The Linux Foundation Announces Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup

HARMAN, Intel, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Samsung, Toyota and more to collaborate on effort to broadly support open source technology in automotive industry

SAN FRANCISCO, September 19, 2012 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup (AGL). The Workgroup will facilitate widespread industry collaboration that advances automotive device development, providing a community reference platform that companies can use for creating products. 

Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Toyota are among the first carmakers to participate in the Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup. Other members include Aisin AW, DENSO Corporation, Feuerlabs, Fujitsu, HARMAN, Intel, NEC, NVIDIA, Reaktor, Renesas, Samsung, Symbio, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI), and Tieto. View comments from these companies on our newspage.

A major shift is underway in the automotive industry. Carmakers are using new technologies to meet consumer expectations for the same connectivity in cars as what is today the norm in homes and offices. From dashboard computing to In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI), automobiles are becoming the latest wireless devices – on wheels. By leveraging the $10B collective investment (Value of Linux Report) already made in the Linux kernel and taking advantage of the technology contributions from the consumer electronics and enterprise computing markets, carmakers can use Linux and open source technologies to accelerate innovation.

The Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup will work with the Tizen project as the reference distribution optimized for a broad set of automotive applications ranging from Instrumentation Cluster to In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) and more. The Linux Foundation will host this effort, providing a neutral environment for collaboration among the Linux kernel community, other open source software communities and the automotive industry.

The reference platform will use the upstream first policy and support the long lifecycle of cars. This will allow for ongoing support for the products built with Automotive Grade Linux, as well as support for critical features such as fast boot.

“This workgroup will leverage Tizen to create a Debian or Fedora-like project for the automotive industry,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Like those community distributions, the Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup will rapidly feed cutting-edge technologies to automakers and their partners who can build Linux-based products for the newest cars.” 

“A community distribution for automotive Linux is essential,” said Ken-ichi Murata, Project General Manager, Toyota Motor Corporation. “There are a core set of requirements specific to the automotive industry, and collaborative development can help meet those needs faster and more efficiently.”

The Linux Foundation today is also announcing that HARMAN and Jaguar Land Rover are becoming Silver members of the organization. These companies recognize the value of Linux in enabling the future of car technologies and aim to maximize their investment in the platform through Linux Foundation membership. 

The Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup also supports other efforts such as GENIVI Alliance and the W3C workshop on Web and Automotive. For more information about the Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup, please visit: http://automotive.linuxfoundation.org

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research, Linux videos and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

###

 Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.