Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) will be creating open source software solutions for automotive applications. Their initial focus is on In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) and their long-term goals include the addition of instrument clusters and telematics systems. Already AGL already has the likes of Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota on board and that list will only continue to grow.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are the brand-specific solutions for the auto industry and both rely heavily on their connected phones to do a lot of the heavy lifting. That’s where AGL takes a completely different route. Instead of depending on a separate device to serve as the operating system to drive the platform, AGL will be a stand-alone platform with one very specific difference to any competition.
AGL is completely open. In fact, you can already download the source for Automotive Grade Linux and run it on supported hardware (Renasas R-CAR M2 PORTER, Renasas R-CAR E2 SILK, QEMU x86). Because AGL is open source, the manufacturer downloads the source for AGL and makes it work to their exact specifications each time. Most auto manufacturers don’t want to hand over control to the likes of Google or Apple and AGL starts to make a lot of sense. In fact, developers from every member company of AGL are working together so that AGL can be adopted by the entire automotive industry.
According to Dan Cauchy, general manager of the Automotive Grade Linux project, the first autos to hit the streets, running AGL, should appear sometime in 2018. By then, it is expected that AGL will be on version 3, so it will be ready for prime time. Considering the first version was released at CES 2016, that’s an impressive feat.