What if you could customize and update your car’s features and operations as quickly, securely and easily as you can for your smartphone? That vision drives Apex.AI, a CES 2024 exhibitor that’s innovating software designed to simplify connection to consumer-ready electric and autonomous vehicles. This company is breaking new ground as an enabler of the software-defined vehicle. Apex.AI President, CEO and Co-Founder Jan Becker observes that the software-defined vehicle is similar to smartphones in that the operating-system and app updates are quickly, simply and securely executed without a system redesign or costly trip to the dealer. Summarizing the Apex.AI vision in this episode of CES Tech Talk, Becker offers insights that include these:
- The OS for a smartphone employs a software development kit (SDK) that contains all the functionality common to apps for downloading data, creating a virtual keyboard and so on. Apex.AI has developed an SDK for software-defined vehicles.
- With Apex.AI, developers have a toolbox of pre-configured software with a modular, predefined and pre-certified design. They can use these to more quickly and easily implement a wide range of builds.
- Today’s cars include hundreds of small computers that essentially perform one task such as controlling the lights or radio. This architecture slows innovation, forcing update cycles that can last a year. In the future, a central core will control these features, as is the case with smartphones. Apex.AI software enables that central architecture.
- Apex.AI will demonstrate the future of software-defined vehicles, and how its software will enable them, at booth 6810 in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. A press conference is also planned.