Well, I'll be danged if this isn't one of the most comprehensive articles I've read on how Mercedes plans to roll out the new operating system. The article was published in April and I'm telling you there are just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many juicy kernels in here, I don't know where to begin!!!
Set up a team of 10,000 people to challenge the vehicle operating system, what are the odds of Mercedes-Benz?
2022-04-12 23:53:24
Subverting the existing operating system from the underlying logic, Mercedes-Benz MB.OS will include four major application functions of infotainment, automatic driving, body and comfort, and driving and charging. In the era of software-defined cars, auto companies' self-developed operating systems can not only provide users with a more intelligent and convenient car experience, but also bring sustainable profits to enterprises. Mercedes-Benz, which plans to officially launch MB.OS in 2024, is at the forefront.
Wen 丨 wisdom driving network Huang Huadan
In the tide of "software-defined cars", Mercedes-Benz also wants to take the core software technology into its own hands.
On April 8, Mercedes-Benz spent 200 million euros to open a new software center in Sindelfingen to promote its self-developed software capabilities, enabling the self-developed operating system MB by 2024. Os's goal to bring to market.
At present, most of the development of in-vehicle systems is based on platforms such as Linux, Android and QNX, including the MBUX in-vehicle system currently used by Mercedes-Benz, which is also based on Linux.
The goal of MB.OS development is to subvert the existing system from the underlying logic, which is not a simple in-car entertainment system, nor a single intelligent driving system, but the operating system of the whole vehicle.
The four application functions officially designated by Mercedes-Benz include: infotainment functions, automatic driving functions, body and comfort functions, and driving and charging functions.
The software covers the user interface, application software, middleware, and the underlying operating system, while the hardware is equipped with cables, electronic/electrical hardware, chips, sensors, and so on.
Even for a giant like Mercedes-Benz, it is not easy to completely build such a system.
Mercedes-Benz's investment is to optimize its software strategy, that is, to integrate technology imported from many suppliers, while controlling the core technology itself.
Magnus Oestberg, Chief Software Officer of Mercedes-Benz, said at a roundtable: "We don't do everything ourselves, we value our partners very much, but of course, the most important part we do ourselves. ”
To this end, Mercedes-Benz plans to hire 3,000 new employees worldwide, of which 750 will be recruited at the new software center in Sindelfingen to develop functions in in-car entertainment and autonomous driving.
According to Reuters, Mercedes plans to build a team of 10,000 software engineers around the world in Berlin, China, India, Israel, Japan and the United States. There are currently about 600 vacancies. Markus Schaefer, Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes-Benz, said: "Software engineers are very sought-after and talent is in short supply. ”
In a Capgemini survey of 572 automotive industry executives, 97 percent of executives surveyed said that within five years, four out of every 10 employees, from IT architects to cloud management experts to cybersecurity experts, would need software skills.
This also reflects the great impact of software on the future automotive industry.
——01——
From MBUX to MB.OS
MBUX, an abbreviation for "Mercedes-Benz User Experience", is a user-experience-focused infotainment system launched by Mercedes in 2018. The system is currently used in a number of Mercedes-Benz models, including the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the EQS pure electric sedan and the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Its super screen and zero-level interface have become the iconic technology configuration of Mercedes-Benz models.
However, under the general trend of software-driven, Mercedes-Benz intends to integrate the concept of digitalization into the whole vehicle, connect the various systems in the car with cloud computing and the Internet of Things, and combine it with the electric drive architecture and software architecture to create a complete ecosystem.
In the vision of future cars, Mercedes-Benz CEO Kang Linsong believes that it is crucial to develop a software platform with independent intellectual property rights. "The brain and central nervous system of future vehicles are the only way to maintain the digital sovereignty of OEMs."
In 2020, Mercedes-Benz announced that it will develop its own vehicle operating system, MB.OS, which is scheduled to be ready in 2024 and will be installed on an electric model based on the MMA platform launched in 2025.
In its electrification and software strategy, in addition to the vehicle operating system MB.OS, Mercedes-Benz has also launched two pure electric platforms. Among them, the EVA platform is suitable for large electric vehicles, including EQS, EQE and other models, and EQS has been launched this year.
MMA is a platform for compact and medium-sized electric vehicles. Models with the planned platform will be available from 2025.
Mercedes-Benz's plan is to build mb.OS for the first time in compact and medium-sized electric vehicles based on the MMA platform, and to adopt a self-developed operating system in all subsequent models.
The reason for choosing to launch MB.OS on the MMA platform model, Mercedes-Benz's consideration is that the users of the entry-level model are younger, more receptive to new things, and can also propose improvements to the system.
At the same time, from the perspective of time, the positioning of the MMA platform is for large-scale manufacturing, the price is down the platform, which requires a lot of resource investment, and also needs the lessons of the EVA platform, so it takes a certain amount of time to achieve, and Mercedes-Benz plans to launch it in 2025.
The development of the vehicle operating system MB.OS also requires the accumulation of time, which is planned to be achieved in 2024, and the two coincide in time.
