Nissan and Red Hat Co-Engineer the Future of Software-Defined Vehicles

Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced a landmark engineering initiative with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. to build its next-generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platform. This includes the evaluation of Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System to provide a standardized, scalable Linux foundation for Nissan Scalable Open Software Platform (SW PF), accelerating Nissan's transition toward flexible, software-defined mobility architectures.

Defining the standard

The automotive industry is shifting away from hardware-locked legacy systems towards a modern, cloud-native architecture. They require an operating system that can support the technology upgrades of a vehicle for its entire lifespan. As the industry expert in building and maintaining mission-critical Linux platforms, Red Hat provides the deep technical depth required to power vehicles that will remain on the road for decades with a modern operating system.

Red Hat’s open source leadership can provide a scalable foundation for high-performance compute in automobiles. By anchoring its platform on an open source foundation, automobile companies gain immediate access to a global ecosystem of innovation. By decoupling application development from the underlying hardware, they can update vehicle features with the agility of a smartphone while maintaining the rigorous safety and security standards required for the road. Building on the proven reliability and security posture of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System provides a foundation where AI is a core component of the vehicle's DNA. This moves automobile companies beyond traditional silos toward an AI-native architecture, where AI-driven workflows can streamline validation cycles and surge developer productivity to exceed shifting customer expectations.

This initiative redefines the relationship between software leader and OEM through an integrated development model. By embedding Red Hat’s engineering talent directly into Nissan’s development pipeline, the two companies are co-creating a unified platform that removes the friction of traditional systems integration. This approach can offer OEMs greater control over its software stack, providing the agility to pivot instantly and scale innovation across its global fleet.

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Supporting quotes

Francis Chow, vice president and general manager, In-Vehicle Operating System, Red Hat
“The shift toward software-defined vehicles requires a fundamental change in how automotive software is developed and maintained. Through our collaboration with Nissan, we are working to deliver a reliable, open source foundation for the next generation of in-vehicle computing and establish a standardized platform that supports long-term innovation and scalability for the global automotive industry.”

Kazuma Sugimoto, general manager, SDV Software Platform Development Department, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
“Nissan is taking direct ownership of our software development lifecycle to better serve our customers in the mobility era. We work with Red Hat because they provide the technical depth required for a mission-critical platform that must remain on the road for decades. This joint engineering initiative for our next-generation Central Vehicle Computer gives us the agility to pivot and scale innovation across our global fleet.”