Panasonic Automotive Introduces Virtual SkipGen, Now Available on AWS Marketplace

Virtual replica of Panasonic's Digital Cockpit Solution Uproots Traditional, Serialized Workflows and Enables Shift-Left Testing for Automotive Developers and Vehicle/System Validation Teams to Work in Parallel

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga., Nov. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at AWS re:Invent, Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, a tier-one automotive supplier, announced the availability of Virtual SkipGen™ (vSkipGen™) on AWS Marketplace, to "shift left" the automotive development lifecycle, allowing engineers and developers to start earlier in the process without physical hardware. The new Panasonic vSkipGen is a virtual replica of the physical, 3^rd generation Digital Cockpit solution, SkipGen – marking the latest in Panasonic and Amazon's ongoing collaboration to evolve the eCockpit.  vSkipGen enables automakers to decouple software development from the hardware development lifecycle to reduce time to market and help improve software quality.

Panasonic Automotive's vSkipGen leverages the industry standard VirtIO-based device virtualization technology to offer several guest operating systems, including fully optimized support for Android Automotive for infotainment and Automotive Grade Linux for cluster vehicle domains. It supports needed automotive peripherals and sensor simulation for the development of modern cockpit systems. The virtual platform is truly "cloud-native," and further utilizes the cloud servers' computing capability to provide hardware acceleration for multimedia, graphic, audio, and display rendering.  Collectively, this enables exceptional performance and helps deliver premium experiences. 

"The vSkipGen on AWS has been designed for those looking to work with the most advanced Software Defined Vehicle features available today," said Andrew Poliak, chief technology officer, Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America. "Our partnership with AWS to run cockpit domains as virtual machines in the cloud is critical to ensure development teams can seamlessly work in parallel, enable 3^rd party and app development, conduct more predictive integration and testing earlier in the process."

Panasonic has invested in advancing the software defined vehicle to support not only market growth but also work toward Panasonic's GREEN IMPACT mission. This automotive solution is the latest innovation to reflect the company's environmental goals – eliminating the need of a development or prototype hardware platform, and thus saving resources and components.  

About Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America
Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America is a division company of Panasonic Corporation of North America and is a leading global supplier of automotive infotainment and connectivity system solutions. Panasonic Automotive is head quartered in Peachtree City, Georgia, with sales, marketing and engineering operations in Farmington Hills, Mich. For more information on Panasonic Automotive, please visit https://na.panasonic.com/us/automotive-solutions 

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is committed to creating a better life and a better world by enabling its business-to-business customers through innovations in Sustainable Energy, Immersive Entertainment, Integrated Supply Chains and Mobility Solutions. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation. One of Interbrand's Top 100 Best Global Brands of 2022, Panasonic is a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region. Learn more about Panasonic's ideas and innovations at https://na.panasonic.com/us 

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SOURCE Panasonic Corporation of North America