The eSync Alliance has announced that Arm has joined the organization as a charter member, becoming the first compute platform company to commit at eSync’s highest membership tier.
Arm already powers more than 300 billion chips across mobile, cloud and embedded systems. Its support transforms eSync from an automotive industry initiative into a potential standard for vehicle software updates.
“This validates that eSync is becoming a universal language for automotive over the air (OTA),” said Mike Gardner, executive director of the eSync Alliance. “When Arm commits as a charter member, it means every ECU supplier building on Arm-based processors can potentially plug into our pipeline without starting from scratch.”
Auto makers currently struggle with fragmented system updates. While some cars can be updated wirelessly, many more require dealership visits for software fixes. According to ABI Research, in 2022 nearly 10 million cars were recalled in the USA due to software-related issues, with nearly half requiring software updates by a car dealer, costing auto makers half a billion dollars annually in in-person updates. Arm’s proven architecture aims to provide the foundation to help make vehicles easier to update through over-the-air capabilities.
As a charter member, Arm has voting rights in eSync governance and direct input on specifications. This enables its processor roadmap to account for automotive OTA requirements. Meanwhile, eSync benefits from architectural backing that can scale from entry-level vehicles to autonomous platforms without compatibility issues.
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