SAIC’s Z-ONE launches SOA digital platform for software developers

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Z-ONE, SAIC Motor's software unit founded in July 2020, launched the SOA (service-oriented architecture) digital platform on April 9, which allows software developers to code and release car-based applications in an app store, and car owners to download and install them in their vehicles.

Photo credit: Z-ONE

According to Z-ONE, the SOA platform is built on the basis of a centralized electrical/electronic architecture (EEA) that is able to operate software/hardware decoupling and service atomization for such underlying domain control modules like “ICC” Intelligent Computing Center and “ICM” Intelligent Cockpit Center. It contains a software platform featuring the integration of cloud, channels and devices. 

The company said the vehicles under SAIC's “IM” and “R” premium smart EV brands will ride on the SOA platform first. In all likelihood, the platform will be introduced to the all-electric vehicles under other SAIC's self-owned and joint-venture brands in the future.

Besides, the SOA has gathered many famed tech companies and smart phone makers as partners, including Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, Huawei, OPPO and iFlytek.

The centralized EEA and the SOA platform are part of the “Milky Way full-stack solution” announced in the meantime. Z-ONE said the centralized EEA is available to pluggable, detachable and scalable hardware, while the SOA can provide purchasable, marketable and subscribable software.

The other two basic technical solutions of the “Milky Way” are the full-stack OTA and cybersecurity solution and the intelligent vehicle data factory that can help smart vehicles to enable self-learning and self-evolution.

At the same time, SAIC Motor announced it plans to pour up to 300 billion yuan ($45.771 billion) in the development of intelligent electrification business during the 14th five-year plan period. The investment is set to be used for the development of electric vehicles and the next-generation architecture, aiming to create smart electric vehicles with Level 2+ to Level 4 features, according to an executive of SAIC Motor.