Expertise in Developing Next-generation IVI Systems

Business challenge

Modern in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems are a must in today’s cars. In response to growing demand, next-generation IVI systems are coming out to support OEMs and Tier 1 providers in building superior user experiences. Most of these solutions are delivered via SDKs and require a trusted technology partner to dive deeply into the market trends and end-user needs and decide on the unique IVI system requirements.

With vast expertise in the automotive domain and automotive technology stacks, Intellias experts have been involved in the development of various solutions at the SDK level. They have contributed to key features for users, such as a media kit, productivity kit, car control, voice assistant, and climate control. The Intellias team has worked on two projects that have been based on software development kits (SDKs) used by clients. Both of them required deep knowledge of the Kotlin programming language and development environment, along with expertise in cloud solutions and Android Automotive OS (AAOS).

Solutions delivered

The Intellias team joined our client’s SDK development in the early stages and started by pulling together the project team. The project required deep knowledge of the platforms customers were using and vast expertise in technologies including the Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS), Android Open-Source Platform (AOSP), and Android Jetpack Components; the Kotlin, C++, and Java programming languages; and Kotlin Coroutines. Intellias was chosen to cover a major part of the technology stack and take over the software development process.

The main idea of the first project was to develop a Kotlin SDK for the AAOS IVI system. It had to include a media kit (music/podcast/external music providers), a productivity kit (SMS, phone calls, Bluetooth), user service, a car control kit, and other similar features. The application was created with a cutting-edge technology stack; the latest version of Android provides users with rich multimedia functionality and the ability to connect to external sources including Spotify and YouTube Music. The media player is distributed as a pre-installed Android application within the IVI system in car models of various brands. The head unit and infotainment system were extended by the voice assistant, which lets the driver use voice commands to create routes, process payments, or even order food on the go. Media services are planned to fully incorporate smartphones inside cars and extend the IVI system.

By ramping up a team of Java Cloud and Kotlin engineers, Intellias managed to help the client with:

• Extending the IVI system with Android device support
• Smart home integration
• Adopting cloud solutions
• Integrating and extending the voice assistant feature
• Optimizing the team to fit the existing milestones and budget

The second project of creating in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems was based on the digital cockpit platform designed by the client. The main idea was to create a climate control feature and test the system’s overall stability. An Intellias team of skilled software engineers took over the project and offered a turnkey solution. The team performed market research to learn the needs of end-users, created the design and a list of features to include, and presented a working application to the client.

Business outcome

Intellias has helped clients build outstanding solutions helping OEMs, and Tier 1 suppliers create IVI modules and systems for clients. Having vast experience in the domain, our experts offered a powerful team extension, covering most of the technology stack. We provided our clients with the best team composition, offering delivery managers, product owners, Kotlin architects, Kotlin developers, and senior Java and cloud engineers.

Our expertise covered our clients’ most specific needs– working with the AAOS and unique digital cockpit platforms. We managed to develop the projects’ major functionality, covering support for Android devices, integration of navigation through the IVI system, integration with smart home cloud solutions, and end-to-end creation of a climate control feature. Apart from implementing the main functionality, the Intellias team has met clients’ milestones, stayed within budget, and met all delivery deadlines.