From 2023, the BMW Group will be launching an infotainment system
based on Android Open Source for the first time — the “BMW Operating
System 9”. The announcement was made by Stephan Durach, Senior
Vice-President Connected Company and Development Technical Operations
at the BMW Group, at the Automobil-Elektronik Kongress in Ludwigsburg.
In this new variant of the “BMW Operating System”, the user
experience, applications and user interface design are also developed
and implemented in a BMW specific way.
The current version of “BMW Operating System 8” is based on Linux.
Even for vehicles with the “BMW Operating System 9”, the so-called
Shared Service Layer will continue to be Linux-based. This layer is
used, for example, to control the Remote Software Upgrade, with which
BMW has been able to upgrade every line of the vehicle software
over-the-air since 2018. This includes the areas of infotainment,
driving, driver assistance, comfort and safety.
“We are integrating the best aspects of all worlds – that could be
our own in-house developments, Open Source or commercial software
products, depending on what the specific solution looks like. We make
sure our customers always enjoy a unique, customised digital
experience in their vehicle,” according to the lead developer for the
digital driving experience, Stephan Durach.
The different software platforms enable the infotainment systems to
be customised for different vehicle segments.
