1. Add Genivi logo to top part of article. It's not an actual figure

1. Add GENIVI logo to top part of article. It's not an actual figure.

GENIVI Alliance opens (car) door even further with new Compliance 2.0 spec

Deck: Linux-based and fully open, Compliance 2.0 products interoperate and provide "mandatory" system functions in automotive IVI.

The Europe-based non-profit GENIVI Alliance exists to create and nurture the broad adoption of an open source In-Vehicle Infotainment platform based on Linux. What was regarded by embedded hardware and software companies with mild interest a couple of years ago now appears very solid. GENIVI wields substantial influence over what might be the next battlefield for embedded electronics: your car. June's release of the greater-than-100-pages GENIVI Compliance 2.0 specification borrows from military "specmanship" by either mandating or making optional many elements of a GENIVI-compliant system. The spec essentially defines "Shall", "Will", and "May" language says Joel Hoffman, head of marketing for GENIVI, but he's also Intel's Strategic Development Manager responsible for portions of the company's IVI market segment. So Intel has skin in this game.

GENIVI Compliance 2.0 specifies more "required components" than version 1.0, and even moves some previously "optional" components to Required status. Specifically, 2.0 defines 29 Required components, including 23 which are "explicitly stated [as Required]," says Hoffman. Previous components that might've been in the "May include" category have been eliminated, conceivably because a vendor would include those features as part of their system differentiators. While declining to provide a complete list of required components for our interview, Hoffman cited two examples of Required components: AudioManager and systemd.

According to GENIVI, "'Systemd' is an emerging technology for improving startup efficiency and control. In-vehicle infotainment users (drivers and passengers) expect the system to be functioning within seconds after turning the key, unlike well-known mobile devices such as smartphones that may take minutes to start up from full power-off. Unlike phones and PCs, cars cannot leave the infotainment system in a suspended state because the vehicle battery will run down potentially preventing the car from starting." By enforcing systemd, drivers can be assured that their GENIVI-based infotainment head unit, though packed with features more like an Android- or iOS-based smartphone, will be no more burden on the battery than an AM/FM radio with built-in digital clock. And it'll turn on just as quickly, too.