Can Carmakers Break Free from Google with ‘Automotive Grade ’? | Nathan Tennies

Can Carmakers Break Free from Google with ‘Automotive Grade Linux’? By Nathan Tennies

In 2018, plans to debut the first car with When Renesas VP Masahiro Suzuki emphasizes an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) platform based in the article that they are using a “completely on Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) according to a compliant” Linux kernel with "no deviations, no recently-published EE Times article alterations, no fork in the road,” he’s clearly (http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_i taking aim at Google for the non-standard d=1331834). What was most notable about the “improvements” they added to the Linux kernel article was not Toyota’s planned adoption of for Android. Linux for its IVI—many automakers have already And in what appears to be the strangest jab at embraced the open source Linux kernel for their Google, the article quotes the AGL team as infotainment platforms—but that it pointedly saying they will be "the only organization failed to mention the 800-pound gorilla in the planning to address all software in the vehicle, room: Android. including instrument cluster, heads up display, While Google has not yet formally launched its telematics, advanced driver assistance systems upcoming Android-based IVI, it’s hardly a secret. (ADAS) and autonomous driving,” even though At the annual Google I/O conference last month, Google’s autonomous car and Android IVI Google’s VP of Engineering Dave Burke projects already cover this same territory. And as mentioned it in the keynote, and vehicles from the EE Times article points out, the dozens of Audi and Volvo were on hand demoing a pre- MCUs controlling the engine and other features release version. This comes a year after Google of the car are unlikely candidates for Linux, with showed early prototypes at Google I/O 2016 and its large footprint and somewhat limited support then followed up with public releases of related for real-time software. code and documentation. And several A quick look at AGL—which touts itself as automakers are already shipping custom IVIs providing a "70-80% starting point” for based on Android. automakers creating an IVI—reveals why Despite that, when the EE Times article mentions Android is such a threat. AGL is based on a competitors for AGL—QNX, Wind River, Green custom built using Yocto, with Hills, and Mentor Graphics—Google and Android an application framework and support for don’t make the cut. Why? A good bet is that it’s wireless, audio, and vehicle bus interfaces. But because AGL and its partners know that—for the project offers only bare-bones reference good or ill—Android is likely to become the apps for standard infotainment features, and it dominant IVI platform within the next few years. provides no speech recognition technology, www.barrgroup.com | Copyright Barr Group. All rights reserved. 1

Can Carmakers Break Free from Google with ‘Automotive Grade Linux’? | Nathan Tennies

increasingly the primary user interface for Back in 2012, Samsung set out to create a modern infotainment systems. Automakers are competitor for Android—an OS named , left to build or license and integrate these also based on Linux—in a bid to limit software components themselves. Google’s control of the mobile market. Despite plans for Tizen to be used on all their mobile In contrast, Google's Android IVI will come with devices, today Samsung smartphone and tablets Google's best-in-class navigation, messaging, are still dominated by Android, with Tizen being and music apps—in addition to hundreds of limited to a few budget models. And in April of carefully curated apps from third-party this year, Ars Technica reported developers—all tightly integrated with “OK (https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/04/sam Google” hands-free speech recognition and sungs-tizen-is-riddled-with-security-flaws- Google Assistant. And Android has been on the amateurishly-written/) that Tizen was “riddled market for a decade, with a major new release with security flaws”; security analyst Amihai every year, each incorporating significant Neiderman is quoted as saying, "It may be the improvements to the platform's stability, worst code I've ever seen”. And for those that usability, and security. It’s frankly hard to see are keeping score, AGL is built on top of Tizen IVI. how automakers using AGL—or other infotainment platforms—will be able to keep up with Google. About Nathan Tennies

Of course, that doesn’t mean that automakers Barr Group Principal Engineer will cede control to Google without a struggle. Nathan Tennies is an expert in Toyota is also one of the few automakers to fail the development of drivers, to support Android Auto—which lets Android BSPs, and applications for phones drive the IVI’s display—on their embedded systems based on infotainment systems. They also recently formed Linux, Android, FreeRTOS, and a consortium with Ford to try to limit Google’s other RTOSes for the influence on automotive standards. And for automotive, consumer electronics, industrial controls, wireless, and medical firmware some automakers, putting the kibosh on Google industries. Nathan is the creator and lead may ultimately be more important than instructor for Barr Group’s Embedded Android providing customers with the best IVI Boot Camp. experience; after all, customers don’t select a car solely on the basis of its infotainment For more information on Barr Group’s product system. But mobile giant Samsung provides a design, consulting, training, and expert witness cautionary tale about the difficulties of services, go to www.barrgroup.com. competing with Android.

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