Continental has made a significant stride in automotive technology with the implementation of a cross-domain High-Performance Computer (HPC) in a car.
This feat demonstrates the company’s commitment to advancing software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and showcases the potential of its cloud-based Continental Automotive Edge Framework (CAEdge).
The SDV technology car, a testament to its ecosystem from road to cloud, utilises CAEdge to connect the vehicle to the cloud, providing a virtual workbench for streamlined development, supply, and maintenance of software-intensive system functions. Leveraging the Snapdragon Ride Flex System-on-Chip (SoC) with pre-integrated Snapdragon Ride Vision perception stack from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the company has set a new standard for automotive innovation.
Gilles Mabire, CTO at Continental Automotive, said, with the SDV technology car, the company is able to demonstrate its ecosystem - from road to cloud, from virtual to real. As the first development partners for vehicle manufacturers in the world, “we are proud of how we have moved beyond concepts and can showcase the capabilities and challenges of the convergence of automotive domains in a tangible software-defined vehicle,' he added.
The SDV technology car encompasses a diverse portfolio of functions, including automated parking functions with holistic motion control, ultrasonic sensors, an integrated brake system, and surround-view cameras, all within an innovative cross-domain HPC.
Jean-François Tarabbia, Head of Business Area Architecture and Networking at Continental Automotive, said that this is a crucial step to convince the market that the goal to combine several control units in one HPC is not just feasible but can also render the cost benefits the company wants to achieve.
Key to this implementation is the Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC, designed to support multi-modal critical workloads on a single chip. Enabling optimised cost, power, and performance, the Flex SoC accelerates time-to-market advantage for automakers and suppliers, enhancing the driving experience with added assistance, safety, and comfort.
Enrico Salvatori, SVP and President Qualcomm Europe/MEA at Qualcomm Europe, Inc., said, 'It is very exciting to see the Flex SoC realised in Continental’s HPC and new SDV technology car. The Flex SoC provides a more integrated and adaptable approach to designing and developing vehicle architectures.'
Continental’s CAEdge provides a cloud-based environment for efficient software development, connecting the vehicle to the cloud and offering a virtual workbench for testing and debugging software-intensive system functions. This innovative platform accelerates time-to-market and sets a new standard for SDV applications development.
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