Open software company Qt and Continental embedded software subsidiary Elektrobit are combining products to simplify development of future digital cockpits. The combined solution brings together Qt’s Device Creation framework, NXP’s i.MX 8 Series Applications Processor, and Elektrobit’s EB tresos software for AUTOSAR development. The new solution will provide a turnkey framework for carmakers developing future human-machine interfaces, using off-the-shelf software and hardware.

The market for digital cockpits is growing. According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence, it will achieve a CAG of 13% over the next five years. As a result, car makers are looking for faster and less costly ways of developing digital cockpits.

The Qt-Elektrobit offering is one of the first commercial solutions enabling HMI runtime on the AUTOSAR architecture. It is designed to cut the cost, complexity and time overheads of using a hypervisor.

The new integrated solution can run on a single, multi-core processor. This helps accelerate the overall development process and speed time to market of advanced HMIs.

The EB tresos AUTOSAR architecture stack adds to it the latest security and safety capabilities, supporting requirements up to ASIL-D on limited-resource microcontroller units, as well as on multi-core SOCs. The offering includes access to Elektrobit’s user interface engineering services team. Additional functional software from third parties such as Continental Automotive can be integrated, such as Linux Instrument Cluster, software defined Radio, Driver Monitoring and eTravel Companion.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Elektrobit to provide a unique solution that integrates our HMI development software with Elektrobit’s field-proven AUTOSAR software and integration expertise,” said Miao Luo, Head of Automotive and Design Tools, The Qt Company. “This pre-integrated approach provides the fastest and easiest way to produce software-defined vehicles.” 

“Elektrobit is proud to bring our decades of deep experience in AUTOSAR, along with our ECU software and services to this collaboration with Qt,” said Jörg Scherer, director of user experience, Elektrobit. “Together, we’re offering commercial solution that brings HMI runtime into an AUTOSAR, making it easier for OEMs to develop advanced cockpits for their next-gen vehicles.”