SOAFEE: A Cloud‑Native Architecture Empowering Software‑Defined Automotive Platforms

Automotive developers face growing code complexity as vehicles integrate advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), in‑vehicle infotainment (IVI), electrified powertrains, and autonomous capabilities. Centralized computing and software are essential to meet these demands, making cloud‑native development—known for reducing cost, time, and complexity in the cloud industry—an increasingly relevant paradigm for the automotive sector.

To accelerate the shift to software‑defined vehicles, a standardized framework is required that scales proven cloud‑native technologies while meeting the real‑time and safety requirements of automotive applications. Such a framework also benefits other safety‑critical domains like robotics and industrial automation.

Industry Insight

“The automotive sector is at a critical inflection point and the supply chain – from IP design to carmakers – is being re‑examined and redefined,” says Chet Babla, Vice President of Automotive at Arm. “Arm and its ecosystem are accelerating the vision for a software‑defined future. Leveraging Arm’s unique position in the supply chain, we’re leading a collaborative effort that delivers standards, software, developer resources, and specialized processing platforms designed for the safety and real‑time needs of automotive applications.”

Arm, together with key supply‑chain partners, unveiled the Scalable Open Architecture for Embedded Edge (SOAFEE), a reference architecture and implementation that delivers the required scalability and safety. Two new reference hardware platforms were also introduced to accelerate the software‑defined future of automotive.

Software‑Defined Vehicles with a Service‑Oriented Architecture

The timeline for deploying new automotive features must be as fast and seamless as possible. SOAFEE’s immediate availability empowers cloud‑based developers to contribute to mobility solutions built on Arm technology.

Bill Foy, Director of Worldwide Automotive Business Development at AWS, adds: “Major technology leaps are transforming vehicle electronics and software architecture. At AWS, we’re committed to innovation with partners like Arm to solve complex challenges for delivering software‑defined vehicles with a service‑oriented architecture. By combining AWS Graviton2 instances with Arm, we can achieve significant cost savings and run the same architecture in the cloud and at the edge, simplifying the developer workflow.”

In partnership with ADLINK Technology, Arm delivers unconstrained performance on a new SystemReady‑compatible development platform powered by Arm Neoverse‑based Ampere Altra cores. This platform enables workload exploration and development for cockpit, ADAS, powertrain, and autonomous driving applications. The platform includes a developer workstation and a rugged in‑vehicle product, both available for pre‑order here, with general availability slated for Q4 2021.

• AVA Developer Platform – A high‑performance, 32‑core scalable compute system for lab‑based development, capable of running autonomous workloads and leveraging accelerator hardware to complement CPUs.
• AVA‑AP1 – An in‑vehicle prototype and test platform featuring 80 cores, expanded I/O, and a safety processor to enable execution with real sensors.

Seamless Deployment from Cloud to Edge

Riclef Schmidt‑Clausen, Senior Vice President and Head of Intelligent Cockpit and Body at CARIAD (Volkswagen Group), says: “The software‑defined car is arriving sooner than expected, and the infrastructure is under active development. However, the industry must address macro challenges, including software portability across diverse hardware and building a cloud‑native infrastructure that ensures seamless deployment from the cloud to heterogeneous edge platforms. CARIAD and Arm are collaborating closely to solve these challenges and lay a strong foundation for the future.”

Software‑defined functionality is expanding beyond automotive into robotics, medicine, manufacturing, and logistics. For automakers, software‑defined features unlock safer, richer in‑vehicle experiences, new revenue streams, and deeper customer engagement, benefiting tier‑one suppliers, software vendors, and cloud providers alike.

Beyond AWS, ADLINK, Ampere, and CARIAD, the initiative has earned support from leaders across the supply chain, including Apex.AI, AutoCore, Capgemini Engineering, Continental, Green Hills Software, Linaro, Marvell, MIH Consortium, Red Hat, SUSE, Tier IV, Woven Planet, Zing Robotics, and others.

Open‑Source Reference Implementation

SOAFEE is the result of collaboration among automakers, system integrators, semiconductors, software, and cloud technology leaders, defining a new open‑standards‑based architecture for software‑defined vehicles. The accompanying reference implementation is open‑source, enabling broad prototyping, workload exploration, and early development. Arm is partnering with commercial solution providers to maximize compatibility and accelerate the path to functionally‑safe designs.

Building on the success of Project Cassini and SystemReady, which provide a standards‑based cloud‑native experience at the edge, SOAFEE extends these initiatives to support container orchestration with automotive functional safety in real‑time—a first in the industry. The initial release of the SOAFEE collateral and reference implementation is available for download here.