QNX Software Systems has
rolled out a pre-integrated hardware-and-software platform aimed at helping
tier-one suppliers develop automotive instrument clusters and infotainment
systems.
Known as QNX CAR, the new platform was
created to enable design engineers to save development time and differentiate
their dashboard products more effectively. The company's executives say QNX CAR provides the technical expertise needed to do the low-level software
and silicon integration, thereby freeing up automotive engineers to concentrate
on product features.
"We are
shipping a hardware platform to the car companies and tier-ones that's already
pre-integrated and working," says Andrew Poliak, automotive business manager
for QNX, a maker of embedded operating systems. "The reason we're providing
this platform is that we thought through the experience from the point of view
of a car company. Some of their developers know certain software tools but they
don't necessarily know C or C++."
QNX
executives say the new product includes a connected application platform,
sample applications and reference implementations. The application platform
includes integrations with consumer devices, music management systems, Internet
radio, Bluetooth and other third-party technologies. QNX CAR also supports
multiple silicon architectures, including ARM, Power, SH, and Atom processors
provided by Freescale, Renesas, Texas
Instruments, Nvidia, Fujitsu and others.
On its
website QNX says it has at least ten participants in the QNX CAR
program, including such industry heavyweights as Daimler, GM,
Microsoft, Volkswagen, Adobe, and Apple,
among others.
By handling
the burden of low-level integration and removing the need for expertise in that
area, QNX engineers predict that QNX CAR will shave significant amounts of
development time for OEM engineers.
"It makes
it easy to develop the instrumentation for rendering the gages and needles for
the speedometer and tachometer," Poliak says. "We're trying to enable the
tier-ones to really show what they can do in terms of innovation."
Watch a video
about QNX CAR.
Tweet This
6 
