When cars evolve into computers on wheels, automakers need to embrace system integrators in the face of change.

With AlphaGO continuously defeating human Go masters, the advancement of intelligent technology has made people increasingly feel that another major revolution in modern lifestyle is about to take place.

After digital hardware products, more and more people are eyeing the century-old automobile industry as the next step in intelligence.

The disappearance of the internal combustion engine is just the beginning: This is how cars may change in the future

Ever since Tesla hit the road, this car, which has no internal combustion engine, is powered by electricity and has its mechanisms configured via a touch screen, has quickly become a star product spanning the two major fields of technology and automobiles, and it also heralds a new direction for future automobile development.

New energy vehicles, which are mainly powered by electricity, are replacing traditional vehicles with an increasingly strong momentum. In the past two years, we have seen traditional car manufacturers stepping up their exploration of new energy vehicles through hybrid power and other means. When the cruising range reaches more than 300KM, pure electric vehicles will become daily productivity tools, and it is not just talk.

In addition, Google's layout of Android Auto and Apple's layout of CarPlay in-vehicle systems have also brought about a new type of competitive relationship centered on software in the automotive industry. It not only means that future cars will be able to connect to the Internet and achieve OTA online upgrades like smartphones, but also the assisted driving function of Tesla's 7.0 system is also an important step towards the future full form of self-driving cars, focusing on today.

It cannot be ignored that in the context of the IoT era, the attributes and value of the car itself may also have a fundamental change on the vast majority of ordinary users.

Just as the rise of shared bicycles now allows everyone to own a bicycle without having to buy one, travel for service purposes will also challenge the existing car ownership model. The core condition for the realization of shared cars is inseparable from the key factor that cars are gradually transforming into computers on wheels.

V2X is inevitable. Who will be the key player in creating the new core of future cars?

Facing the future of intelligence, cars are just like big computers on wheels, which also makes V2X, the new concept of vehicle-to-everything information exchange, a new topic in the automotive industry.

The wave of the Internet of Things has completely transformed traditional home appliances. If the exchange of information on the Internet is realized with cars as the carrier, it means that the ECU on-board electronic components, which were originally mainly used to monitor the car's driving mechanism, will take on more diverse tasks and become the "CPU" of the on-wheel computer.

At present, industry insiders divide the smart car industry chain into five layers, from the top of the pyramid to the bottom, namely automobile manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, technology companies, ADAS suppliers, and basic component suppliers. The lower you go, the lower the industry capital and technology thresholds, and the lower the industry concentration.

Traditionally, the functions and usage scenarios of on-board electronic components in cars are relatively simple, and ECUs are often only handed over to underlying component suppliers to complete.

However, in the future, the on-board electronic components of smart cars will be involved in many aspects, from vehicle information networking and sharing to electric drive mechanism management. The more complex the work coordinated by ECU is and the more intersections appear, the more safety failures there will be.

It is obviously difficult for the bottom-level component suppliers to do such a job. On the contrary, smart car system integrators that are born in line with the trend of the times will create a new brain for the car.

At the Asian International Consumer Electronics Show CES Asia 2017 held in Shanghai on June 7, Link Motion, a subsidiary of NetQin, jointly exhibited with its security partner Irdeto, positioning itself as a smart car system integration service provider and jointly launching safe and stable in-vehicle computer products.

(Photo: Lingdong Technology CEO Pasi communicates with reporters on site)

Pasi, CEO of Link Motion Technology, believes that in-vehicle computers with high security and stability will inevitably become the most important core of future cars. At the same time, unlike the conventionally defined automotive ECU, smart car system integrators can integrate underlying components and ADAS assisted driving functions, and then work with technology companies to provide services to car manufacturers and Tier 1 companies.

Industry chain integration accelerates the process of a new era of smart cars

Since 2015, we have been hearing news about technology companies getting involved in the field of smart cars, whether it is technology giants such as Apple and Google, or domestic Internet companies such as Baidu.

In fact, smart car system integration manufacturers represented by Lingdong Technology are in the same position as Google, Baidu and other companies in the smart car industry chain, that is, they are technology companies between car manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, ADAS suppliers, and underlying component suppliers.

However, unlike Internet companies that focus on providing specific segmented capabilities such as autonomous driving or data analysis to automakers, smart car system integrators focus on connecting and opening up each link in the smart car industry chain.

For example, we provide assisted driving solutions that can connect with the radar, cameras, chips, electronic brakes and other hardware provided by underlying suppliers, and intelligent in-vehicle computers with sufficient security, which can be delivered to car manufacturers and Tier 1 companies.

If car manufacturers and Tier 1 companies are mainly responsible for producing cars during the process of developing and manufacturing smart cars, then smart car system integration manufacturers represented by Link Motion Technology play a pivotal role in the fastest realization of smart cars during their birth. At the same time, smart car system integration manufacturers can help car manufacturers and Tier 1 companies select higher-quality bottom-level suppliers and reduce risks in terms of smart safety.

The significant significance of this to the development of the entire smart car industry is that members of the smart car industry chain still only need to focus on their own areas of expertise, and smart car system integrators have brought one-stop V2X intelligent solutions to traditional car manufacturers.

Of course, the high efficiency of smart car system integration manufacturers is also reflected in the speed of product project implementation. According to Pasi, CEO of Link Motion Technology, adhering to the concept of safety but cost-effectiveness, Link Motion Technology has spent three years developing the first batch of Motion T car computers, which will complete final mass production at the end of June 2017 and start shipping to the first batch of customers.

The efforts of smart car system integration manufacturers may also mark a turning point in the transformation of smart cars from new conceptual products to consumer-grade popular commodities.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.