Volvo Cars Horizon Platform Speeds AAOS Software Testing

Volvo Cars Becomes Horizon Lead Industry Partner

Volvo Cars has become the lead industry partner for Horizon, an open-source software development platform announced by Accenture and Google Cloud on September 22. The platform is designed to help automakers and automotive suppliers build, test, and deploy software for Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) more efficiently. Volvo Cars is also migrating its global AAOS software development environment to Horizon, giving its engineers access to faster development workflows, virtual testing environments, and AI-assisted software development tools.

Horizon Targets Faster AAOS Software Testing

Horizon uses virtual Cuttlefish-based Android Automotive environments to provide up to nine times faster software testing. The approach allows development teams to work with virtual testing environments while reducing some of the time associated with conventional software validation workflows. The platform combines these environments with cloud-native development tools and optimized processes, creating a unified development environment for automotive software teams. For Volvo Cars, the migration is intended to support more efficient AAOS development by giving engineers faster access to testing capabilities during the software development process.

Platform Can Reduce Infotainment Development Costs

In addition to faster testing, Horizon is designed to reduce infotainment feature development costs by up to 40%. Its intelligent caching and optimized build pipelines are intended to significantly reduce software build times, helping development teams move through software engineering workflows more efficiently. These capabilities are particularly relevant to AAOS-based infotainment development, where repeated builds and testing can consume substantial engineering resources. By bringing build optimization, virtual testing, and cloud-native development tools together, Horizon provides a common environment intended to streamline software development for automotive manufacturers and suppliers.

AI-Assisted Workflows Expand Development Capabilities

Horizon combines cloud-native development tools, virtual testing environments, and AI-assisted workflows within a single platform. The environment is designed to give automotive engineers access to AI-assisted software development capabilities alongside conventional development and testing tools. As Volvo Cars migrates its global AAOS software development environment, engineers will use the platform across development workflows while contributing practical insights that can help refine Horizon. The collaboration is also expected to support the expansion of the platform's generative AI capabilities for automotive companies and other industrial manufacturers.

Industry Impact & Outlook

Horizon reflects the growing importance of software development efficiency as automakers expand AAOS-based vehicle software and connected infotainment capabilities. Faster virtual testing, shorter build times, and lower development costs could help manufacturers and suppliers manage increasingly complex software programs with fewer development bottlenecks. Volvo Cars' migration provides an industry-scale environment for refining the platform, while feedback from the collaboration could influence future generative AI features for automotive and industrial applications. The next steps will center on the migration, continued platform refinement, and broader adoption of cloud-native and AI-assisted software development workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Horizon platform?
Horizon is an open-source software development platform designed to help automakers and automotive suppliers build, test, and deploy AAOS software more efficiently. It combines cloud-native development tools, virtual Cuttlefish-based testing environments, and AI-assisted workflows in one platform. The technology is designed to accelerate software testing, shorten build times, and reduce infotainment feature development costs. Volvo Cars is migrating its global AAOS software development environment to Horizon, giving engineers access to virtual testing and AI-assisted development tools while providing practical feedback that can help refine the platform.