HARMAN Unveils its Software Update Gateway Product

HARMAN, in partnership with NXP Semiconductors (NXP®), has a new addition to its Software Management portfolio—the HARMAN Software Update Gateway product. NXP’s secured gateway processors, embedded with the all-new HARMAN update management technology, will enable every ECU, irrespective of memory, CPU or network resource, to benefit from secure OTA updates.

Previously, updating ECUs in the car called for a recall. Currently, OTA updates are delivered only to the infotainment and telematics systems. Now, all these ECUs, such as those running ADAS, airbags and brakes can be updated, thus eliminating the need for OEMs to issue a physical recall and improving the consumer’s user experience with HARMAN’s Software Update Gateway and NXPs secured gateway processors. Moreover, the software gateway can be installed on any car network utilizing NXP’s secured gateway processors eliminating direct contact with the Internet-connected telematics unit—a feature that significantly improves the security of all OTA updates.

Oren Betzaleli, General Manager, OTA and VP, Marketing for HARMAN Connected Services, explains that HARMAN’s OTA Software management has been the leading and most widely used solution in the automotive industry for several years. He said that they have taken this technology to new heights and developed a software gateway that, for the first time, brings true end-to-end secure connectivity to the car, enabling every ECU-small or bi—to be updated with the newest features, fixes, and functions that OEMs wish to deliver to consumers.

NXP is a world-class expert in automotive semiconductors and is a leader in in-vehicle networking processor innovation. The 3rd generation device family in this market segment, the MPC574xG secured gateway processors are by far the most advanced gateway processors on the market today, presently being designed into a number of premium cars.

According to Jake Alamat, General Manager, Connectivity & Security Products for NXP Automotive Microcontrollers & Processors Business Line, the ability to securely update software in the vehicle is important. He noted that adding HARMAN’s software update capability to the gateway processor adds huge value for OEMs, who now could update the software on all vehicle components with this solution, utilizing minimal overhead while reducing vehicle downtime during Flash updates.