Stellantis announced a new tool called “virtual cockpit” that allegedly speeds up development cycles of infotainment technology by up to 100 times. The technology uses BlackBerry’s QNX Hypervisor software through the Amazon Web Services cloud, virtually replicating car controls and infotainment systems for easier evaluation.
Thanks to the new tool, Stellantis designers and engineers can replicate the “cockpit experience of a particular brand and vehicle” with “minimal effort”. More importantly, they can make changes in real time based on customer feedback, improving the user experience.
According to the automaker, the virtual representations of graphics, audio, touchscreen, mouse, and keyboard inputs behave “just like they would in a real car, but without needing to change the main software that runs them”. As a result, the development process is significantly accelerated, achieving something that used to take months in a single day.
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Yves Bonnefont, Chief Software Officer at Stellantis said: “Software is becoming increasingly crucial in vehicles, leading us to innovate in how we develop and validate it. With our virtual cockpit, we’re revolutionizing not just our approach, but also that of our suppliers and partners in the industry. Essentially, we’re able to get closer to our customer’s needs through this technology with faster development cycles, faster feedback loops, and quicker delivery of the technology they use and love. It’s a leap towards customer-first innovation and efficiency in the automotive world.”
Blackberry QNX announced that a non-branded demonstration of the QNX Hypervisor will be available at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas between January 9-12. The software platform is already available on the cloud as an early access release, with details for its general availability set to be announced later in 2024.
As a refresher, Stellantis’ collaboration with the Amazon Web Services cloud provider was announced in 2022. The company believes that software is a “key building block” for the future of mobility and the realization of the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.
