CARIAD, the Volkswagen Group’s software company has selected BlackBerry QNX technology as one component of its software platform VW.OS.
CARIAD is developing a unified software platform that consists of VW.OS, the Volkswagen Cloud VW.AC and a scalable, unified end-to-end electronic architecture.
Volkswagen Group’s automotive software company CARIAD aspires to develop the leading software platform by 2025, as one software backbone for all group cars. Currently, the entity is working on three software platforms
E³ 1.1 allows for upgrades and over-the-air updates of the MEB product portfolio, such as the Volkswagen ID.4, the Skoda Enyaq or the CUPRA Born.
In 2023, CARIAD will release the premium software platform 1.2 (E³ 1.2): It will enable a variety of functions including a new unified infotainment system and over-the-air updates for Audi und Porsche vehicles.
In 2025, CARIAD plans to launch a new unified, scalable software platform and end-to-end electronic architecture:
The software stack 2.0 (E³ 2.0) will include a unified operating system for vehicles from all Group brands. Another key feature will be level 4 readiness, meaning that customers can hand over the steering fully to the car.
The platform will be available for Volkswagen Group brands from the middle of the decade.
BlackBerry will license its BlackBerry QNX technology to CARIAD, including its QNX OS for Safety 2.2, which will be integrated in CARIAD’s software platform VW.OS, specifically in the stack for advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving functions (ADAS/AD).
Within this ADAS/AD stack of VW.OS, QNX OS for Safety 2.2 will serve as a reliable, safe and secure foundation.
As part of the agreement, BlackBerry QNX will also provide professional engineering and consulting services for system-level integration, performance optimization, and solution validation.
“From chip to cloud, BlackBerry QNX is trusted by the world’s leading automotive companies for our leading-edge embedded software solutions that deliver safety, reliability and security,” said John Wall, SVP and Head, BlackBerry Technology Solutions.
“With the industry coalescing around the pursuit of the software-defined vehicle, we look forward to working closely with CARIAD to help enable the cutting-edge cars of the future.”
Based on BlackBerry’s advanced and secure QNX Neutrino real-time operating system (RTOS), QNX OS for Safety is a fully POSIX compliant, open standards-based operating system that embedded developers can use to build safety-critical systems and has been certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D, the automotive industry’s highest functional safety standard.
With a pre-certified, scalable microkernel RTOS, the solution enables automakers and embedded software developers in a wide variety of industries to accelerate their development timelines and reduce the cost in moving projects from research to production.
“Software plays the decisive role in the transformation from a pure car company to an integrated mobility group. By 2030, software – on the basis of automated driving – can become a major source of income in our industry”, said CARIAD CEO Dirk Hilgenberg.
The new unified 2.0 software platform for on-board connectivity and software to be rolled out throughout the Group with the SSP, will open the way to a completely new ecosystem and thus also to new data-based business models.
