Does it make a car or not, is there any difference?
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “Garage #42” (ID: iCar123), author Chris Zheng.
On October 22nd, Xu Zhijun, the chairman of Huawei’s rotating company, delivered a keynote speech focusing on ICT technology and enabling car companies to “make good cars” and “good cars” at the World Intelligent Networking Auto Conference.
Since the smart car strategy was announced at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 17, Huawei has been moving frequently.
Ren Zhengfei issued: Independent business division of smart car business
On May 29, Ren Zhengfei issued Huawei 2019 Document No. 223 and formally established the Smart Vehicle Solutions Division (BU). The smart car solution BU is juxtaposed with network products and solutions BU, Cloud & AI products and services BU, plus Huawei operator BG, enterprise BG and consumer BG, forming the first six departments of Huawei, the president of smart car BU The army directly reported to Ren Zhengfei.
In the documents issued by Ren Zhengfei, the Smart Car Division positioned “providing ICT components and solutions for smart cars to help car companies build good cars”, which was positioned in the speech of Xu Zhijun on April 17 and October 22. In the same vein. From this perspective, Huawei’s strategy seems to be true.Li, easy to no longer adjust, the group BU immediately and firmly implement.
But in my opinion, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) components and solutions, this category is quite broadly defined, so that Huawei Smart Car BU is doing something different. In the specific implementation, there is considerable room for development and adjustment.
For example, Huawei’s PPT at the Shanghai Auto Show, HC 2019 and the World Intelligent Networked Auto Conference, has made a lot of adjustments to the specific business of the smart car BU, which is what Huawei is going to do.
Next, let’s expand one by one.
Cloud Services: Add OceanConnect Car Connected Access and Entertainment Services
As early as 2018 at the International Consumer Electronics Information and Communications Expo (CEBIT 2018), Huawei has released the OceanConnect car networking service. Before the launch of the service, Huawei has entered the French Peugeot Citroen Group to build the world’s largest front-mounted car networking project. The first DS 7 based on the Huawei OceanConnect car networking platform has been launched in Europe and China.
Huawei Ma Haixu launches OceanConnect car networking platform
From this perspective, the OceanConnect car networking business is stripped from the Huawei cloud core network product line and incorporated into the smart car BU.After the adjustment of Huawei’s latest organizational structure, the smart car-related business will be integrated and unified, and part of the external interface action will be unified.
The “entertainment business” here is the first time that Huawei has made a public appearance. However, Xu Zhijun’s speech did not elaborate on this business. From a literal point of view, Huawei seems to be based on the underlying environment built by the OceanConnect car network, building Huawei’s own content and service ecosystem on the upper layer of the car network, with Ali Zebra, Tencent car, Baidu car network and Botai, four-dimensional Zhilian, etc. The car networking platform is directly competing.
Smart Driving: Adding Lidar, Millimeter Wave Radar
Xu Zhijun said in his speech: Huawei will also use its own 5G technology to develop millimeter-wave radar to achieve all-weather imaging, and we will also make full use of the world’s leading optoelectronic technology to develop laser radar to truly solve the problem of laser radar. Cost issues and performance issues.
This is a major adjustment to the strategic layout of Huawei HC 2019. On HC 2019, Huawei defined the “division plan” for smart cars:
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Partners: Upper Scene Application/Application Algorithm
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Huawei: Hardware platform for middleware (self-developed CPU/AI chip) + software platform (self-developed car control OS) + tool chain
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Partners: Underlying sensor/wire control (camera, millimeter wave/ultrasonic radar, lidar, T-BOX, GPS, wire-controlled chassis)
Where is the advantage of Huawei’s development of millimeter wave radar?
After long-term technological development, the global millimeter-wave radar field has formed a situation in which ABCD (Autoliv, Bosch, Continental, Delphi Delphi) is controlled.Not friendly to new players.
But the millimeter-wave radar does have inherent problems. Even the highest frequency 77G millimeter-wave radar has a low resolution, which is not only impossible to accurately model pedestrians and obstacles, but also in sensor fusion and synchronization, AI algorithm. In processing, the raw data of the millimeter wave radar is also not friendly enough.
In the case of Tesla, on the one hand, Tesla applied the mainland ARS410 CV 77G radar, one of the best millimeter-wave radars on the market, on its Autopilot 2.5/3.0 model. On the other hand, Vice President of Autopilot Hardware Pete Bannon is leading a team to develop high-resolution imaging radars.
