High-Performance Computer and 3D-Display

• Body High-Performance Computer (HPC) and Continental Cooperation Portal were awarded as “Winner” in the CLEPA “Cooperation” category
• The HPC based architecture replaces conventional, distributed control unit architectures in vehicles
• Continental Cooperation Portal simplifies software integration from various parties and increases security standards
• Natural 3D Lightfield Centerstack awarded with third place in the “Connectivity & Automation” category

Regensburg, Germany, November 26, 2020. Continental received a 2020 CLEPA Innovation Award from the European Association of Automotive Suppliers for its Body High-Performance Computer (HPC) and Continental Cooperation Portal in the category “Cooperation”. The technology company’s solutions were awarded as pioneering innovation developed in close cooperation with a vehicle manufacturer. The High-Performance computer builds the foundation for fully connected vehicles, as it manages data streams in the vehicle and serves as an intelligent interface to the Internet. As the first Tier One supplier Continental has brought a Body HPC into series production as the In-Car Application Server for Volkswagen's ID. electric vehicles. For the development of the HPC, Continental has created a tool that allows for the integration of software from third-parties highly efficiently and according to highest quality requirements – the so-called Continental Cooperation Portal.

The company has also been recognized with third place in the “Connectivity & Automation” category for its unique Natural 3D Lightfield Centerstack. It is the first automotive 3D display with gesture interaction, touch control and haptic feedback. Additionally, the 3D Natural Display enables all occupants of a vehicle to experience 3D Content without the use of special glasses or an eye-tracking camera. Taking place as part of an Online Innovation Week, the 2020 CLEPA Awards ceremony was broadcasted virtually on November 25, 2020.

Increasing functionality and connectivity of vehicles bring traditional distributed architectures with up to 100 or more electronic control units to their limits in terms of complexity and ability to manage innovative functions. Within a new and more centralized architecture design, the Body HPC replaces conventional distributed electronic control units and acts as a central ‘electronic brain’ to manage data within the vehicle and beyond. The vehicle becomes part of the Internet of Things and the complexity is simplified by bringing classic vehicle functions in one control unit. Acting as an application server and platform, the Body HPC hosts third-party software. For example, Continental integrates cyber security features from Argus on the platform to protect the connected vehicle from hacker attacks. Additionally, the Body HPC manages over-the-air software and firmware updates to keep the state-of-the-art over the entire course of a vehicle’s lifetime and allow to install new features and functions. The HPC lays the foundation for the shift towards service-orientation in vehicles of the future, comfortably and securely. The Body HPC by Continental was first introduced into series production as the In-Car Application Server (ICAS1) for the Volkswagen ID.3 model and will be rolled-out for all models based on Volkswagen’s electronic vehicle platform.

Whilst Continental’s HPC simplifies the complexity of the electronic architecture of the vehicle, to do so is actually a highly complex task. A Body HPC such as the ICAS1 is software-intensive: containing 20 million lines of code. During its development, Continental had to fulfil roughly 70,000 requirements from the customer with hundreds of Continental developers while actively supporting 18 external partners who also delivered software functions for integration.

Besides the Body HPC, Continental also received a CLEPA Innovation Award for their Natural 3D Lightfield Centerstack. The jury voted the revolutionary display solution on third place in the “Connectivity & Automation” category. The display uses the so-called Lightfield nanotechnology and was developed in a cooperation between Silicon Valley startup Leia and Continental. It enables an entirely new 3D user experience for all vehicle occupants at the same time – without the need for glasses or an eye-tracking camera. The Natural 3D Lightfield Centerstack is the first automotive display to combine holographic 3D visualization with spatial gesture interaction, touch operation and haptic feedback for a most advanced user experience. By that, it brings not only greater joy-of-use but also contributes to safe mobility allowing for clearer accentuation of important bits of information, such as warnings.

Founded in 1959 and based in Brussels, CLEPA represents 3,000 companies, covering all products and services within the automotive supply chain. The 2020 CLEPA Awards, supported by Deloitte, was the 5th edition of the flagship event that aims to recognize companies bringing cutting-edge solutions to markets and society, which contribute to making mobility smarter, safer and more sustainable. The categories cover Connectivity and Automation, Cooperation, Environment and lastly Safety. The award winners were selected by an international jury of experts, with consideration of the following criterion: the ambition, the market relevance, the impact and the quality.