In car computers to drive network growth

If this week's CeBIT technology showcase is anything to go by, the future of networking has four wheels

There is little doubt that automotive networking will be one of the fastest growing areas of IT in 2006. Even a relatively small car can now have dozens of microprocessors in its various systems, and the idea of linking them together is rapidly gaining industry favour.

Indeed, so many car-related firms wanted space at this week's CeBIT trade fair that the organisers have given them 5600sqm of Hall 11 for a dedicated sub-show called ‘ICT in Motion’. Among those taking the floor are BMW, Garmin, NavTeq, TomTom and Siemens-VDO.

When Microsoft announced its AutoPC a few years back, there were jokes about Mercs and BMWs suffering the blue screen of death in the fast lane of the autobahn. But then most of us figured that AutoPC was only intended as an entertainment console and stopped worrying.

Which shows how much we know, because attention has actually focused on innovation in areas such as security and safety after all. For example, researchers are using cameras to watch a driver's eyes for tell tale signs of a microsleep - a brief but potentially deadly doze - and activate a wake-up alarm.

Then there's sat-nav, plus satellite tracking in case the car gets stolen, and engine management computers designed to get the best fuel economy. Some cars even have diagnostic systems able to detect impending problems and wirelessly book themselves into the garage for a spot of preventative maintenance.

All those systems could potentially benefit from being networked together, providing of course that automobile companies can solve the software problem. Just as a LAN can be thrown out of kilter by one of its routers having the wrong version of an operating system, there are worries that cars could hit problems if the firmware in a newly fitted spare part isn't compatible with an older engine management system, for example.

And don’t forget that it currently costs the auto manufacturers a fortune to independently develop all that software, which is why telematics firms are rushing to offer them standard off-the-shelf equivalents. The scary thing is that those anti-Microsoft jokes may have a nub of truth. The car systems will be interconnected, so the Windows-powered entertainment system could well have an effect on the engine management system.

So perhaps we will find ourselves one day having to stop on the hard shoulder to reset the car by opening and closing all four doors simultaneously before we can drive on.