NXP Solidifies Smart Car Footing with AliOS Partnership

“The partnership should help to further solidify NXP’s leadership in the growing smart car and connected car market…”

A new partnership between two tech giants could have a significant impact on the development of China’s smart car market: NXP Semiconductors has teamed up with AliOS, Alibaba’s Internet of Things operating system arm to work on smart car components.

More specifically, according to a statement announcing the partnership, the companies will work together on “a next-generation smart cockpit enhanced by multi-screen display, artificial-intelligence-driven interaction and secure Over-the-Air (OTA) updates.” The solutions will be based on NXP’s infotainment technologies, particularly its i.MX application processors; and, of course, the AliOS operating system.

Commenting further on the collaborative project, NXP automotive EVP Kurt Sievers asserted that NXP’s i.MX application processors bring to the table “the processing power needed for new applications such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and e-commerce.” Meanwhile, Alibaba’s AliOS SVP, Simon Hu, suggested that the partnership with NXP Semiconductors will help “to create a robust platform to spur the creation of more innovative technologies, reducing the costs associated with the mass production of smart vehicles.”

The partnership should help to further solidify NXP’s leadership in the growing smart car and connected car market, where its efforts have already proven important in attracting the interest of Qualcomm, which is seeking acquire NXP thanks in part to synergies in the firms’ automotive and IoT businesses.