Stellantis in Auburn Hills has developed what the company calls the “world’s first virtual cockpit platform” as part of the Stellantis Virtual Engineering Workbench (VEW).
This system was created to enable the delivery of infotainment tech to customers 100 times faster than previous processes. The new platform uses the QNX Hypervisor in the cloud from BlackBerry, which is now on early access release via Amazon’s AWS Marketplace within the QNX Accelerate portfolio of cloud-based tools.
Stellantis now can create realistic virtual versions of car controls and systems, making them behave just like they would in a real car, but without needing to change the main software that runs them, taking what used to take months to be achieved down to 24 hours in some cases.
Accessing QNX Hypervisor via AWS Marketplace enables Stellantis to include a virtual cockpit high-performance computing (HPC) simulation into a cloud environment. This platform for mixed-criticality and multi-OS embedded application development includes QNX Hypervisor Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) and industry-standard hardware interfaces as defined in the VirtIO standard Trout v1.2.
With tools such as virtualization of graphics, audio, and touchscreen/mouse/keyboard inputs, the system is designed to offer little to no difference between running QNX Hypervisor-based systems in the cloud versus on real hardware.
Software is a key building block for Stellantis to deliver clean, safe, and affordable mobility, as outlined in the company’s Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan. It is the driving force behind the AI-powered STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit and STLA AutoDrive technology platforms.
In 2022, Stellantis selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider for vehicle platforms and the companies began work on the Stellantis’ purpose-built, in-house VEW.
Taking a software-driven approach and deploying the QNX Hypervisor in the cloud, Stellantis is working to accelerate customer feedback sessions, and with minimal effort, replicate the cockpit experience of a particular brand and vehicle, and make changes in real time to optimize the experience for the driver.
This real-time feedback, underpinned by low-latency access to the cloud, should allow Stellantis to solicit valuable opinions from its customer and developer base to build future infotainment features and applications.
“Software is becoming increasingly crucial in vehicles, leading us to innovate in how we develop and validate it,” says Yves Bonnefont, chief software officer at Stellantis. “With our virtual cockpit, we’re revolutionizing not just our approach, but also that of our suppliers and partners in the industry.
“Essentially, we’re able to get closer to our customer’s needs through this technology with faster development cycles, faster feedback loops, and quicker delivery of the technology they use and love. It’s a leap toward customer-first innovation and efficiency in the automotive world.”
Standard VirtIO interfaces are also used by a suite of automotive partners to scale their offerings across OEMs and enable plug-and-play across the OEM landscape. Recognizing the benefits, AWS fully supports the VirtIO industry standard for cloud simulation of cockpit HPCs.
BlackBerry QNX launched QNX Accelerate in January 2023 with its portfolio initially featuring QNX Neutrino RTOS 7.1 and the QNX OS for Safety 2.2.3, each provided as Amazon Machine Images allowing QNX customers to run a QNX OS natively on AWS cloud hardware. The early access release of QNX Hypervisor in the cloud is available now and general availability will be announced later in 2024.
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