The automotive operating systems market is expected to grow significantly through 2030 driven by the expanding automotive industry. Additionally, rapid penetration of automobile production facilities globally, coupled with increased consumer inclination toward advanced in-car technologies, is likely to further impel industry expansion over the forecast timeline.

Recently, key manufacturers have been actively focused on product range expansions and advancements to gain a competitive edge in the industry, thereby enhancing overall market dynamics. Furthermore, prominent automobile manufacturers, such as Ford Motors, General Motors Company, Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and others, have extended their production sites. The boom of the automobile sector is fostering automotive OS industry expansion.

Citing an instance, in June 2022, BlackBerry Ltd. collaborated with BDStar Intelligent & Connected Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd. (BICV) to rollout QNX technology in BICV’s next-generation intelligent cockpit utilized in Yi, Renault Jiangling’s first fully electric car. The intelligent cockpit from BICV is based on the QNX Neutrino RTOS, which features the QNX Hypervisor for design scalability and flexibility on a single hardware platform.

In another instance, Google and BMW partnered in July 2022 to offer Google’s Android automotive operating systems. Beginning in March 2023, the firms plan to employ Android Automotive to build the BMW Operating System 8 infotainment system for certain vehicle models.

Similarly, in January 2021, Cruise and General Motors signed a long-term strategic partnership with Microsoft to expedite the commercialization of autonomous vehicles. The firms agreed to combine their software and hardware engineering expertise, cloud computing skills, manufacturing expertise, and partner ecosystem to make transportation safer, better, and more affordable for people.

The automotive operating systems market has been segregated based on OS type, vehicle type, ECU function, and region.

The Windows Embedded Automotive 7 OS type segment is projected to capture over 10% market share by 2030. It was created specifically for developing innovative in-vehicle infotainment systems. The increasing use of connected vehicle technologies via in-car infotainment systems is likely to fuel segment progress.

By ECU function, the automotive operating systems market has been categorized into infotainment, powertrain, communication, safety & ADAS, and body comfort & control. The safety & ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) segment held the largest market share of more than 30% in 2021 owing to the mounting interest in road and traffic safety at both the government and local levels. Furthermore, the requirement for advanced software for high-speed transmission of critical sensor data through in-vehicle networks is propelling segment growth.

In terms of vehicle type, the automotive operating systems market has been divided into passenger vehicles (sub-compact cars, compact cars, full size cars, and mid-size cars) and commercial vehicles (trucks, buses, trailers, and heavy equipment). The full size cars segment accounted for over 40% of the market revenue in 2021. Premium carmakers, such as Lurento, Chrysler, Audi AG, and Volkswagen, are expanding their production facilities, thereby aiding segment expansion. In addition, government initiatives to encourage the adoption of self-driving and connected vehicle technologies are further stimulating industry growth.

Regionally, the Middle East & Africa automotive operating systems market is expected to register a CAGR of more than 10% from 2022 to 2030. Favorable macroeconomic and demographic factors, such as growing urbanization and rising disposable incomes of consumers, are boosting the need for passenger vehicles in the MEA region, including hatchbacks, SUVs, sedans, and luxury automobiles.