In an effort to simplify and accelerate the development and deployment of vehicle software throughout a car’s lifetime, Bosch and Microsoft have come together to develop a software platform that seamlessly connect cars to the cloud. The intent is to make the new software platform available for first vehicle prototypes by the end of 2021.
The new platform will be based on Microsoft Azure and will incorporate software modules from Bosch, and will enable software to be developed and downloaded to the control units and vehicle computers.
The coming together of the world’s largest automotive supplier and the software giant is expected to redefine the next generation of vehicle software that will be built in accordance with automotive quality standards. Furthermore, the two entities will focus on building tools that increase efficiency in the software development process, which is expected to drive innovation and reduce development costs for vehicle software within and across organisations. Customers, on the other hand, will get quicker access to new functions and digital services.
Speaking on the new development, Dr Markus Heyn, Member of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch GmbH said the company already offers secured over the air car software updates. And with the comprehensive platform for software-defined cars, “we want to further empower automakers to develop new functions and get them on the road faster.”
Developing the Automotive Future Together
The growing importance of software in future vehicle generations is not lost on anyone. One can’t imagine the global megatrends of connected, electromobility, automated driving, and modern mobility services to take share without software for vehicles. The demand for frequent updates and upgrades will continue to increase in the coming times.
“With software quickly becoming a key differentiator in the automotive industry, our ambition is to help businesses accelerate the delivery of unique mobility services across passenger cars and commercial fleets at scale,” said Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud + AI, Microsoft.
Bosch has deep understanding of electrical and electronic architectures, control units, and vehicle computers, which is necessary for OTA updates. The company will also contribute its expertise as well as software-based products and development tools for cars, including the basic software and middleware for vehicle computers and control units, as well as cloud-based software modules to bring OTA updates to entire vehicle fleets.
Dr Heyn said having a comprehensive software platform – from the vehicle to cloud – will reduce the complexity of software development and vehicle system integration. This will pave the way for creating conditions for wireless updates to work just as smoothly and conveniently in vehicles as they do in smartphones.
The pre-integrated platform will greatly reduce the complexity of OTA updates, considering the seamless fitment of vehicle software architectures and the cloud. It must, however, be noted that stringent safety requirements throughout the vehicle’s lifetime make wireless software updates and digital services for cars very complex. The wide range of different series and models makes things even more challenging.
For Developers
As part of their understanding, Bosch and Microsoft also plans to enrich existing developer tools that will enable automakers and suppliers to simplify and accelerate their own software development, while adapting to the unique challenges in the automotive industry. The two entities will use GitHub’s fully integrated enterprise platform and to open-source important parts of the new software platform on GitHub.com to encourage code re-use and best practice sharing across the industry. GitHub is a subsidiary of Microsoft.
Round-Up
The leading global supplier of technology and services, Bosch Group generated sales of € 71.6 bn in 2020, as per initial estimates. Mobility Solutions, which is the largest of the group’s four business sectors, accounted for about 59% of total group sales at €42.3 bn last year, as per preliminary figures. The other business sectors, comprising of Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology accounted for the remaining 41%.
One of the world’s most admired companies (as per Fortune 2020), Microsoft, on the other hand, is enabling digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge.