A New Era of Connectivity: NXP’s S32K3 Edge Device Enabled by AWS

Connected vehicles are becoming ubiquitous, with a report from McKinsey forecasting that 95% of new vehicles shipped globally in 2030 will have built-in connectivity. Connectivity, and the wealth of automotive data, are key drivers in today's automotive landscape. The insights gained from this data allow us to gain greater insights from driver behavior and even the performance of the vehicle.

However, to realize these benefits, a vehicle-to-cloud data management strategy is important—and OEMs are seeking ways to integrate cloud connectivity with edge devices in vehicles. OEMs are aiming to enhance both vehicle performance and customer experience by utilizing the advancements in IoT, AI and data analytics.

Prebuilt integrations (hardware and the cloud providers) help to achieve faster time-to-market. However, the connectivity and security challenges that developers and customers (automakers) face when building applications is still prevalent. AWS Libraries for S32K3 addresses this challenge by providing the market with a safe (because of S32K3 safety capabilities) and secure integration.

For this integration, seeing the car as part of an ecosystem is vital and building the ecosystem boils down to the most important aspect—selecting the right partner. For NXP, the right partner is AWS. AWS Libraries for S32K3 unlocks a new range of extended capabilities focused on vehicle integration—features which are intended to expand and accelerate customer engagements.

Enabling Cloud Connectivity with NXP’s S32K3 MCU

The S32K3 is NXP's automotive edge that brings seamless connectivity and real-time processing to your car, making it more than just a vehicle.

AWS Libraries bridge the gap between your vehicle and the cloud. It allows your device to connect to the cloud in real-time, processing millions of messages per second and enabling seamless communication.

What NXP Offers with this Integration

Cloud Connectivity

AWS Libraries are integrated with NXP S32K3 for vehicle and cloud data acquisition, processing and storage. S32K3 sends vehicle data to AWS cloud via MQTT. The data includes battery parameters, sensor details, motor conditions, diagnostic data, external acoustic sound, network performance details and more. The data sent to the cloud is processed, analyzed and acted upon by leveraging AI/ML and cloud services in the cloud. This could lead to a plethora of connected vehicle use cases such as advanced vehicle diagnostics, voice recognition and acoustic monitoring, fleet management and new data-driven services. As a result, mobility and insurance companies can create new business models and provide cost-reduction benefits to drivers that match vehicle conditions and driving behavior. Carmakers can also leverage vehicle sensors and other data to deliver new user experiences and capabilities such as remote viewing inside and around the vehicle for convenience, safety and security.

And through the Device Shadow service, device/application state is saved in AWS device shadow, and it can be retrieved/updated by cloud applications while the device is offline, mirroring ECU state in the cloud with latest device information.

Real-time monitoring of vehicle data with cloud ML enables carmakers to find problems even before the vehicle knows or shows an error code or check engine light.

Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates Are More Secure with S32K3

The edge device's OTA capabilities allow for software updates. It means that your vehicle gets the latest updates without ever needing to leave your driveway. With OTA updates, car manufacturers can remotely update vehicle software, be it for performance improvements, bug fixes or even feature rollouts. There is no longer a need for driving to the service centers.

Arguably an even greater concern is the cybersecurity threats facing connected vehicles. Any device connected to a network is a potential target for a hacker, and a connected vehicle is no exception. The broader the connectivity, the more vulnerable it becomes to hacking, which clearly has deeply concerning implications for driver safety and security.

Here, the S32K3 with AWS Libraries shines, providing end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your vehicle's data remains secure. Furthermore, continuous monitoring of edge devices through Device Defender keeps you safe from potential cyber threats.

Is Edge Processing Possible with the S32K3?

AWS IoT Core provides support for secure connections for the S32K3 to other powerful devices (S32G vehicle network processors) running AWS IoT Greengrass. This secure connection between devices enables edge processing and cloud-based management of application logic to run locally in the device. NXP’s GoldVIP S32G vehicle integration platform offers customers access to these services for evaluation, software development and rapid prototyping – combining the power of the S32G processor at the vehicle edge with the AWS cloud. Additionally, Amazon SageMaker and Amazon SageMaker Edge can be used to build, train and deploy optimized machine learning models on NXP S32G processors. NXP also offers the Automotive SPICE-qualified eIQ^™ Auto toolkit that supports deep learning inferencing in vehicles.

NXP S32K3 with AWS Libaries Redefines Automotive Applications

With the automotive industry heading towards software-defined vehicles, it is crucial to build a partner ecosystem along the whole value chain. NXP and AWS have worked together to create solutions to accelerate the transition to this new era of connectivity, taking the world toward a future where every drive is smart, secure and seamless.

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