The AGL community is comprised of a diverse set of member companies that are collaborating on enabling the next generation of in-vehicle software systems. This blog series highlights AGL members and how they are contributing to open source software solutions that will benefit the entire automotive industry.
Member: Daniel Thunberg, Global Head, Internet of Things
Company: Irdeto
Can you tell me a little bit about your company and what you do?
Irdeto is a cybersecurity company with more than 45 years in the business. We are cybersecurity experts across a wide range of industries even though our heritage is primarily from pay-media and Hollywood content.
Why did you join AGL?
Looking at the automotive landscape and where things are going, we think AGL has a compelling value proposition and strategy that will be a winning concept in the long run. Code first will speed up the adoption of new features and functionalities and new technologies. From a security perspective, it is important to have a unified code base to ensure that overall robustness rules and security levels are actually implemented correctly.
How is your organization involved in AGL? What workgroups do you participate in?
We are on the Steering Committee and intend to contribute as much as we can to the general direction of AGL. We are also providing our cybersecurity expertise and knowledge to the System Architecture Group, and we are a very active member of the Security Expert Group.
Why is your company adopting an open source approach? What are the benefits?
The world is going open source, and that is a good thing. We believe that collaboration will create more innovation and faster adoption of new technologies to the benefit of the consumer. Consumers want all the new shiny technology available in the car now, not in five years. Open source and AGL will improve production times and help us to give consumers what they want, when they want.
What do you think sets AGL apart from other industry alliances?
The code first approach and the mandate to move beyond in-vehicle infotainment (IVI). It is a different and more aggressive approach to achieve things faster. I believe that this is what this industry needs given the consumer expectations that their car should operate like a mobile phone and the desire to personalize objects these days.
How will the projects that AGL is developing help your business?
It will drive the development of some of our core products and it will help us to innovate. Collaboration with companies you normally do not work with with creates new thinking and ideas. Innovation is extremely important to our company, as it is the source to stay ahead of not only competition, but hackers and pirates as well.
How do you anticipate AGL changing the automotive technology landscape?
Since AGL’s mandate is to be the code base not only for IVI, but also for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and other new technologies that will ultimately provide us with autonomous vehicles, I think AGL will provide a time-to-market advantage for its OEM members. If the Unified Code Base is adopted as anticipated by the OEMs, it will be much cheaper and faster than developing it by yourself or appointing a Tier 1 to do a custom solution. That’s the power of open source!
What advice would you give to someone considering joining AGL?
Get involved! I think it is important to have business objectives and a strategy for any involvement with any organization, but with AGL you need to get involved to get returns. If you participate in the expert groups, it is great source for requirements and innovation that you can build into your road-maps and contribute into the Unified Code Base. It is also important to understand your business model and goals. Contribution is key, but we all have our own objectives to meet at the end of the day as well.
