[Complete text of article referenced in @kmp's post quoted below, as it's paywalled].
Red Hat, GM deal could create big business for Raleigh firm --
https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/05/10/red-hat-gm-partnership-software-linux-automotive.html
By: Lauren Ohnesorge – Senior Staff Writer, Triangle Business Journal
May 10, 2022
Raleigh-based Red Hat has a new partner – General Motors (NYSE: GM).
In securing a deal with GM, IBM-owned Red Hat is really validating a new business line – and Tuesday’s announcement could be just the start, said Francis Chow, vice president and general manager of In-Vehicle Operating System and Edge at Red Hat (NYSE: IBM).
“We are having conversations with a number of carmakers,” he said, adding that “as the auto industry recognizes the power of open source,” more deals are likely.
Red Hat began investing in vehicle technology about a year ago. Chow said it’s driven – no pun intended – by customer demand.
“Customers are demanding constant innovation,” he said, noting the automotive industry lags behind other consumer verticals, such as cell phones. “Automakers need to find a way to accelerate their innovation.”
Red Hat’s Linux platform “could be the de facto standard” for that innovation at a time when multiple automakers have made bullish goals surrounding new, all-electric options.
Through the collaboration, GM can accelerate time to market, as well as create new revenue streams via an update-able system.
In-vehicle software systems are complex, requiring high levels of cybersecurity protection on top of stringent safety certifications. In traditional systems, that can mean a long development process, one where updates can be difficult as they each require recertification. With the partnership, the companies hope to make the updates simpler and more frequent through what they describe as “continuous functional-safety certification” enabled by Red Hat. That means faster go-to-market, as well as a cheaper price tag.
The new software will mesh into existing onboard systems such as vehicle control and driver assists – and even open up new opportunities for additional services down the line.
For Chow, it’s a career high. Automotive “impacts almost everyone on earth,” he said. And Chow gets to be a part of it, building a business unit from the ground up at Red Hat. It’s a global effort involving some of Red Hat’s workers in Raleigh, he said. Chow is based in the Bay Area.
The news comes as GM is in the midst of developing and launching both new vehicles and hardware as it moves closer to what it calls “an all-electric future.”
Scott Miller, GM's vice president of software defined vehicle and operating system, called the Detroit-based automaker “a platform company.”
“Incorporating [Red Hat’s] expertise in open source solutions and enterprise networks will pay dividends as we aim to provide the most developer-friendly software platform in the industry,” he said in a statement.
The new GM Ultifi End-to-end vehicle software platform launches in 2023. GM has previously said it plans to add 50 new in-vehicle digital services by 2026.