Hardware: A Solid Foundation
Surveys indicate that technology and infotainment have become major factors considered by most (70%) millennials when purchasing a car. Software-defined vehicles, which to some extent refer to cars where most operations are managed by software, are well-suited to address shifting consumer expectations. While software plays a crucial role in this transformation, hardware will continue to be a pillar, contributing to the realization of this software-defined future.
In the future development of the automotive industry, design will place greater emphasis on human-centered user experience, making immersive and personalized cockpit experiences a key consideration for car buyers. Consumers expect in-vehicle technology to remain modern and upgradable throughout the vehicle's lifecycle, requiring seamless software upgrades similar to those for mobile electronic devices and PCs. All of this relies heavily on hardware support. The amount of code in automotive electronic systems has increased from 50,000 lines in the past to 65 million lines in high-end luxury cars today. Such massive software operation requires powerful hardware computing power. For example, autonomous vehicles need numerous sensors to collect data, including cameras, radar, and lidar. These sensors are crucial hardware components, and the data they collect needs to be processed rapidly by hardware chips to support software decisions. Just as personal computers can continue to function with minor hardware updates, software-defined vehicles should also be able to do so; hardware upgrade potential and compatibility are paramount. While software will facilitate easy upgrades to vehicle functions, hardware will inevitably become the backbone for expanding software deployment.
The Evolution of Electronic and Electrical Architecture: The Path of Change
Currently, the evolution of electronic and electrical architecture is one of the key pillars of the development of software-defined vehicles. Traditional automotive electronic and electrical architectures are distributed, with each functional module relatively independent, resulting in low communication and collaboration efficiency. However, with the development of software-defined vehicles, centralized or even domain-centralized electronic and electrical architectures are becoming the trend. This architecture reduces wiring harnesses, improves system integration and communication speed, and provides a more efficient hardware environment for software operation. For example, in a domain-centralized architecture, a vehicle can be divided into powertrain domains, chassis domains, cockpit domains, and intelligent driving domains, each managed by a dedicated controller. Software can interact with these domain controllers more smoothly, enabling more complex functions, such as the linkage between intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit. Simultaneously, this architectural evolution enhances hardware versatility, allowing different vehicle models to be developed based on similar electronic and electrical architectures, reducing hardware development costs and facilitating software reuse and upgrades. Through the evolution of electronic and electrical architecture, hardware can better adapt to the demands of functional integration and rapid iteration in the era of software-defined vehicles.
The trend of separating hardware and software: a new chapter in collaboration
The separation of hardware and software is a prominent trend and a crucial pillar in the development of software-defined vehicles. In the past, automotive hardware and software were tightly coupled; hardware updates often meant large-scale software adjustments, and vice versa, severely limiting the speed of functional upgrades and innovation. Now, with technological advancements, hardware and software are gradually separating. Hardware manufacturers focus on building high-performance, highly reliable hardware platforms, while software developers build diverse software applications based on these platforms. Take the smart cockpit as an example: hardware provides basic components like displays and processors, while software can then implement multimodal interaction, personalized interface customization, and other functions. Moreover, this separation makes software development and updates more flexible, no longer limited by hardware update cycles. For instance, Tesla continuously pushes new software versions to vehicles via OTA (Over-The-Air) updates, adding new features and optimizing performance without requiring large-scale hardware replacements. This trend also fosters a thriving automotive industry ecosystem, attracting more software developers to participate in automotive software development and bringing consumers more innovative functions and services.
Software development capability: the engine of innovation
The core of software-defined vehicles lies in software, making strong software development capabilities its cornerstone. From autonomous driving systems to intelligent cockpit interaction software, from vehicle control logic to vehicle networking service software, every link requires high-level software development. In the field of autonomous driving, high-precision map positioning, environmental perception, and driving strategy formulation all rely on complex software algorithms. Taking Baidu's autonomous vehicle as an example, it reconstructs the car's intelligent operating system (CarOS) on top of traditional automotive hardware, using technologies such as high-precision maps and positioning, environmental perception, planning and decision-making, and vehicle movement control as its core. Software development must not only implement functions but also ensure the software's reliability, security, and real-time performance. For example, in intelligent driving scenarios, the software must accurately analyze and make decisions based on sensor data within a very short time; otherwise, serious consequences may result. Simultaneously, with increasing consumer demand for personalization, software development also needs the ability to rapidly iterate and customize development, achieving "personalized" software functions. The level of software development capability directly determines the experience and value that software-defined vehicles can provide to consumers, driving the development of automobiles towards a more intelligent, convenient, and personalized direction.
Data processing and application capabilities: Value mining
In the era of software-defined vehicles, data has become a key asset, and data processing and application capabilities have become an important pillar. Vehicles generate massive amounts of data during operation, including vehicle status data, driving behavior data, and road condition data. Effective processing and application of this data will bring numerous benefits to automobiles. For example, by analyzing driving behavior data, software can provide drivers with personalized driving suggestions, helping them develop more energy-efficient and safer driving habits; based on road condition data, intelligent driving software can plan optimal routes in real time, avoiding congested areas. Furthermore, data can be used to optimize vehicle performance and functionality. Automakers can identify software or hardware problems based on data feedback from numerous vehicles, enabling timely improvements and upgrades. In addition, data can create new business models for automakers, such as providing customized service packages based on data analysis. Data processing and application capabilities permeate the entire lifecycle of software-defined vehicles, from product development to after-sales service, all relying on the effective use of data to unlock its immense value.
The pillars of software-defined vehicles are diverse and interconnected. Hardware provides the foundational support; the evolution of electronic and electrical architecture and the trend towards hardware-software separation create a favorable hardware environment for software development. Software development capabilities directly determine the vehicle's functionality and user experience, while data processing and application capabilities further unlock the vehicle's value. These pillars collectively drive the continuous development of software-defined vehicles, reshaping the entire automotive industry landscape.
