The automotive industry is growing by leaps and bounds on almost a daily basis. We hear about the latest and greatest tech gadgets on the market and in our vehicles. From Apple and Google creating tech and software in our vehicles, to push button start, we certainly have made driving a bit more comfortable these days. With all of these accomplishments, come certain challenges for software developers and auto manufacturers alike.
The way automobiles are built today, they are requiring more computing power. Not just computer processors, but sensors, cameras, steering angle, and speed detectors. These new types of technology require different ways to handle, process, store and forward the data. Sensor fusion, virtualization, and security requirements, although not unique to automotive, are more necessary than other electronics. They also have the need to be highly reliable and have a long product lifetime.
To remedy this, heterogeneous multicore processors are being used in vehicle electronics, particularly in Dodge and Toyota models. The semiconductor, however is not enough. The entire chain from software architecture and the development strategies have to be adapted to meet the needs of the automotive systems. One major challenge for automakers is to make sure they distribute power accordingly. They need to make sure that no more than 50 watts is not exceeded to any component.
System software and tool vendors see the need to build future generation automotive software on heterogeneous multicore systems and a great demand for optimization. Multicore hardware could provide a huge boost in performance. Issues like load distribution, however, have yet to be solved. Automotive software also has a higher need for real-time requirements. Some automotive software developers believe that now is the time to do away with legacy software in vehicles and move toward multicore software, which will force developers to figure out the issues in future development.
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