Arm Announces New Software Architecture and Reference Implementation for the Automotive Industry
September 20, 2021
News
Arm, in collaboration with leaders across the automotive supply chain, announced it is delivering a new software architecture and reference implementation, Scalable Open Architecture for Embedded Edge (SOAFEE), and two new reference hardware platforms to accelerate the software-defined future of automotive.
“The automotive sector is at a critical inflection point and the supply chain – from IP design to carmakers – is being re-examined and redefined,” said Chet Babla, vice president of automotive, Automotive and IoT Line of Business at Arm. “The industry has asked Arm and its ecosystem to accelerate the vision for a software-defined future. By virtue of Arm’s unique position in the supply chain, we’re leading a collaborative effort that is delivering the standards, software, developer resources and specialized processing platforms designed for the safety and real-time needs of automotive applications.”
SOAFEE is the result of automakers, system integrators, semiconductor, software, and cloud technology leaders coming together to define a new open-standards-based architecture for the software-defined vehicle. In addition, the SOAFEE reference implementation, an implementation of the architecture defined by a Special Interest Group (SIG) of these leaders, will be free open-source software aimed at allowing broad prototyping, workload exploration, and early development. Arm is working with commercial solutions providers to maximize compatibility and provide a faster route to functionally-safe designs.
Based on Project Cassini and SystemReady from Arm, which enable a standards-based cloud-native experience at the edge, SOAFEE now builds on these initiatives to enable cloud concepts like container orchestration with automotive functional safety and in real-time – a first in the industry, according to the company. An initial release of the SOAFEE collateral and reference implementation is available to download now here.
The development timeline for new automotive applications needs to be as fast and seamless as possible. The availability of SOAFEE is designed to empower cloud-based developers to apply their expertise and contribute to the future of mobility, built on Arm technology.
In partnership with ADLINK, Arm is delivering unconstrained performance on a new SystemReady-compatible development platform to help accelerate time-to-market. The platform, powered by Arm Neoverse-based Ampere Altra cores, will allow workload exploration and development on Arm-based silicon using the SOAFEE reference software stack for applications such as cockpit, ADAS, powertrain, and autonomous driving. The development platform is comprised of a developer workstation plus a rugged in-vehicle product, and both are available for pre-order here, with general availability expected in Q4 2021.
- The AVA Developer Platform is a high-performance, 32-core scalable compute system built for lab-based development and is capable of running autonomous workloads. It allows developers to leverage accelerator hardware to complement high-performance central processing units (CPUs).
- For in-vehicle prototyping and testing, the high-performance AVA-AP1 has 80 cores for increased CPU performance, extra input / output (IO) capabilities and includes a safety processor to enable in-vehicle execution using real sensors.
In addition to support from AWS, ADLINK, Ampere, and CARIAD, the initiatives have received support from leaders across the supply chain including Apex.AI, Continental, Green Hills Software, Linaro, Marvell, MIH Consortium, Red Hat, SUSE, Woven Planet, Zing Robotics, and others. The industry turned to Arm due to its position at the intersection of hardware and software. Arm and its ecosystem have answered by delivering the resources to bring safety and real-time aware cloud-native paradigms to automotive development, making the software-defined car a reality.
For more information, visit: www.arm.com/company/news/2021/09/
