Author: Mrs. Kavitha Sasikumar
Introduction
The automotive world is changing — not gradually, but dramatically. What was once a purely mechanical domain is now a digital frontier. Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) are at the heart of this transformation, redefining how vehicles are built, operated, and evolved over time. One such journey into this exciting realm began at ANCIT.
About a year ago, a vision took shape within ANCIT’s engineering labs — a vision of a modular, flexible, and future-ready SDV platform. What followed was a bold leap into uncharted territory, marked by deliberate choices, technical breakthroughs, and a relentless drive to reimagine mobility through software. This is the story of how that vision has taken form.
Laying the Groundwork: A Service-Oriented Mindset
Every revolution needs a foundation, and for ANCIT’s SDV initiative, that foundation was a robust Service-Oriented Architecture (SoA). The goal was clear — to decouple tightly integrated systems and foster modularity across the board.
By formalizing a service-driven design, each vehicle function became an independent module — able to communicate, evolve, or be replaced without affecting the rest of the system. This architecture not only made room for scalable communication across vehicle domains but also enabled seamless over-the-air (OTA) updates and future flexibility.
Choosing the Brain: Hardware Platform Selection
No software-defined platform can thrive without the right hardware. The search for a reliable High-Performance Computing (HPC) platform led to NXP’s S32G274A. Its multi-core architecture, automotive-grade reliability, and robust security features made it a natural choice as the SDV’s central gateway controller.
The journey started with the initial board bring-up, which quickly laid down a stable and reliable foundation. From here, development could advance with confidence — and ambition.
Unleashing the Cores: Multicore Enablement and Communication
Powering the platform wasn’t just about booting it up — it was about harnessing its full potential. For the A53 cores, a custom Yocto Project build was crafted, optimized with tailored kernel and driver configurations. Meanwhile, the M7 cores were programmed with real-time binaries developed using S32 Design Studio.
The turning point came with the implementation of inter-core communication via the Inter-Processor Communication Framework (IPCF). With shared memory as the bridge, A53 application cores and M7 real-time cores began working in tandem — enabling high-performance, distributed decision-making ideal for complex automotive applications.
Building Intelligence: Key Functional Implementations
Real capability began to shine through with targeted functional milestones:
- CAN Communication with LLCE ensured high-speed data transmission across vehicle systems using the Low Latency Communication Engine.
- Suspend-to-RAM via RTC brought in power-saving intelligence. With real-time clock (RTC) triggers, the system could wake up precisely when needed, saving energy during idle states.
- A compelling parking assist prototype emerged, showcasing how ultrasonic sensors connected to the M7 core could work with camera data retrieved by the A53 via SOME/IP. The result: intelligent braking logic controlled through real-time actuation.
Scaling Smartly: Virtualization and Containerization
Scalability and security became guiding principles as the platform evolved. That led to the implementation of containerization for key sensor services, improving modularity and deployment efficiency.
But the leap didn’t stop there. The XEN hypervisor was deployed on the A53 cores, creating isolated execution environments. This enabled coexistence of safety-critical and non-critical applications — a vital requirement for automotive-grade compliance and certification.
Future-Proofing with OTA
True SDVs are defined by their ability to evolve — not just in design, but in the field. OTA capabilities became a core focus.
An OTA infrastructure was designed, tested, and validated with feedback mechanisms such as LED-based success/failure indicators. With remote update functionality now possible, vehicle software could be patched, upgraded, or personalized — all without a physical connection.
Elevating to Standards: Adaptive AUTOSAR Integration
One of the major technical achievements was the seamless integration of Adaptive AUTOSAR into the overall SDV architecture. This wasn’t just a plug-and-play exercise. ANCIT leveraged its own SOME/IP tool, developed in collaboration with the Eclipse Foundation, to meet rigorous communication and interoperability standards.
With this, the platform not only aligned with functional safety goals but also gained the agility to adapt and grow over time — an essential capability in a software-first vehicle world.
Expanding Horizons: Infotainment and What Comes Next
Parallel to the platform core, a separate track explored the infotainment (IVI) landscape. Using Android Automotive OS (AAOS), Qualcomm SoCs, and Quectel SOMs, a compelling digital cockpit experience began taking shape — hinting at a future where the car is not just a machine, but a connected digital assistant.
What lies ahead is even more exciting: plans to bring ADAS capabilities to life on TI’s Jacinto platforms, and long-term ambitions that stretch toward AI-driven autonomous vehicles powered by NVIDIA HPCs.
Conclusion
The road to a Software-Defined Vehicle is long, complex, and often uncertain — but it’s one worth taking. Through architecture-first thinking, strategic hardware choices, intelligent software design, and a constant push for innovation, ANCIT has not just followed the SDV wave — it has helped shape it.
And while this chapter marks a significant milestone, the story is far from over. With each line of code, each service deployed, and each sensor integrated, a new era of intelligent mobility inches closer to reality.
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