Drako Tech has revealed DriveOS™, a new automotive operating system designed to bring all of a car’s electronic systems together into a single central computer.
Modern Vehicles Are Complex
Most modern cars don’t rely on just one Electronic Control Unit (ECU), but dozens of small ones. Each ECU controls a specific function, from braking and steering to infotainment and driver assistance.
Together, these systems can involve more than 200 million lines of software code. While this setup is common, it makes vehicles harder and more expensive to develop, update and secure. As cars move towards automation and AI-driven features, that complexity is only going to increase.
One ECU, Multiple Virtual Systems
Drako Tech believes the solution is to simplify things by bringing everything together.
Instead of using dozens of separate control units, DriveOS runs the car from one powerful central computer, effectively giving the vehicle a single main brain. The many individual systems are handled in software, rather than by lots of separate physical units.
Drako says this significantly reduces the amount of software needed, while also improving performance, safety and security.
Safety
The biggest concern with running a car from one central computer has always been safety.
Normally, critical systems like braking and steering are kept separate from features such as infotainment, so a software issue can’t affect how the car drives.
Drako says it solves this by keeping every system securely separated, even though they all run on the same computer. If something goes wrong in one area, it can’t interfere with safety-critical functions.
This approach forms part of what Drako calls HyperSafety™, designed to ensure the car responds quickly and reliably in all situations.
“Nearly half of the cost of new vehicles is tied up in software and electronics. Drako Tech now offers all OEMs worldwide, regardless of size or influence, a definitive leap in their ability to deliver exceptionally safe, connected, AI-enhanced vehicles, with massive cost advantages. We are the first to achieve the ultimate goal – a single-ECU, hard real-time operating system and unified electronics architecture with mixed criticality – while providing OEMs a flexible deployment path.”
Dean Drako, CEO of Drako Tech
Performance and Faster Response
Drako says DriveOS allows the car’s systems to communicate much faster than current setups. This means the vehicle can react more quickly and more consistently, which is especially important for safety systems and driver assistance features.
The platform is also designed to keep working even if parts of the system fail, helping the car remain stable and controllable in a wider range of situations.
Created With Linux
The Linux operating system plays a huge part in the digital world and is behind things like smartphones and servers. It hasn’t traditionally been used for safety-critical car systems, though. This is because those systems need extremely precise and predictable responses.
Drako says it has found a way to make Linux react fast and reliably enough for vehicle control, without changing its core structure. This means car makers could use one familiar software foundation for everything from driving systems to infotainment, while still meeting strict safety requirements.
If proven at scale, this could simplify how vehicles are developed and maintained, while opening the door to more advanced, software-driven features.
AI Guardrails and Cybersecurity
As cars become more connected, protecting them from cyber threats is increasingly important. DriveOS helps by using less software overall and by keeping different vehicle systems securely separated, reducing the risk of problems or attacks spreading across the car.
Drako also uses “AI guardrails”, which constantly watch how the car’s systems communicate and step in if something looks wrong or unsafe. This allows vehicles to stay connected to the cloud for things like remote diagnostics and updates, without putting critical driving systems at risk.
Updates can be applied to specific parts of the vehicle without needing to recheck the entire system each time, helping to reduce both risk and development costs.
DriveOS Industry Impact
Software and electronics now make up a large part of the cost of a modern car, so car manufacturers are under pressure to do more while keeping systems simpler.
DriveOS is designed to work with petrol, electric and hybrid vehicles, and it doesn’t require manufacturers to change everything at once. That makes it attractive to smaller or newer brands that want to build modern, connected cars without the complexity and cost usually faced by large manufacturers.
Potential
DriveOS isn’t going to replace existing vehicle systems overnight, and it’s always important to consider every angle when it comes to safety. But if Drako’s technology delivers on its promises, it could be a huge step towards simpler, safer, and more software-driven vehicles.
I’m interested to see whether this could be a real game-changer in the automotive industry.
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