CES 2024: Virtual Cockpit by Stellantis, BlackBerry, and AWS

The Stellantis Virtual Engineering Workbench (VEW) as the world's first virtual cockpit platform, according to the manufacturer, allows infotainment technologies to be delivered up to a hundred times faster. The new platform uses the QNX Hypervisor in BlackBerry's cloud, which is now available as an Early Access Release through the AWS Marketplace as part of the QNX Accelerate portfolio of cloud-based tools. It is currently being presented at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.

Stellantis is now able to virtually generate realistic versions of vehicle controls and systems that behave like in a real vehicle. It is no longer necessary to change their main software. As a result, the development time is shortened, according to Stellantis, from several months to up to 24 hours.

Industry’s First Platform for Embedded Application Development

Access to QNX Hypervisor via the AWS Marketplace enables Stellantis to integrate a High-Performance-Compute (HPC) simulation for a virtual cockpit into their digital twin cloud environment, with early access to QNX Hypervisor through AWS Marketplace. This industry-first platform for developing embedded applications with various functional safety requirements and multiple operating systems includes QNX Hypervisor Amazon Machine Images (AMI) and industry-standard hardware interfaces as defined in the VirtIO-Standard Trout v1.2. With tools for virtualizing graphics, audio, and touchscreen or mouse and keyboard inputs, there is hardly any difference between running QNX Hypervisor-based systems in the cloud and on physical hardware.

Software is a central factor for delivering good, safe, and affordable mobility through Stellantis, as outlined in the Dare Forward 2030 strategy plan – and the driving force behind the AI-powered technology platforms STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit, and STLA AutoDrive. In 2022, Stellantis chose AWS as the preferred cloud provider for vehicle platforms, and the companies began working on the bespoke VEW developed by Stellantis.

Changes for Optimization in Real-Time

With a software-driven approach and the use of the QNX Hypervisor in the cloud, feedback cycles can be accelerated, and the cockpit of a specific vehicle and brand can be replicated with minimal effort. Changes to optimize the driving experience can be made in real-time. This real-time feedback, supported by low-latency access to the cloud, enables Stellantis to gather feedback from its customer and developer base for the development of future infotainment features and applications.

“As software becomes increasingly important in vehicles, we must innovate the way we develop and test it,” said Yves Bonnefont, Chief Software Officer at Stellantis. “With our virtual cockpit, we are not only changing our working approach but also that of our suppliers and partners in the industry. The technology enables us to come closer to the needs of our customers, with shorter development cycles, faster feedback loops, and quicker deployment of the technology they use and appreciate. This is a big step towards customer-oriented innovation and efficiency in the automotive industry.”