Panasonic Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. (PAS) and Arm recently announced a strategic partnership to jointly promote the standardization of software defined vehicle (SDV) architecture. Based on a common vision, both parties are committed to co creating a flexible software stack that can meet current and future automotive needs, and have actively participated in the SOAFEE industry initiative to promote standardized cooperation in software development for the automotive market. In this new collaboration project, PAS and Arm will adopt and expand the VirtIO device virtualization framework to decouple automotive software development from hardware and accelerate the development process in the automotive industry.

As the automotive industry gradually integrates multiple electronic control units (ECUs) into a powerful ECU, such as a cockpit domain controller (CDC) or high-performance computer (HPC), the importance of virtual machine management programs and advanced chipsets is greater than ever before. However, many car manufacturers and first tier suppliers face the challenge of inconsistent proprietary interfaces from suppliers, resulting in increased costs and longer delivery times for switching supplier solutions.

PAS and Arm realized that in order to address these challenges, they must shift from a hardware centric to a software first development model. By standardizing the software stack interfaces of car manufacturers and first tier suppliers, as well as the underlying virtual machine management programs and chipsets they run, automotive partners can more easily adopt the latest technologies optimized for specific needs and application scenarios.

This cooperation will include the following key measures:

1. Promote a unified human-machine interface based on VirtIO to achieve standardization of regional controller architecture

PAS and Arm collaborate to virtualize devices connected to central ECUs (such as CDC/HPC) and remote devices connected to regional ECUs using VirtIO technology. Both parties demonstrated a groundbreaking proof of concept through PAS's open-source remote GPU technology, Unified HMI, to implement a display area controller architecture based on the Arm platform. This architecture can distribute GPU load from the central ECU to multiple regional ECUs, reducing heat generation and harness weight, while not affecting the operation of applications on the central ECU. Arm?  Mali?- The flexible partitioning capability of G78AE GPU in regional ECU can allocate dedicated hardware resources according to different workloads, ensuring stable and reliable graphics performance in the display area controller architecture. PAS and Arm are collaborating to launch the SOAFEE blueprint and corresponding reference implementation, aimed at promoting the standardization process of emerging regional controller architectures in the automotive industry.

2. Implement environment equivalence from cloud to vehicle

PAS's vSkipGen? Based on Arm Neoverse? Run on the cloud server of the platform. By maintaining the same Arm CPU architecture and VirtIO device virtualization framework, ensure environmental equivalence between cloud virtual hardware and automotive hardware. PAS and Arm will work together to implement VirtIO in virtual hardware, further narrowing the gap between virtual and physical automotive systems.

3. Promote the standardization and expansion of VirtIO

Currently, PAS and Arm are focusing on applying the VirtIO standard to Android Automotive? And Automotive Grade Linux? Waiting for cockpit scenarios and planning to expand VirtIO standards to more automotive applications. This includes developing standardized interfaces for real-time operating systems (RTOS) to achieve decoupling of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) software and hardware.

PAS Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Masashige Mizuyama said, "Our collaboration with Arm aims to promote the standardization process of VirtIO and elevate this industry reference standard to new heights. With our expertise and industry leadership, we firmly believe that this collaboration will unleash software potential and lay an important foundation for building future automotive technologies for SDVs

Dipti Vachani, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Automotive Division at Arm, commented, "SDV remains one of the most exciting opportunities facing automotive manufacturers today, and achieving this vision requires innovative approaches that allow software developers to start developing before physical chips are available. Our collaboration with PAS is based on our active participation in SOAFEE and our commitment to reducing industry fragmentation through standardization, ultimately helping our partners accelerate the automotive development cycle