Automotive Grade Linux Releases Open Infotainment Platform Built by Automakers and Suppliers

The latest version of the AGL platform will transform software development across the automotive industry

SAN FRANCISCO, December 28, 2016 – Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative project developing an open platform for the connected car, today released the most advanced version to date of its AGL infotainment platform. Developed through a joint effort by dozens of member companies, the AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) 3.0 is an open source infotainment platform that can serve as the de facto industry standard.

“This is our third release of the AGL UCB in the past year. This unprecedented level of collaboration is a clear indication that the automotive industry is adopting an open source development methodology that is resulting in faster innovation with more frequent software releases and new features,” said Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux. “Sharing a single software platform across the industry decreases development time which enables automakers and suppliers to bring new products to market faster so they can stay ahead of new advances in mobile technology.”

Currently, many automakers use proprietary operating systems for infotainment. Car manufacturers typically contract out the software to a supplier that provides proprietary code with limited portability and reuse. Applications must often be ported from one platform to the next, resulting in slow innovation. Sharing a single software platform across the industry allows for code reuse and a more efficient development process. Developers and suppliers can build once and have a product work for multiple OEMs instead of having to build different versions for each make and model.

The goal of the UCB infotainment platform is to provide 70-80% of the starting point for a production project. This enables automakers and suppliers to focus their resources on customizing the other 20-30% to meet their unique product needs. As part of UCB 3.0, AGL is also releasing a software development kit (SDK) that enables rapid application development on the AGL platform.

The AGL UCB 3.0 is ideal for deploying navigation, communications, safety, security and connectivity. It includes several key features:

• A brand new home screen and window manager 
• An improved application framework and application launcher
• A new SDK for rapid application development
• Reference applications including media player, tuner, navigation, Bluetooth, WiFi, HVAC control, audio mixer and vehicle controls
• Integration with simultaneous display on instrument cluster
• Smart Device Link for mobile phone integration
• Rear view camera and rear seat entertainment on MOST ring
• Wide range of hardware board support including Renesas, Qualcomm Technologies, Intel, Texas Instrument, NXP and Raspberry Pi

Many AGL members have already started integrating the UCB 3.0 into their production plans. AGL UCB has several strong supporters and contributors including Toyota, Mazda, Aisin AW, Continental, DENSO, HARMAN, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and many others. 

The AGL community consists of close to 90 companies and is rapidly growing. Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota are among the first carmakers to participate in the AGL collaborative project.  Although initially focused on infotainment, AGL plans to support instrument cluster, heads up display, telematics/connected car, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), functional safety and autonomous driving in the future.

AGL Demonstration at CES 2017

AGL will be demonstrating the UCB 3.0 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 on January 5-6 in Las Vegas. Demo applications for rear seat display, video playback, AM/FM radio, wheel input device, navigation, HVAC control, media player and browser, settings and home screen will be on display.

AGL members ATS, AisinAW, DENSO, ForgeRock, Intel, Microchip, NTT Data MSE, Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies, Renesas and Texas Instruments will also be onsite demonstrating their products running on the UCB 3.0.

Member Comments:

“We support the AGL UCB 3.0 and plan to integrate it into our vehicles in the future. By adopting open source software, we can focus more on developing new features and contiguously creating better user experiences for our customers,” said Ken-ichi Murata, Group Manager, Connected Strategy & Planning, Connected Company of Toyota Motor Corporation.

“Renesas is proud to be a part of the AGL ecosystem and supports the UCB 3.0. The new platform reduces fragmentation and enables us to build products that can be supported by multiple automakers,” said Hisao Munakata, Senior Director of Automotive Information Solution Business Division, 1st Solution Business Unit, Renesas Electronics Corporation.

“The AGL UCB 3.0 was created by some of the best developers across the industry and represents a fundamental shift in how the automotive industry builds software. We look forward to continuing to support AGL and integrating the UCB 3.0 into our product plans,” said Kazuo Tsubouchi, General Manager at Denso.

“We are proud to have contributed to the AGL UCB 3.0, which was a true industry collaboration.  We believe AGL will streamline software development for the automotive industry which will result in more rapid innovation,” said Masashige Mizuyama, CTO, Infotainment Business, Panasonic.

“A strong ecosystem around Automotive Grade Linux to develop the next generation of connected infotainment experiences is emerging, and we are pleased to be part of this movement by supporting AGL on our high-performing Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ automotive processors,” said Nakul Duggal, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are pleased to work with the open source community, automakers, tier-1 suppliers and other industry companies to deliver a superior AGL experience using UCB 3.0 on our connectivity and compute platforms.”

About Automotive Grade Linux (AGL)

Automotive Grade Linux is a collaborative open source project that aims to accelerate the development and adoption of a fully open software stack for the connected car. Leveraging the power and strength of Linux at its core, AGL is uniting automakers and technology companies to develop an open platform that offers OEMs complete control of the user experience so the industry can rapidly innovate where it counts. The AGL platform is available to all, and anyone can participate in its development. Learn more: https://www.automotivelinux.org/

Automotive Grade Linux is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. www.linuxfoundation.org

The AGL UCB distribution, which is hosted by The Linux Foundation and open to anyone, is available for download here.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world’s top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at  www.linuxfoundation.org.

Additional Resources

• Developer Resources
• About the AGL Community
• Participating in Automotive Grade Linux

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