NXP Semiconductors has launched a new platform and first processor, the S32 CoreRide, to address the challenge of integration and scalability of complex automotive systems and software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
In a video interview with EE Times in Munich, Germany, we were able to chat with Henri Ardevol, executive VP and general manager for automotive embedded systems at NXP, to learn more about this announcement.
“Every time an OEM wants to add a feature, they have to change the whole stack and start from scratch. And there are separate integration efforts for each ECU—an effort that increases exponentially with more ECUs,” Ardevol said. “Multiple vehicle classes and architectures require scalability. For this, the system needs to be scalable, you need consistency in terms of IP, and you need to be able to move functionality from one ECU to another with minimal effort, time and resource.”
“Scalability and integration are the two axes where NXP is positioning itself to provide a platform to address those requirements,” Ardevol added.
With cars increasingly becoming huge systems of systems and high-end cars easily having up to 150 electronic control units (ECUs), the integration and software development efforts can be huge for automotive OEMs. But when OEMs want to add new functions, features or models, the software portability efforts also add to the cost.
Enabling transition from domain to zonal to centralized
In its announcement, NXP said its S32 CoreRide platform represents the next milestone in overcoming the software and hardware integration challenges blocking fast adoption of SDVs. The company also claimed the new platform to be an “industry-first vehicle software platform [that] greatly simplifies complex vehicle architecture development and cuts costs for automakers and tier-1 suppliers,” per its press release.
The platform integrates NXP’s hardware portfolio with software from automotive experts across a comprehensive ecosystem, including Accenture ESR Labs, ArcherMind, Blackberry QNX, Elektrobit, ETAS, Green Hills Software, Sonatus, Synopsys, TTTech Auto, Vector Informatik GmbH, and Wind River, as well as tier-1 suppliers like Valeo.
Isolation and freedom from interference
In the briefing, NXP emphasized the importance of isolation and freedom from interference.
“Leveraging the scalable S32 compute in the S32 CoreRide platform, OEMs can consolidate ECUs and develop flexible architectures—from domain to zonal to centralized—that scale across vehicle classes and generations. The platform provides the ability to isolate vehicle functions, helping to ensure freedom from interference between each application and dynamically re-allocate resources so applications do not degrade in performance” as they evolve over time.
NXP said this level of integration and flexibility advances carmakers and tier-1 suppliers to the next point in their development since they can now utilize the S32 CoreRide platform to put more focus on differentiation and the creation of application software for new business models.
First S32 CoreRide solutions for central compute
As part of the announcement, NXP also introduced its first solution in the S32 CoreRide platform: the central compute solution based on the new S32N family of vehicle super-integration processors, advanced vehicle networking, system power management, and pre-integrated software from the S32 CoreRide open partner ecosystem. The central compute solution allows automakers to safely and easily integrate many cross-vehicle functions running in isolation-ready execution environments enabled by the S32N family’s automotive-grade hardware isolation capabilities.
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