Global sales of Linux OS in automotive will rise to 53.7 million units in 2020
SOUTHFIELD, USA: Revved up by broad adoption among car makers, Linux is set to pass the competition and race to lead the automotive infotainment operating system (OS) market in 2020.
Global sales of the Linux OS in automotive will rise to 53.7 million units in 2020, up from less than 1 million in 2013, according to IHS Automotive, driven by Polk. The fast growth will allow Linux to overtake its chief rivals Microsoft and QNX from BlackBerry.
“The market for automotive infotainment operating systems represents a major opportunity for software vendors, with platform sales climbing to nearly 130 million units in 2020-about the size of the global PC market in 1999,” said Egil Juliussen, research director for IHS Automotive.
“Growth is being driven by the multiplicity of platforms in many cars, with a single auto potentially having one OS for the head unit and navigation, another for the telematics system and hands-free interface for mobile phones, and yet another for the rear-seat entertainment system. Over the long term, Linux will take the lead in this burgeoning market, as auto manufacturers and their suppliers are attracted by the advantages of the OS.”
Linux comes up
The impetus behind Linux is being driven by various factors, including open-source momentum, future cost savings advantages and availability from multiple suppliers at every level in the software hierarchy.