——02——
Collaboration with Nvidia on autonomous driving technology
On June 23, 2020, Mercedes-Benz announced a partnership with Nvidia to use NVIDIA's AI chip "Orin" in its next-generation vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz's Orin will be the highest-end version and will build a software-defined computing architecture for autonomous driving based on the NVIDIA DRIVE platform.
That is, MB. Os's autonomous driving capabilities will use NVIDIA's self-driving car development environment.
At the NVIDIA Technology Conference "GTC 2022" from March 21 to 24, Mercedes-Benz held a briefing on its MB.OS system.
In the computer world, operating systems often manage computer assets, including CPU, memory, hard disk and SSD storage, and various interfaces. Managed by using an operating system, applications running on it can access the computer's assets without having to understand the differences in hardware.
By managing the car's hardware assets, Mercedes-Benz's MB.OS also provides middleware, applications, and user interfaces to four domains.
In addition, a large amount of data is generated when the car moves, MB. The OS will also manage data security.
In the field of autonomous driving, Mercedes-Benz's current S-Class and EQS can use L3 autonomous driving at German high speeds when conditions are eligible, and it also has L4 level automatic parking technology. In cooperation with NVIDIA, Mercedes-Benz will continue to deepen in the autonomous driving of L2 and L3.
——03——
Interactive experience upgrade
From an interactive perspective, MB. Os will also revolutionize MBUX.
Mercedes-Benz has partnered with navigation engine supplier Navus and video and game engine developer Unity to upgrade its navigation system to the new MB.OS to support 3D navigation.
The Unity engine is often used as a game engine, while in Mercedes-Benz's MB.OS system it will be used as a 3D engine to implement 3D navigation functions. The gamified experience will be the highlight of Mercedes-Benz's future.
Using Mercedes's stunning "Hyperscreen" curved screen enables 3D navigation to be magnified from the satellite view to 10 meters. At the same time, it also considers different times of the day to ensure that users see an accurate display in real time.
Magnus Oestberg, chief software officer of Mercedes-Benz, said: "It's the environment in front of you, very realistic for a navigation system. “
In addition, according to Ostberg, the current "Hey Mercedes" voice assistant will be replaced by the 3D "Star Avatar", providing a more "digital butler" service experience.
At present, Mercedes-Benz is using machine learning to verify the accuracy of MBUX systems and the problems they encounter. The next generation of interactive systems will be able to learn the habits and tastes of each user, provide users with playlists that match their tastes, and even guide how to achieve more economical driving. The conversation with "Hey Mercedes" will also be smoother, and the system will be able to understand approximate instructions without the need for specific words to activate the corresponding functions.
——04——
Software ushers in a new era of profitability
According to the plan, from 2022 to 2023, Mercedes-Benz will be equipped with a lightweight version of the MB.OS operating system on the next generation of new E-class models, and the full version of the MB.OS operating system will be launched in 2024.
Before 2024, Mercedes-Benz will continue to upgrade the MBUX intelligent human-computer interaction system in the form of software packages. And after 2024, MB. The OS operating system will bring about fundamental changes, through which the software and services developed by Mercedes-Benz itself will be able to be directly upgraded. For the system hardware covering the four areas of the car, especially the chipset, Mercedes-Benz will also adopt a standardized standard to create convenience for upgrading.
"At that time, in addition to the purchased software, the underlying and intermediate software will be independently developed by Mercedes-Benz." Mercedes-Benz chief operating officer Xue Fuming said.
In addition, in order to meet the needs of the Chinese domestic market, Mercedes-Benz has also increased its R&D layout in China.
On October 20, 2021, Daimler China Technology and Development Center was officially opened in Beijing.
On March 18 this year, Mercedes-Benz announced the establishment of a R&D center in Shanghai to further expand its R&D layout in China.
With the rapid development of digitalization, artificial intelligence and other fields, the two R&D centers in Beijing and Shanghai will absorb more local talents, strengthen cooperation with local enterprises and universities, and feed the world through China's innovation inspiration.
Regarding the MB.OS plan, Kang Linsong said, "We will not hand over the whole system to other people, but they can use digital technology." "As planned, while the system remains open, Mercedes-Benz will retain control over the user interface and data collected for future cars.
In the future, Mercedes-Benz hopes to make money through new recurring revenue streams such as driver assistance and infotainment services.
"I believe that in the future, instead of selling a new car to a customer every few years to make money, it will make money through software updates." Conlinson said.
This model has been validated by the continued revenue generated by Tesla Autopilot and FSD.
In the matter of self-developed operating systems, The Ashkenazi giants seem to have reached a consensus early. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen also plans to launch its own operating system VW.OS by 2025.
After all, the operating system independently developed by the car company can more easily retrieve the underlying data of the vehicle. In the era of the Internet of Everything, smart cars will inevitably interact with other smart devices, and it is even more necessary to have a low-level operating system. Coupled with the temptation of continuous profitability, for powerful car companies, self-developed operating systems are indeed a good choice.
But there is no shortage of skeptical voices in the industry. The current on-board system is controlled by multiple operating systems, but the cockpit system contains multiple operating systems, automatic driving and need different systems, want to use a system to control the whole car, Mercedes-Benz can achieve?
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