The case for OEM-made operating systems in the age of software-driven vehicles

Seamless integration between hardware and software will make the vehicle the ultimate mobile device, more than a phone or a computer. To tap into its full potential, OEMs such as Daimler and Volkswagen have made a clear decision to architect and develop their own operating system in-house. The software-driven architecture will become the starting point of all new vehicle projects in the medium-to-long term.

By combining vehicle domains with the cloud and internet of things (IoT), future software architecture will have a common hardware layer at the vehicle level, a common middleware layer in the software level, and an operating system that will add different features in a scalable way. To sustain future profitability, OEMs are looking to provide on-demand and subscription-based features at the point of sale as well as an enhancement for driving.