CES 2018: Hyundai and Cisco bring SDN to the automobile

Korean automaker Hyundai will launch a so-called hyperconnected car next year, incorporating a software-defined network (SDN) architecture designed and built by network technology supplier Cisco, that it claims will set the stage for adaptive technologies in the motor industry.

The two firms are moving forward with a plan – first announced in 2016 – to develop vehicles with a new approach to communication, using a flexible platform that would “offer a path to innovate and build on smart vehicle solutions”.

Now termed a software-defined vehicle (SDV), the developing platform will be highly configurable, offering integrated, multi-layer security, full end-to-end networking enabling sensor integration, and an integration layer between software and legacy hardware.

In the same way software-defined networking is speeding up time-to-market for new services in enterprise environments, Hyundai and Cisco believe this approach will substantially accelerate the time it takes to bring new features to drivers.

“Hyundai Motor Group’s ongoing collaboration with top global technology companies is a testament to our ‘open innovation’ spirit; one that will prepare us for continued leadership as transportation and mobility undergo an unprecedented evolution,” said Hyundai Motor Group’s executive vice-president and head of auto intelligence, Seung-ho Hwang.

“Our partnership with Cisco is an outstanding example of such efforts, and in 2019, we will unveil the first vehicle equipped with ground breaking connected-car technologies jointly developed by the two companies.”

Cisco’s vice-president of growth initiatives and chief of staff to the CEO, Ruba Borno, said: “Cisco is pleased to bring a standards-based approach in partnership with the automotive industry; one that will help accelerate innovation and increase the value to the consumer.

“By creating a flexible, scalable, and secure platform, we are allowing automotive companies to deliver better cars – faster,” she added.

The collaboration will also explore the possibility of integration into Hyundai’s datacentres, which would enable better access to real-time data, and connecting cars to wider smart city infrastructures, letting them communicate with traffic lights or parking meters, for example.