The shift toward software-defined mobility is closely linked with a centralized vehicle and electric/electronic (E/E) architecture. While traditional cars are equipped with numerous electronic control units managing various functions, the future envisions a consolidation into a few central vehicle computers. Bosch is pioneering this transformation and at CES 2024 in Las Vegas it plans to showcase, for the first time among automotive suppliers, the integration of infotainment and driver assistance functions in a software-intensive central computer.
Dr Markus Heyn, a member of the board of management at Robert Bosch, said the aim is to reduce electronic system complexity and enhance security, thereby bringing more automated driving functions to the market, including in the compact and mid-sized car segments.
The core of the company’s new vehicle computer is the Cockpit & ADAS Integration Platform, which relies on a single system on chip (SoC) to process functions from the infotainment and driver assistance domains simultaneously. This encompasses features like automated parking, lane detection, personalized navigation and voice assistance. Bosch reports that this integration results in benefits for vehicle manufacturers, including reduced space and cabling requirements, leading to cost savings.
Bosch adopts a modular system principle for its central vehicle computers, allowing vehicle manufacturers to assemble individual solutions by combining standalone software solutions with hardware components in a scalable manner. The company expects significant growth in the automotive software market, and estimates a volume of around €200bn (US$215.7bn) by 2030. In the domain of vehicle computers for infotainment and ADAS, it anticipates a market volume of €32bn (US$34.5bn) in 2030.
Heyn said, “Central vehicle computers are the heart of software-defined cars. In the future they will control all the domains in modern vehicles and reduce the currently high number of individual control units.”
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