Driving the Future: The importance of containerized software  

In today’s rapidly evolving automotive industry, the concept of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) is at the forefront of innovation. These vehicles will rely heavily on software to control, optimize, and update various functions, making it crucial to have efficient ways to manage and deploy software. This is where containerization, a technology that originated in cloud computing, becomes incredibly relevant. But what exactly is containerization, and how does it intersect with Over-the-Air (OTA) updates and SDVs?  

Understanding Containerization 

At its core, containerization is a method of packaging software so that it can run consistently across different computing environments. Imagine a container as a self-contained box that holds everything an application needs to run—code, libraries, dependencies, and configuration files.  

Containerization enables the “box” to be moved from one computing platform to another, or to be replicated and run across multiple computing platforms at once, meaning for example it can be deployed across several hardware servers as needed. This is quite valuable to the working of today’s cloud computing, enabling instant scalability of cloud resources dependent on compute process demand.  

In the case of SDVs the primary value of containerization is likely to differ. In the SDV the key value will be facilitating the installation of software into different vehicle platforms, whether that be different models of vehicles, model variants or model years. Thus the lifecycle of the software becomes independent of the lifecycle of the hardware, allowing complex software to undergo continuous development at its own pace, with continuous deployment into different hardware platforms in a variety of vehicles.  

The beauty of containerization lies in its ability to isolate applications from the underlying hardware. This means that the software inside the container should operate consistently, independent of the vehicle’s specific hardware setup. Whether it’s a luxury sedan or a rugged SUV, the software should seamlessly without requiring a tailored installation process for each computing platform in each vehicle model. 

Popular schemes for containerization 

One of the most well-known schemes to package and distribute applications in containers is Dockerization. Docker containers are lightweight and designed to run anywhere, from the cloud to the vehicle’s onboard systems. In the context of SDVs, Docker ensures that applications are packaged in a way that includes all necessary dependencies. This guarantees that software behaves consistently, whether it’s running in a development environment or across the fleet of vehicles in real-world use. Docker’s simplicity and efficiency make it a popular choice for automating the process of software delivery in modern automotive ecosystems, especially as the industry shifts towards regular OTA updates. 

Kubernetes is one of the most popular tools for orchestrating or managing containerized applications, particularly for cloud-based servers. Originally developed by Google, Kubernetes automates the deployment, scaling, and operation of application containers. Lighter weight orchestrators for containers are now beginning to emerge, with Bluechi and Podman providing notable examples with growing recognition among automotive software developers. 

For Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) effective orchestration of various software containers means the software can be deployed across different resource sets in different vehicles, while ensuring efficient use of resources and high reliability which is crucial for critical vehicle functions. This feeds the interest in Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, as software can iterate more efficiently to drive continuous innovation in the features and performance of the vehicle. 

This is part one of our series on containerized software and the SDV. Stay tuned for our next edition, where we look more closely at how containerization is being used beyond the cloud in automotive.