Open Community Experience (OCX) 2024 kicked off today in Mainz, Germany, alongside a handful of collocated events, including the Open Community for Automotive (OCA). Day one proved to be well worth the trip, as these four key takeaways illustrate.
Takeaway #1: If GenAI Transforms Software Development, It Will Also Transform the Development of Vehicle Software.
In his opening talk at OCA, Dirk Slama, Vice President Partner Ecosystems at Bosch and Director of the AIoT Lab at Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institut (FSTI), electrified the audience with examples of GenAI applications, including personalised welcome sequences and intelligent wiper systems that use cameras instead of traditional sensors. His thought-provoking questions – “Will we still be manually coding cars in five years?” and “Will the S in ‘SDV’ still be needed if AI drives the cost of coding to zero?” – sparked lively discussions that continued in smaller groups and coffee talks throughout the day. In Dirk’s talk, attendees saw firsthand how platforms like Eclipse Autowrx are empowering developers to create vehicle software through non-code prompts, shifting the paradigm for how cars are programmed and maintained.
Takeaway #2: Streamlining Regulatory Compliance Is Essential to Achieving the SDV Vision.
Dirk also demonstrated how regulatory compliance could become a relevant GenAI use case, introducing the CoHo (Continuous Homologation) Framework that is poised to transform the automotive industry by simplifying post-SOP change management and software updates, while maintaining compliance with evolving regulations.
Indeed, open-source projects are becoming critical in ensuring regulatory compliance and fostering innovation: in his OCA session, Carlton Bale (Director, Connectivity Strategy at Cummins) highlighted initiatives like the OpenTelematics Initiative, which aims to standardise and secure software updates across domains. Software update interoperability – spanning from cloud orchestrators like Eclipse Symphony to local high-performance computing (HPC) orchestrators such as Eclipse Kanto, Ankaios and BlueChi, and seamless communication and service updates with Eclipse uProtocol – is essential to this vision. “Tier 1 has very high incentives to keep their software up to date,” Carlton said.
Takeaway #3: Creating Tangible Value Will Make All the Difference.
“Cars are tangible products. How can we create something tangible?” This point was raised by Martin Schleicher, Head of Software Strategy at Continental, during the panel discussion “Road to Open Source for a European SDV SW Stack” with other thought leaders and policy makers.
Schleicher emphasised the need for concrete value creation, starting with code, use cases, and building blocks before moving on to architecture and more abstract concepts. He later added that while it was a significant achievement for the EU to bring the industry together to define the “Software Defined Vehicle of the Future” (SDVoF), the European SDV community must now begin delivering to maintain its competitive edge. After all, as Rolf Riemenschneider, Head of Sector Internet of Things at DG Connect (European Commission), highlighted in said panel discussion – citing the recently published Draghi report – the EU is showing “signs of eroding competitiveness,” and the automotive industry must act soon to address these gaps.
Takeaway #4: Open Source Is Not Free Like Sunshine. It’s Free Like a Puppy.
This metaphor was used by Sarah Novotny, Open Source Champion, in her insightful keynote on building trust in open source software. One might think that OSS is inherently trustworthy due to its transparency. However, as Sarah demonstrated, trust must be earned and nurtured through mindfulness and guiding principles. She offered the audience the following advice on fostering trust:
- Make no sudden moves. (You are part of an ecosystem.)
- Responsibly disclose and help remediate! (Don’t silo information)
- Engage with projects you depend on. (Don’t demand things.)
- OSS is not free like sunshine.
Instead of being free like sunshine, OSS is free like a puppy, requiring adoption and ongoing care.
Follow Us and Don’t Miss out on the Next OCX!
These four snapshot takeaways offer just a humble glimpse into the wealth of insights and discussions taking place at the OCX conference. For more on the talks, be sure to follow our social media channels. And to experience the unique and inspiring atmosphere at Halle 45, a beautifully restored former tram station, watch our video recap of the day:
