Huawei introduces HarmonyOS Smart Cockpit Solution

Huawei has held a briefing about its new smart cockpit solution. At the Auto Shanghai 2021 event, Huawei has launched its computing platform based on Kirin chipsets, a cockpit-oriented software platform, a display platform, and a hardware and software ecosystem. Wang Qingwen, General Manager of the Smart Cockpit Product Dept of Huawei Intelligent Automotive Solution BU, spoke about Huawei's plans to collaborate with automobile manufacturers and partners in the industry to facilitate the evolution of intelligent cockpit.

Wang spoke to attendees from the automotive industry about Huawei's understanding of cockpit intelligence, stressing that consistent experience in multiple scenarios is key to cockpit intelligence. "Through its hardware ecosystem, Huawei has realized the interconnection between distributed devices inside and outside vehicles, and the connection of those devices to computing and software platforms. Meanwhile, Huawei has opened up APIs to help automobile manufacturers, tier-1 suppliers, and ecosystem partners quickly develop differentiated services and features that meet user requirements, enabling an optimal, interesting, and enjoyable driving experience of users." Wang said.

To ensure smooth user experience throughout the vehicle lifecycle, Huawei has designed pluggable Kirin vehicle-mounted chipset modules to enable easy upgrade and iteration of chips and modules, and to maintain the peak performance of the cockpit.

The Harmony Operating System (Automotive) is a vehicle OS developed by Huawei. It provides capabilities such as one-chip multi-screen, multi-concurrency, and runtime deterministic assurance to meet the requirements of mobility scenarios. Through HarmonyOS, a vehicle's head unit can connect with other intelligent terminals and share information. Various hardware devices can connect to people, vehicles, and homes.

Huawei provides Huawei Mobile Services (Automotive) core capabilities, such as voice, vision, sound partitioning, sound effects, and touch control, and fully opens these capabilities through APIs, which allow automotive manufacturers, tier-1 suppliers, and application ecosystem partners to develop functions, services, features and applications.

At this conference, Huawei also launched two display products: AR-HUD and Huawei Cockpit Vision.

As autonomous driving continues to develop, mobility will be easier and users will spend more time on entertainment. Huawei has drawn on its long history with optical technology and AR to build the AR-HUD. The AR-HUD is a small device that projects a large display, with high-definition video quality. It provides users with driving safety assistance as well as immersive audio-visual entertainment.

The Huawei Cockpit Vision features a large 15.6-inch 2K screen. The narrow-bezel design gives it a screen-to-body ratio of 87%. With integrated commissioning of Kirin chips and software, Huawei Cockpit Vision delivers vivid color and has received TÜV Rheinland eye comfort certification. With NFC and millimeter-wave radar, it also supports one-touch transmission, one-touch connection, and gesture control, allowing users to enjoy the same control experience they would have on a flagship smartphone.

Huawei has set up OpenLab Suzhou, where it performs joint innovation and interoperability tests on devices with its hardware partners. Wang said that Huawei wants partners' devices to be plug-and-play, with continual hardware updates available throughout the vehicle lifecycle.

In its software ecosystem, Huawei works with partners to perform in-depth experience optimization and function development for in-vehicle scenarios, enabling applications to be up-to-date. Currently, there are more than 50 application partners, and Wang said that Huawei expects more and more partners to join the application ecosystem.