The BMW Group is launching a newly developed digital nervous system for all drivetrain variants and vehicle segments. It is more intelligent, powerful, and efficient and will be rolled out in the Neue Klasse models for the first time.
Four high-performance computers, called ‘Superbrains,’ consolidate the computing power for the most crucial customer functions: infotainment, automated driving, driving dynamics, and essential functions, such as vehicle access, climate control, and comfort.
The four Superbrains provide more than 20 times the computing power compared to the current vehicle generation. They are already designed for upcoming software and function updates, including AI-powered customer experiences.
“Technology openness is the key to BMW’s success. Starting with the first model of the Neue Klasse, we will roll out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across the entire future model portfolio – across all segments and all drivetrains,” says Frank Weber, Board Member for Development at BMW AG.
“This also applies to our newly developed electronic architecture comprising powerful ‘Superbrains’ and highly interconnected software platforms. This architecture allows us to decouple the development of the vehicle and software from each other. The advantage: all future BMW models will remain digitally up to date via over-the-air upgrades and will receive updates even from the subsequent vehicle generations,” he adds.
Zonal wiring harness with ‘smart eFuses’
The radically simplified wiring harness is a fundamental component of the digital nervous system. According to BMW’s press release, it is based on a so-called zonal wiring harness architecture, which uses 600 meters less wiring and brings 30% weight savings compared to the previous generation.
The wiring harness is divided into four zones: front end, center, rear, and roof. The Superbrains are connected via high-speed data connections to smaller control units. These zonal controllers manage and consolidate the data flow of the electronics in and out of the zones. The wiring in the vehicle is, therefore, zone-related and can thus be shorter, thinner, and lighter.
The so-called ‘ Smart refuses ‘ are a crucial prerequisite for thinner and lighter wiring.’ These are digital fuses that replace up to 150 traditional fuses. Smart eFuses can be intelligently programmed for digitally controlled energy distribution to components.
The selective activation of components allows for the design of intelligent power modes for various vehicle states, such as driving, parking, charging, and upgrading, in which unnecessary consumers can be identified and switched off. Thus, the eFuses significantly contribute to the 20% improved energy efficiency.
Next generation SDV
The newly developed electronic architecture forms the basis for the next-generation SDV, or software-defined vehicle. From the launch of the Neue Klasse, the upcoming BMW model generation will benefit from it.
The BMW Group’s advanced software architecture builds on this new electronic architecture. With the multitude of digital functions in SDVs, it is crucial to continuously develop functions on stable software platforms rather than being created for every new generation.
In the vehicle, the software platforms run on the respective Superbrains, and the vehicle functions run on top of them. The ‘Shared Service Layer’ acts as a connecting element (middleware) and provides, among other things, state-of-the-art cybersecurity and flexible over-the-air updates.
“With the introduction of the Neue Klasse, we are entering a mode of software development where we achieve software continuity. This means we continuously develop software rather than starting from scratch each time,” says Christoph Grote, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Electronics and Software.
“Based on our advanced software architecture and today’s global development teams generating 130 times more software than ten years ago, we see ourselves in an excellent competitive position. More than ever, our software developers can focus on product innovations,” he adds.
130 times faster
For the Neue Klasse, the development teams are working on well over 1,000 software modules, over 20 GB of software, and over 500 million lines of code, which will ultimately be integrated into the Superbrains and the rest of the vehicle’s electronic architecture.
The integrated developer environment is at the heart of vehicle software development: a tailored toolchain called ‘CodeCraft.’ CodeCraft runs in the cloud on up to 75,000 virtual CPUs, supports the simultaneous work of over 10,000 software developers, and records up to 200,000 software builds daily at peak times. BMW proudly boasts that this corresponds to a productivity increase of more than 130 times compared to ten years ago.
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