LONDON, March 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — According to a new report from ABI Research, worldwide shipments of CDCs will reach 45 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 72%. The cost efficiencies of space, weight, and wiring reduction are one of the primary drivers of this growth. Quickening innovation across the entire technology space and a need for cost reduction in the automotive industry has driven automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to explore the consolidation of different domains and Electronic Control Units (ECUs) within a single Cockpit Domain Controller (CDC).
“We are seeing a global appetite for consolidation, ranging from infotainment with instrument clusters to incorporating high-level Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) features. Additionally, the effects of mixed-criticality systems don’t stop after the vehicle leaves the production line. It has implications for vehicle software maintenance and upgrading across its whole lifecycle. OEMs, Tier 1s, and silicon providers need to re-evaluate and restructure their organizational interaction to realize this trend’s potential fully,” explains Abu Miah, Smart Mobility & Automotive Analyst at ABI Research.
The APAC region will concentrate growth in cockpit domain controllers. Chinese OEMs innovate at faster cycles than Western counterparts, realizing mixed-criticality benefits earlier, explaining their superiority in production. APAC is expected to account for over 60% of CDC shipments in 2024, with OEMs such as Great Wall Motors and Hongqi having multiple models with CDCs since 2019.
One key enabling technology of mixed-criticality systems is the hypervisor. The Blackberry QNX Hypervisor is leading the automotive market. However, stakeholders note the potential of open-source projects like the Xen Hypervisor. The developer community collaborates toward ASIL-D safety certification.
“A close level of integration between OEMs and their partners is essential. It helps address mixed-criticality requirements in the short to long term for vehicles currently being shipped. All vendors must understand the needs of their OEM partners. As the automotive industry shifts towards a Software-Defined Vehicle, they must proactively adapt solutions, preparing for ongoing updates,” Miah concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research’s Accommodating Mixed-Criticality Compute in Digital Cockpit Domain Controllers application analysis report. This report is part of the company’s Smart Mobility and Automotive research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Application Analysis reports offer thorough analysis of key market trends and factors for a specific technology, derived from primary interviews.
