’s CAEdge is currently the most progressive concept for the development of SDV applications, affirms the official release.
In the SDV technology car, Continental now provides speed, development productivity and customer-oriented thinking as a competitive advantage when customers are aiming at shortening time-to-market by deploying software functions from a virtual HPC into a production vehicle.
