Canonical joins GENIVI and announces Ubuntu version for in-vehicle infotainment

Canonical today announces it has joined The GENIVI Alliance, a non-profit industry alliance committed to driving the broad adoption of an open source In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) reference platform. Canonical has joined to bring its new IVI-focused products to the GENIVI Alliance members and to announce its intention to build a new GENIVI compliant Ubuntu IVI Remix.

The Ubuntu IVI Remix will be a specific version of the Ubuntu operating system based on a core set of Ubuntu technologies that will help IVI manufacturers to build specific devices for their customers. Ubuntu brings the ability to deliver much richer Internet-connected experiences to the embedded market.

Ubuntu IVI Remix is itself built on Ubuntu Core, a sub-set of Ubuntu technologies suited for the next generation of Internet-enabled embedded devices. This delivers the industry an open source and shared platform that has a long and stable history in the consumer market. This will have significant efficiency gains for members who can direct their development effort at the user experience rather than the foundations of the underlying operating system. Ubuntu Core also provides support for both ARM and Intel equally, giving GENIVI members a free choice in the hardware they choose to build on.

Chris Kenyon, VP OEM services at Canonical, comments; “Over the last two years, automotive technology suppliers and silicon partners have made it clear that they want to use Ubuntu in IVI products. We are delighted to be supporting these partners with this announcement. With Ubuntu Core’s excellent support for touch, syncing services like Ubuntu One and our extensive support for components and architectures – Ubuntu IVI Remix is an ideal foundation for next generation IVI devices.”

Graham Smethurst, GENIVI president says; “The automotive industry needs to keep pace with changing customer demand for connectivity and multimedia experiences on the go. As a GENIVI member, Ubuntu is now well positioned to offer open solutions that will bring many of the Internet services and capabilities required in new IVI solutions.”

Embedded semiconductor manufacturer, Freescale Semiconductor, supports Ubuntu IVI Remix as Ray Cornyn, director of Freescale’s automotive microcontroller products, explains; “Freescale has been developing new systems with Ubuntu and we are looking forward to continuing this development using the Ubuntu IVI Remix version as soon as it becomes available. With online services for music, video and other vehicle specific services, Ubuntu IVI Remix will help improve the capabilities of new cars in the future.”

“The Ubuntu IVI Remix will dramatically increase platform availability for companies developing GENIVI compliant solutions” said Stephen Doel, COO Linaro. “The work we are doing in our working groups and platform team at Linaro provides a stable and optimised base of product quality software and tools that Ubuntu Core and IVI remix can leverage directly.”

About Canonical

Canonical provides engineering, online and professional services to Ubuntu partners and customers worldwide. As the company behind the Ubuntu project, Canonical is committed to the production and support of Ubuntu – an ever-popular and fast-growing open-source operating system. It aims to ensure that Ubuntu is available to every organisation and individual on servers, desktops, laptops, netbooks and embedded devices.

Canonical partners with computer hardware manufacturers to certify Ubuntu, provides migration, deployment, support and training services to businesses, and offers online services direct to end users. Canonical also builds and maintains collaborative, open source development tools to ensure that organisations and individuals can participate fully in innovations within the open-source community. For more information, please visit the Canonical website

About GENIVI Alliance

GENIVI Alliance is a non-profit industry association whose mission is to drive the broad adoption of an In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) open source development platform. GENIVI will accomplish this by aligning requirements, delivering reference implementations, offering certification programs and fostering a vibrant open source IVI community. GENIVI’s work will result in shortened development cycles, quicker time-to-market, and reduced costs for companies developing IVI equipment and software. GENIVI is headquartered in San Ramon, Calififornia. www.genivi.org.