New Automotive Grade Linux Platform Release Adds Cloud-Native Functionality, RISC-V Architecture and Flutter-Based Applications

AGL’s latest UCB release advances SDV development and takes a software-first approach with support for AWS Graviton and Toyota Embedded Flutter

May 15, 2024 -- Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative cross-industry effort developing an open source platform for all Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), has announced the latest code release of the AGL platform, UCB 17.0 or “Quirky Quillback.”

Developed through a joint effort by AGL member companies, the AGL Platform known as the Unified Code Base (UCB) is an open source software platform that serves as an industry standard for infotainment, telematics and instrument cluster applications.

Support for AWS Graviton Enables AGL in the Cloud

The AGL platform now includes support for Amazon Web Services (AWS) Graviton processors, a family of processors designed by AWS to deliver the best price performance for cloud workloads running on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). This enables AGL to run in a cloud-based environment. Combined with the work being done by the AGL Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV) Expert Group to decouple the hardware from the software using virtualization and VirtIO, engineers can now develop and test AGL software from anywhere in the world without needing access to the physical hardware.

Running AGL in the cloud supports a software-first development approach, reducing the need for expensive hardware and enabling a high-level of software reuse and scalability. It also improves the Continuous Integration and Continuous Development/Deployment (CI/CD) process by allowing for frequent software iteration and testing across global teams.

“Established brands and fast-growing startups within the automotive industry are all embracing SDV technologies,” said Stefano Marzani, worldwide technology leader, SDV, AWS. “With support for Graviton processors, customers can now more easily take advantage of the flexibility and scalability of the cloud to develop and test AGL-based software virtually. This is a major milestone in SDV development that unlocks the benefits of the cloud for even more companies.”

The latest release also includes a vehicle-to-cloud demo application that can be used to access KUKSA.val and CAN signals remotely. Two ECUs feed data including speed, tachometer, fuel gauge and HVAC to the AGL reference hardware gateway demo and then to AWS cloud, demonstrating how AGL could be used for fleet management and remote diagnostics.

First Automotive Specific Support for RISC-V

RISC-V is gaining traction among automakers and suppliers as automotive SOCs continue to become more complex with multi-core processors. With the Quirky Quillback release, AGL now supports RISC-V with the SiFive Unmatched hardware board. By leveraging the open RISC-V architecture, hardware developers can create custom processors for individual automotive functions that all use the same architecture, enabling greater scalability, simplified software deployment and faster time-to-market.

RISC-V is a global standard instruction set architecture (ISA) that provides a foundation for processor design while allowing for greater customization and flexibility. According to market research published by SHD Corp. in January 2024, the RISC-V SoC market is forecast to grow to $92.7B by 2030, a CAGR of 47.4%.

The freedom to innovate and differentiate enabled by RISC-V has caught the attention of automakers and suppliers as in-vehicle computing undergoes a rapid evolution and automotive SoCs continue to become more complex with multi-core processors. The AGL Quirky Quillback release is running on the SiFive Unmatched board, which is powered by a 64-bit multicore RISC-V processor. It will also be capable of running on the recently announced SiFive HiFive Premier P550 board. By leveraging the open RISC-V architecture, hardware developers can create custom processors for individual automotive functions that all use the same architecture, enabling greater scalability, simplified software deployment and faster time-to-market.

“The RISC-V ecosystem is an exciting place to be right now, with developers focused on converting ‘ported to RISC-V’ code to ‘optimized for RISC-V’ software products,” said Jack Kang, SVP, Sales, Business Development and Customer Experience, SiFive Inc. “The availability of AGL expands the vibrant RISC-V ecosystem centered on automotive applications. SiFive is delighted to continue to play a leadership role in enabling RISC-V to compete on a level playing field with proprietary processor architectures across a diverse set of market segments.”

New User Interface (UI) with Toyota Embedded Flutter for Easy App Development

Quirky Quillback includes a new user interface (UI) and AGL reference applications to add a modern look and feel with more intuitive navigation. Demonstrated earlier this year in the AGL booth at CES 2024, the new UI includes informative visual elements and micro-animations to provide drivers with immediate visual feedback.

Quirky Quillback also includes Toyota’s automotive embedded version of Flutter, an open source app and UI development toolkit, that was designed specifically for automotive applications.

“With Toyota’s Flutter contribution, the AGL UI and reference applications were completely rewritten from start to finish in just eight weeks, a testament to its power and ease of development,” said Dan Cauchy, Executive Director of Automotive Grade Linux. “We are excited that Automotive Grade Linux is now the home for automotive embedded Flutter, which we believe will become the de facto standard for developing in-vehicle applications.”

Additional Updates

Quirky Quillback includes an operating system, board support package, middleware, application framework and application APIs. Additional updates to the AGL platform include:

• Yocto
  • Updated to the latest YP Kirkstone. Quirky Quillback will continue to follow Kirkstone. Lucky Lamprey is going end of life, but Quirky Quillback will be available for the next two years.
  • The platform will move to Yocto 5.0 Scarthgap for the Royal Ricefish release.

• Flutter
  • Updated Flutter embedder to use Flutter v3.13.9
  • New Flutter IVI reference apps developed for CES by ICS
• Web Apps:
  • Upgraded Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) to be default Chromium implementation with more up-to-date Chromium version from Pike
• Connectivity:
  • Updated KUKSA.val to v0.42.0
  • Enabled KUKSA.val databroker and converted legacy services to use gRPC interface
  • Created demo control panel application that can be used to stimulate CAN signals remotely
• Audio
  • PipeWire and WirePlumber updates
  • Mixer API updated to use gRPC
  • Added controls for bass, treble, balance, and fade to mixer API
• Board Support:
  • aws-ec2-arm64 & aws-ec2-x86-64
  • RISC-V support added with SiFive Unmatched board
  • Beaglebone AI-64 & BeaglePlay
  • Raspberry Pi 5 and Renesas S4 Starter Kit coming soon in patch release

The full list of additions and enhancements can be found here.