German luxury-car maker Mercedes-Benz has expanded its partnership with Qt Group to leverage the Qt framework, design, development and quality assurance tools to support building its highly anticipated operating system (OS) — MB.OS — across its cars' models and displays. Qt’s support will enable cross-platform development and shorten time-to-market, a company press release dated Oct. 31 said.
The OS is a new architecture that advances the software-defined vehicle concept, including new digital displays and improved driver assistance as part of the user experience. With Qt forming a crucial part of the automaker’s software-defined vehicle development, this next phase of the partnership is expected to transform the performance, ease of development and maintainability of in-vehicle applications running on MB.OS.
The Qt framework and tools give automakers the ability to take ownership of their onboard software in-house, with many others now looking to follow the leading original equipment manufacturer's suit. Qt is used by over 1.5 million developers worldwide. Providing cross-platform solutions for the entire software development life cycle, from UI design and software development to quality assurance and deployment, Qt enables designers and developers to work simultaneously and speed up development time, the release said.
Speaking on the development, Steffan Schumacher, senior vice president of Business Operations at Qt, said, “It’s great to see industry leaders creating innovative user experiences. Upgrading to Qt 6 means the team has the perfect tools to support the development of software-defined vehicles. Qt is the perfect match for building digital user interfaces, especially with a commitment to creating new infotainment experiences that allow for flexible upgrades.”
