4 trends that could redefine embedded automotive tech in 2020

But these are just the tip of the iceberg of what we can expect to see this year and in the decade ahead.

Here are a few of the biggest shifts in 2020 that will redefine the landscape for embedded automotive tech going forward.

1. 5G will enable mainstream adoption for connected cars

Service providers have already begun rolling out their support for 5G, and we’ll see more of these implementations across major cities this year. Connected, or smart, cars need to be able to comprehensively detect their surroundings, analyse that environmental data and make lightning-fast decisions about all possible road or traffic conditions - including lights, road hazards, signs, nearby cars, etc. - in real time.

5G capabilities, with a latency of one millisecond and connection speeds of 20GBps, provide exactly the infrastructure needed to realise the full potential of connected cars’ capabilities. The more 5G becomes mainstream, the more widely spread that connected cars - with the ability to communicate with other vehicles or react to traffic and road conditions - will become.

2. Cars will become mini data centres as the focus on interactive user experience increases

As cars become increasingly connected and focused on delivering robust digital experiences to drivers and passengers, vehicles will effectively become more like miniature data centres. Automakers will find new ways to consolidate Engine Control Units (ECUs), which had previously been dedicated to controlling separate functions within the car - from lighting and steering to ADAS and tire pressuring monitoring.

These ECUs used to present a major software challenge, in that they were created by different manufacturers, resulting in fragmented approaches to developing and implementing in-car software.

But in 2020, we can expect to see more automakers take a domain control-based approach to consolidate these ECUs into just a few dashboards. This consolidation will enable new value-added features like Over the Air updates and predictive maintenance alerts.

3. Consequently, power efficiency for cars will become even more essential

With vehicles evolving into mini data centres that are ingesting, processing and storing greater volumes of data to deliver engaging new digital user experiences, this level of computing power is going to seriously increase the risks for overheating. Just in the same way that data centres need to be cooled to prevent servers from running too hot, the same will need to happen for cars, too.

As a result, we will see automakers begin to increasingly prioritise power efficiency for connected car components, ensuring that the data center running under the hood remains as cool and efficient as possible.

4. AI will begin to be more deeply integrated into cars

This year, we will see the start of a deeper integration between AI and vehicles, marking a massive jump forward from the applications we’ve already been seeing the last few years.

Sensors and cameras affixed to the exterior of a car will be used to report on real time driving conditions that an internal AI can then react to. For instance, if those sensors detect that roads are getting icy, the AI will know to kick in 4-wheel drive to slow the car down in response.

To decrease distracted driving, AI will also be used to provide drivers and passengers with interactive virtual assistants that will help them more intuitively control everything in the vehicle, from lights to entertainment - improving on both safety and convenience.

This is all just scratching at the surface of what I expect to be a transformative decade for embedded automotive tech - but it all starts here in 2020, with 5G, AI and an increasing focus on in-vehicle digital experiences.

A future of AI-dominated, digitised and self-driving vehicles is just a matter of when, not if, and I can’t wait to see what else is around the corner that will further drive us in that direction.