As cars become smarter, who will be the “escort”?

In the third decade of the 21st century, we have entered a new era defined by software and driven by data. The automotive industry is at the forefront of this wave of digital transformation, with electrification and intelligence becoming the main trends in the industry's development.

With the rapid development of technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and big data, software and communication technologies are constantly being integrated into every aspect of automobile manufacturing, transforming the car from a traditional means of transportation into an intelligent mobile terminal.

From May 28th to 30th, under the guidance of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Vehicle Safety Technology, the 2024 Automotive Software and Communications Conference was held in Suzhou, Jiangsu, hosted by the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as China Automotive Research Institute) under China Inspection and Quarantine Agency and organized by China Automotive Research Institute (Jiangsu) Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Image source: China Automotive Research Institute

During the conference, Zhou Yulin, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Automotive Research Institute, said that with the deepening development of the digital transformation of the automotive industry, software and communication technologies have become the key forces in the innovation and development of automotive technology.

Intelligent transformation requires escort

The boundaries of the automotive industry are gradually blurring, and integration with information communications, the Internet and other industries will become the norm, and the industry is embracing this change.

According to McKinsey's forecast, the global automotive software market will reach US$84 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 9% from 2020 to 2030. The growth rate and scale of China's automotive market are leading the world.

However, this also brings unprecedented challenges to the automotive industry. Innovative technologies emerge in an endless stream, the complexity of software integration increases, data security and privacy protection issues become increasingly prominent, and consumers' expectations for personalized experience are also increasing.

Massive amounts of data processing takes place in today's cars, which are gradually becoming a small control and data center. Users and car companies are paying more attention to personal safety and data privacy security, which greatly increases the priority of functional safety, network security related technology development and standard construction in industrial development.

In this context, software security and reliability have become core issues facing the automotive industry, and the challenges of communication technology are equally severe. As the heart of intelligent vehicles, automotive chips are closely connected with software and communications, and their security, reliability, and high stability requirements are also increasing.

These challenges require the automotive industry to embrace the double-edged sword of technology and market with a more open and innovative attitude, and innovation needs to be guaranteed.

At the conference, Shen Changxiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out that safety and trustworthiness are necessary conditions for the development of intelligent vehicle networks and intelligent connected vehicles.

Image source: China Automotive Research Institute

At present, we can see that the government, industry, academia, etc. are making efforts for the safe development of software and communication technologies.

On the one hand, domestic and foreign experts, scholars and enterprises are conducting in-depth research and technological innovation in key technologies for automotive safety and trustworthiness, chip electromagnetic safety technology, and 6G wireless channel research. These technological breakthroughs will provide a solid foundation for the development of future automotive software and communication technologies.

On the other hand, the close cooperation among vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers, software developers and other parties is forming an efficient supply chain system to accelerate the advancement of software-defined vehicles, among which the importance of third-party testing agencies is highlighted.

Third-party forces escort the development of intelligent connected vehicles

The rapid development of intelligent connected vehicle technology has put forward higher requirements on vehicle safety, reliability and performance, which has directly promoted the service demand and technology upgrade of third-party industry forces.

Verifying the intelligence level of the vehicle, including testing in areas such as network security, data security, and software upgrades, and ensuring that the vehicle's intelligent performance and safety performance meet standards has also become a top priority for current development.

Founded in 1965, China Automotive Research Institute plays an important role in this wave of intelligence.

Lei Jianmei, chief expert and deputy general manager of the information intelligence business unit of China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., said in an interview with Gasgoo that China Automotive Research Institute focuses on in-depth evaluation and testing of various novel and comprehensive products, and has built an innovative system in the process.

In the face of the development of automotive software and communication technology, China Automotive Research Institute's capacity building in evaluation, certification and other aspects is also keeping pace with the times.

At present, China Automotive Research Institute has built a technical service layout with Chongqing headquarters as the core, radiating to major automobile industry clusters across the country; it has national platforms such as the National Gas Vehicle Engineering Technology Research Center, the National Key Laboratory of Automobile Noise Vibration and Safety Technology, and the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Hunan).

CARI has also established three regional bases in Beijing, Suzhou and Shenzhen, and a cluster system integrating the Testing Engineering Division, Energy and Power Division, Information and Intelligence Division, Equipment Division and Aftermarket Division (under preparation), and has professional platforms including Standard Certification Center, Political Research and Consulting Center, Brand Promotion Center and Data Information Center.

Today, in response to the development needs of intelligent vehicle software and communication technology, China Automotive Research Institute has invested nearly RMB 350 million in Chongqing to build the first phase of the Global Automotive Information and Communication Evaluation Technology Innovation Base. The base covers a total area of ​​over 130 million square meters and has more than 20 world-leading laboratories.

Image source: China Automotive Research Institute

At this conference, the Global Automotive Information and Communication Evaluation Technology Innovation Base was officially launched. By 2025, the second phase of the innovation base of China Automotive Research Institute in Suzhou High-tech Zone will be put into operation. According to the plan, China Automotive Research Institute will build an automotive information and communication evaluation technology innovation base in Shenzhen in the future and explore overseas layout.

It is reported that by the end of this year, the East China Headquarters Base invested by China Automotive Research Institute in Suzhou will also be completed and put into production. The base will focus on building service capabilities featuring new energy and intelligent networked vehicles, electronic communication software and chips, components and materials, and meet the full-chain evaluation needs of automotive electronic communications and software at all levels.

In addition, the Suzhou Intelligent Automobile Chip Testing Public Service Platform, jointly initiated by China Automotive Research Institute (Jiangsu) Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd. and Suzhou High-tech Integrated Circuit Industry Development Co., Ltd., the East China Branch of the Fifth Institute of Electronics of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Suzhou Zhongke Integrated Circuit Design Center, Suzhou Metrology and Testing Institute and other units, was officially unveiled at this conference. It will build comprehensive evaluation capabilities covering the reliability, safety, and matching of automotive chips.

Image source: China Automotive Research Institute

At the same time, the China Quality Certification Center (CQC) also released the relevant rules for "Automotive Chip Reliability Test and Evaluation". According to reports, the China Quality Certification Center has gathered industry experts to formulate unified, standardized and complete rules for automotive chip reliability test and evaluation. These rules will effectively solve the problems of incomplete, non-standard and non-transparent third-party testing of domestic automotive chip products, and help the healthy and long-term development of my country's automotive chip industry.

Under the backdrop of the national intelligent connected vehicle strategy, third-party organizations such as China Automotive Research Institute are constantly promoting their own technological upgrades and service optimizations to ensure that they can keep pace with the times and provide guarantees for the development of intelligent connected vehicles.