An Open Versus Closed Architecture for Multimedia Systems 2000-01-C065

For many years, carmakers have developed unique system designs to gain a competitive advantage using some unique technology or an optimization of a design to cut costs or improve quality. This leads to continual increase in complexity, long development times and high development costs.

A common platform, based on an "open architecture,'' provides a solution for many of the problems associated with the conventional automotive approach to electrical/electronic system designs. The PC industry is a prime example of how an open architecture can provide benefits to the consumer, manufacturers of software and hardware components, as well as complete system integrators.

The PC, based on the initial IBM computer developed in the early eighties, has become a de facto standard that has survived 20 years of fast and dramatic changes in the fundamental technologies used within the platform.

The carmakers have come together to develop an "open architecture'' for the new rapidly growing multimedia, telematics and communication systems for in-car use. The development of this new architecture is intended to meet the ever changing customer demands by shortening time-to-market of new components, broadening available feature choices and providing a method to easily upgrade older vehicles which have obsolete technologies.

The Automotive Multimedia Interface Collaboration (AMI-C), comprised of 12 car manufacturers, is working to develop an open architecture using interface standards and specifications for multimedia, telematics and navigation systems.

The resulting AMI-C architecture will include requirements and specifications for software interfaces, networking protocols, network gateways, APIs, physical connectors, packaging, and environmental specifications.