Google expands Android Automotive with new SDV platform for full vehicle integration

On the Dash:

• AAOS SDV centralizes vehicle software, reducing integration complexity and enabling over-the-air updates for multiple vehicle systems.
• OEMs can accelerate SDV development by leveraging cloud-based platforms such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon VSoC.
• The platform supports standardized hardware specifications, lowering costs and engineering redundancy for software-defined vehicles.

Google announced a new open platform, Android Automotive OS for Software Defined Vehicles (AAOS SDV), that will provide a standardized vehicle architecture for automakers, according to a March 24 blog post. The platform is slated to be available in the Android Open Source Project later this year.

AAOS SDV extends Android Automotive OS beyond infotainment screens to additional vehicle systems, including telemetry, seat actuators, instrument clusters, body controls, and climate systems. The centralized architecture treats the vehicle as a single connected system and supports over-the-air updates throughout a vehicle’s lifecycle.

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Renault plans to adopt AAOS SDV for its Trafic E-Tech electric commercial van, which is set to enter production later this year. The van will allow 90% of its functions to be updated via firmware over the air. Qualcomm is also implementing the platform through its Snapdragon Virtual System-on-Chip (VSoC) development platform on Google Cloud, enabling OEMs to design, test, and validate SDVs entirely in the cloud for faster deployment.

The platform is designed to simplify the integration of modules from multiple suppliers, reducing redundant engineering efforts and development costs. Google is collaborating with leading automakers, suppliers, silicon platforms, and software vendors to ensure broad support and ecosystem integration ahead of the open-source release.

Other industry players, including NXP, are developing similar SDV platforms, such as CoreRide, planned for 2028, to offer plug-and-play vehicle computer networks that OEMs can layer with software-driven features.

Matt Crowley, Group Product Manager for Android Automotive, said in the blog post that Google remains committed to providing open-source software to support the next generation of vehicles.