CES 2021: Bosch focuses on sustainability and convergence

14 January 2021 Vehicle-component and technology supplier Bosch used its platform at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to promote its push to become a sustainable business, providing green solutions to carmakers while promoting its efforts to become carbon-neutral. Bosch launched its #LikeaBosch campaign at CES last year and amended it for the virtual show to become ′Sustainable ′LikeaBosch’, focusing on AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) to create AIoT. ′We are combining these two features to help us improve energy efficiency and fight the coronavirus,’ said Michael Bolle, Bosch board of management member. ′AIoT offers enormous potential. We are already unlocking this potential and plan to expand our efforts in the future.’ It is the automotive market where sustainability will require more effort to achieve goals. As part of its plan to tackle this, the company is bringing its vehicle electronics and software developments together into a single business unit. With Cross-Domain Computing Solutions, Bosch hopes to streamline its offer to manufacturers and draw on the combined expertise of 17,000 employees to help carmakers achieve sustainability goals faster. ′The dynamic shift toward ever more digitalisation in the vehicle will crucially determine the shape of the new division. Our new set-up will allow us to satisfy new requirements, both of the market and our customers, even better,’ commented Harald Kroeger, member of the board of management at Bosch and head of the Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division. The new division will combine the entire car multimedia business, and parts of Bosch’s powertrain solutions, chassis systems control and automotive electronics divisions that develop software-intensive electronic systems. Platform development Bosch is also developing new electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures that it believes will help ensure complex vehicle systems remain manageable. Currently, E/E is domain-specific; however, it will develop the architecture to a cross-domain, centralised platform that uses only a few, more powerful computers rather than a larger number of individual control units. Currently, E/E consists of 100 or more control units. Bosch will cut this number by 20%, simplifying the architecture and reducing costs for the carmaker by up to 10%. Fewer units will also see a wiring reduction, meaning a 10% saving in materials and weight. All of this adds to improved vehicle efficiency. Moreover, the vehicle computers will work across all domains, executing a larger number of software functions from one unit, making it easier for manufacturers to add their own software requirements and controls.