It can be said that high resolution imaging radar is one of the technical trends in the field of millimeter wave radar. Xu Zhijun did not disclose Huawei’s specific technology implementation route. What kind of imagination will be used here to “develop with its own 5G technology?” let us wait and see.
Intelligent Networking: Adding Ethernet Gateway (Central and Distributed)
Considering Huawei’s background, it is not unexpected to add Ethernet.
From the hardware point of view, the gateway is the core component of the vehicle’s electrical and electronic architecture; from the data point of view, the gateway is a nerve center that opens up various buses to realize data interaction, network management and fault diagnosis of various vehicle domains. In the era of smart cars, the importance of gateways has become increasingly prominent.
In a nutshell, if you define the vehicle’s electrical and electronic architecture, the gateway that comes with it is a matter of course. Typical smart car companies, such as Tesla Wei, have independently developed gateways to match the needs of the electrical and electronic architecture.
So how does Huawei think about the vehicle electrical and electronic architecture?
Xu Zhijun believes that “from the traditional car to the intelligent network car, the architecture must be changed.” The traditional E/E architecture is a bus plus decentralized control architecture, a few hundred controllers in a car, but toward the intelligent network Lianhe Automobile should fully integrate the achievements and accumulation of ICT technology development for decades, and make the car into a distributed Ethernet network + three domain controller architecture to realize software-defined cars and continue to enhance the experience for consumers.
From the perspective of PPT, software-defined functions; software and hardware decoupling, resource sharing, software upgradeable, and hardware replaceable, are completely consistent with the design philosophy of the pioneer of the smart car industry, Tesla.
With ModEl Te is equipped with Tesla’s latest generation of electrical and electronic architecture as an example. Its central computing module (CCM) integrates the intelligent driving domain (ADAS) and the infotainment domain (IVI), plus the left body control module (BCM- The LH) and Right Body Control Module (BCM-RH) completely replaces the complex architecture of the previous hundreds of ECU controllers and harnesses.
In addition to Tesla, the Volkswagen Group is also undergoing a major electrification revolution to achieve the goal of a significantly streamlined, software-defined automotive electrical and electronic architecture through the acquisition of software vendors and the establishment of a large-scale independent software team.
With the highly integrated high-performance electrical and electronic architecture + Ethernet gateway, Huawei has complemented the layout of automotive electrification.
Smart Connect: Updated to Smart Cockpit
The smart cockpit is the largest business of Huawei’s smart car BU adjustment. The core of the business is switched from the mobile phone mapping solution HiCar, which is mainly promoted at the Shanghai Auto Show, to the CDC smart cockpit platform.
HiCar
CDC, Cockpit Data Center, cockpit data center. To put it simply, Huawei’s thinking has been adjusted from building a Chinese version of CarPlay to a new car company: putting the entire OS into a car-controlled large screen.
Where is the difference between the two?
HiCar, hopes to rely on the mature software and hardware ecosystem of smart phones and mobile Internet to realize the migration of mobile phone from the mobile terminal to the vehicle end, including the more powerful AI computing power of the mobile phone (relative to the car), better Resource sharing such as communication antennas. But the biggest problem with this route is that it is still mobile-centric, and all the data generated by the smart car ecosystem can only be built on the smartphone ecosystem.
The CDC smart cockpit is based on an independent software and hardware system, including Hongmeng OS, App Eco, Kirin Gauge Chip, Screen, MIC, Audio, etc., to establish a data center based on automotive scenes. Independent account system, cloud service and vehicle OTA capability are the general trend of car cockpit intelligence.
Compared with other car companies or smart cockpit Tier 1, Huawei’s advantage lies in “the scale benefits of the industry chain synergy based on smart phone Kirin chips, reducing hardware costs”, taking into account the size of Huawei’s second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, Huawei’s entry is definitely worthy of the attention of the IVI industry chain.
Intelligent energy sector, updated to smart electric sector
In addition to the original multi-mode electric drive, charging and battery management system, Smart Electric has added a new VDC vehicle control platform. This business and the Shanghai Auto Show Xu Zhijun’s comments on the electric drive technology “now still not clear” has undergone a major change.
So what is the VDC vehicle control platform?
From the TMS, BMS, VCU involved in Sanpower to the vehicle control OS, the hardware required for VDC, high-voltage power electronics, on-board charging components, and even steering and braking… all packaged and integrated roll out.
