Software was one the five key area of change Volvo cars unveiled in its capital days presentation in November 2024. That is software-friend. The company also discussed a “Superset Technology Stack”, which it unveiled in September 2024.
Alwin Bakkenes, Head of Global Engineering at Volvo Cars, Says The Technology Stack is Closely Related to some of the attributes that define modern cars, such as safety, Human-concentric technology and customer experience,
Volvo's SuperSet Tech Stack
The superset tech stack is a modular engineering platform that the company says will be used to build all future vehicles. It allows Volvo cars to make safer cars, more efficiently, and to improve them over time through software.
“Effectively, the superset tech stack is a true superset strategy,” Says bakkenes. This means Volvo can build small “B” class cars like the ex30 right up to Premium “F” Class Cars Cars Like the Ex90 in a scalable way.
Discussing the benefits, bakkenes say: “very often, companies have one Architecture for Smaller Cars and One for Mid-Sized Cars. They have different physical layouts in terms of engines or electric motors. But with a superstar technology stack, we effectively have a one-track implementation for our software and electronics stack, which is a lot more efficient for us as a compani. “
“As we build more cars based on the superset tech stack instead of bespoke platforms, it will contribute to our margins,” he adds. As the SuperSet Tech Stack Underpins All Volvo Cars' Upcoming Vehicles, IT Converges All Engineering Efforts into One Single Direction, Rather Than work on specification, Siloed.
Working with nvidia on ai
The Volvo EX90 (pictured above) Is the company's first car to be software-defined, Built on the SuperSet Tech Stack. It is based on a centralized core Compute Architecture Using The Nvidia Drive orin System-or-Chip Architecture.
Nvidia Orin orchestrates Everything in the car, from Powering The Deep Learning Capabilities underpinning Volvo's artificial intelligence (ai) Uce Safe Autonomous Driving in the Future and Delivering Best-In-Class Customer Experience.
INTEAD of Large Steps Between different generations of cars, Volvo cars can continuely enhance the performance of Each Vehicle in its line-up Simultaneously, with the Same Subh Same Same SUPERSET Tech Stack. It also enables Closed-LOOP DevelopmentWhich allows Volvo cars to reduce the time it takes to roll out new software features.
For instance, with its ex90 model, Volvo has been collected data from fleets of cars to improve the behavior of the vehicle over time. “We can go understand if somenting is wrong by assking a fleet of cars to collect data from, for example, a certain interaction or under under certain driving conditions. We can use the raw data we get back to retrain our data models, “Says bakkenes.
Real-time data for product development
In effect, the closed-loop system, Built on the SuperSet Tech Stack, Uses Real-Time Data to Improve Product DevelopmentThe data processing is powered by what bakkenes says is one of Northern europe's largest ai supercomputers.
Through its fully Owned Software Company – Zenseact – Volvo has been using the Nvidia dgx-based ai supercomputing platform To help develop safe autonomous driving. The company plans to use nvidia dgx systems, optimized for large workloads, for training current and future ai models, based on uploading data from the fleeet of Volvo Cars DRIN DRIN DRIN DRIN DRINDS.
To support its strategy to make driving safer, bakkenes say Volvo equips all its cars with 5G Connectivity,
“With a superset technology stack, we effectively have a one-track implementation for our software and electronics stack, which is a lot more efficient”
Alwin Bakkenes, Volvo Cars
He says the cars make use of ai in a hybrid setup, which uses in-vehicle processing capability at the edge, Along with the 5G-Connected Cloud-Based Processing.
Through the partnership with nvidia, he says Volvo's goal is to every car with “potent silicon”, on which complex ai models can be deployed that make the cars the safest it has ever.
Volvo has also standardized on the Google Automotive Android-Based Operating System for its cars. “What Google Gives Us is a very good starting position for a stable infotainment system and provides us a way to integrate in a larger ecosystem,” Says bakkenes.
This means Volvo not only uses Google Automotive as a Complete Application Framework For Developing Its own in-Car Applications, but it also also also also also also also also alsoo enables Volvoo to work with third-party devilopers. For instance, in Sweden, Volvo has partnered with parking app provides to integrate the app into the infotainment system. “It makes the experience of opening and operating a Volvo Car Easier,” he adds.
Google Automotive also provides Google Maps and Google Assistant for Voice Control, Where the Driver Simply Says “Hey Google” and Asks Google Maps to NVIGATE SoMERERE.
Modern cars put a lot of emphasis on the infotainment system. Certainly, Car reviews on the web often make a point of highlighting the shortcomings of these in-car systems. Bakkenes say that from a customer satisfaction, loyalty and prefererance percent, a car's infotainment system plays a very important role.
“It's not just about the media player or the radio, but about how the car interactions with the driver. How you implement that digital relationship while the car is being drive is extramely important, “He says.
Over time, the infotainment system is used to add more functionality to the car, which, for bakkenes, means Volvo cars can improve the customence by updating CTS from the fleet of cars on the road .