To this point, Huawei has broken the credo that Xu Zhijun said, “We don’t do all the parts of a traditional car.” In fact, the positioning of Huawei Smart Car BU, an incremental component supplier for intelligent networked automotive companies, has become more intriguing.
“Incremental component suppliers for intelligent networked automotive companies”, this is a strong automotive industry with a very high level of entry and entry, and it can’t be moderately positioned.
But the truth is: Huawei’s smart driving, intelligent network, smart cockpit, smart electric, cloud services and the automotive industry Tier 1 / Tier 2 and even OEMs directly compete.
When smart cars become the trend of the times, the goal of Huawei Smart Car BU is to be China’s Bosch.
Huawei has entered so many core technical fields in the automotive field, and strategically has a “premeditated” of “prejudice”, so why not build a car?
This is a good question.
The ideal car founder Li Xiang once said, “60-70% of the technology in the automotive industry is in the hands of Bosch. If it is IPO, the market value may be much higher than Toyota.”Considering that the automotive industry is rapidly turning to intelligent and electrified, Huawei has a strong technical and talent pool in these two areas. It can be said that if Huawei replicates the success of the communications industry to the automotive industry, Huawei will certainly capture the automotive industry chain. The largest part of the added value.
On the contrary, whether it is the adjusted Apple Unmanned Project Titan project, the closed Dyson car project or the fierce Chinese new car legion, it proves that the threshold of the new car is high. For Huawei, whether to exchange for a higher operating risk in exchange for disproportionate profits is a question worth considering.
On the other hand, just now, Huawei’s official microblog announced that global shipments exceeded 200 million units in 2019. Under the influence of well-known unfavorable factors this year, Huawei still achieved rapid growth in consumer BG performance. Just 10 years ago, Huawei’s consumer business was still zero.
This shows that in the face of Huawei’s strong organizational error correction ability and corporate culture, the so-called 2B, 2C gene theory is not worth mentioning.
Whether Huawei can build a car, all car OEMs and Tier 1 should be wary. From the point of view of capital, talents, technology, and organization, this super-speaker seems to have all the ability to build a car. Does it make a car or not build a car? Is there any difference?
Attachment: The full text of Xu Zhijun’s speech.
Very guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon everyone!
I am very honored to participate in the World Intelligent Networking Auto Conference. I would like to take this opportunity to share how Huawei has focused on ICT technology to enable car companies to “build” cars and build “good cars”.
I said at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 17th that with the deep integration of automobiles and information and communication technologies, intelligent networked electric vehicles have become a new revolutionary development engine for human society, and their influence far exceeds two industries. itself. Intelligent networked cars will bring huge changes to the human society, the automobile industry, and people’s travel, mainly reflected in five points:
First, intelligent networked cars will become a platform for continuous value creation. After traditional mobile phones have moved to smart phones, smart phones have become a platform for the entire industry to continue to create value. We are delighted to see that once the car moves from a traditional car to an intelligent network car, it will also become a platform for the industry to continue to create value for the industry and continue to enhance the experience for consumers throughout the life of the car.
Second, the whole society in the future should be a combination of car and travel services.
Third, people with cars know that what we hate most is that the entertainment system in the car has remained unchanged for decades. I think that the smart cockpit in the automotive field is good, and other systems are good. It should be integrated with the industrial chain and ecology of the smart terminal that we are now booming. That is to bring the experience of the mobile phone to the car, bringing the hardware ecology and application ecology of the mobile phone into the smart cockpit.
Fourth, the traditional car is based on the E/E architecture, which is the bus + decentralized control architecture. We believe that to move to the intelligent networked car, it should be a distributed network + domain controller architecture.
Five, after connecting, the car is no longer an isolated mechanical object, but a type of network terminal. Naturally, it faces the problem of network security and the problem of information security. Therefore, the safety concept of the car must move from traditional security to credibility.
Noting the convergence trend of ICT industry and automobile, Huawei has been exploring for the past four to five years, how to make use of our technology accumulation advantages in the ICT industry to promote the traditional automobile industry to move towards intelligent networked vehicles. After several years of exploration, we have clearly defined our strategic choices: Huawei does not build cars, focuses on ICT technology, and becomes an incremental component supplier for intelligent networked vehicles, helping car companies to “build” cars and create “good cars”. .
In order to implement this strategy, on May 29, Huawei officially established the Smart Vehicle Solution BU to implement the strategy for intelligent networked vehicles.
At the same time, we have further planned the solution for intelligent networked vehicles, including five aspects: First, the most traditional intelligent network, how to connect cars and clouds, cars and cars, cars and goods, cars and surrounding stand up. The second is smart driving. The third is the smart cockpit. The fourth is intelligent electric. The fifth is that we provide a series of cloud services that help car companies develop and support innovation and support travel services. Mainly in these five directions to help car companies to build a good car.
First of all, from the traditional car to the intelligent network car, the architecture must be changed. The traditional E/E architecture is a bus plus decentralized control architecture. There are hundreds of controllers in a car, but moving towards intelligent networked vehicles should fully integrate the achievements and accumulations of ICT technology development for decades. Distributed Ethernet + three domain controller architecture, software-defined cars, continue to enhance the experience for consumers.
This way, in the life cycle of the car, continuous value creation can be achieved through software upgrades or hardware replacement. It is clear to everyone that following Moore’s Law, electronics industry technology is rapidly improving and costs are rapidly decreasing.
I share the practice of Huawei in specific directions:
In the first direction, we want to build an MDC intelligent driving platform. Through this platform, we will establish a broad ecosystem and eventually promote the automation of the entire automotive industry through open cooperation. Our biggest advantage is the ability of AI and the cloud to create an MDC intelligent driving platform based on Huawei’s rising chip, plus intelligent driving system and autopilot cloud service. Open the API through the intelligent driving platform, and create a total of three ecosystems with a wide range of component providers, integrators, application developers and other partners:
One is the sensor ecosystem, including lidar,Millimeter wave radars, cameras, etc., make these sensors easy to connect with the MDC. As one of the choices, Huawei will also use its own 5G technology to develop millimeter-wave radar to achieve all-weather imaging, and we will also take advantage of the world’s leading optoelectronic technology to develop laser radar to truly solve the cost problem and performance of laser radar. problem.
Second is the smart driving application ecosystem. We hope to build an algorithm based on MDC and application ecology. We hope that our partners will develop intelligent driving applications and intelligent driving algorithms based on MDC, and support the automotive industry to continuously provide intelligent driving. Innovative features and services.
Third, we connect the MDC with various execution components. We set the standard of the interface so that the MDC can easily cooperate with all the execution components. In addition, we also face a series of laws, regulations, policies, standards and other issues and challenges, so we hope to establish a wide range of ecological alliances to promote the establishment of standards, build consensus, to promote the automation of the entire automotive industry, and truly achieve complete Autopilot.
The second direction is to create a smart cockpit platform. Our core philosophy is to combine the smart cockpit platform with the entire smart terminal ecosystem. We have a large number of smartphone users in China and around the world. The entire industry has established a wide range of intelligent terminal ecosystems, realizing scale and low cost. The smart cockpit is in the car. We believe that the smart terminal hardware ecology, software ecology and application ecology should be introduced into the smart cockpit.
Huawei will build a smart cockpit platform based on the smartphone Kirin chip and the Hongmeng operating system. It is hoped that based on such a platform, the ecology of the smart cockpit will eventually be built. It is hoped that the future smart cockpit hardware can be replaced, the application is constantly updated, and the software can be continuously upgraded.
In the third direction, we want to create a smart electric platform that allows car companies to experience a differentiated experience in electric power. We developed an MCU, based on the MCU to build a vehicle control operating system, based on this operating system open to all car development companies, and constantly improve the user differentiation experience. All car companies can better differentiate their vehicle control based on the VDC platform.
At the same time, Huawei has a scale of US$5 billion in the energy industry. We make full use of the scale of the energy industry and device consistency to reduce the cost of electrification and solve the cost and performance problems of charging, electric drive and battery management.
At the end of the connection, we hope to connect the car to the road through the 4G, 5G, V2X technology and connect the car to the car. At the same time, through the cloud service, the effective management of all connected cars is realized, thus constructing an ecology that connects all the cars.
We hope to bring the ICT technology accumulated over the years to the intelligent network of the automotive industry, around smart cockpit, smart driving, wisdomCan network, intelligent electric and related cloud services, really help car companies to quickly create intelligent networked cars, become an innovative component supplier for intelligent networked car companies, helping our partners to “make good” Car, making “good car.”
Thank you all!