Google Cloud and Valtech have released the open-source core of Nexus SDV, a software-defined vehicle platform designed to support connected car systems at scale.
Platform overview
First public release of a platform helping carmakers build software-led vehicle services. Built on Google Cloud infrastructure with Android Automotive OS integration.
Nexus SDV is modular for managing connected vehicles, processing telemetry, and linking cloud services with in-vehicle software. Designed for up to 100 million devices using Arm-based compute and Bigtable for data processing and storage.
Industry context
Carmakers shift from traditional connected vehicle models to software-defined vehicles with over-the-air updates, increasing telemetry volume and pressure to control cloud and development costs.
Nexus AI
Uses Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform to analyze vehicle telemetry in real time for automated decisions and personalized driver assistance. Continuous data loop between vehicle edge and cloud; telemetry ingested and synchronized in real time with updates sent back to vehicles.
Security architecture
Defence-in-depth across certificate management, identity, secret storage, network isolation, AI governance, and data access:
- Vehicle auth: Mutual TLS and PKI via Google Cloud Certificate Authority Service; factory-issued certificates validated before data exchange.
- Identity: Keycloak OpenID Connect; vehicles authenticate with operational certificates for short-lived JWTs; NATS authorization maps roles to messaging subjects.
- Service access: Workload Identity Federation and GKE Workload Identity for temporary credentials.
- Secrets: Generated at provisioning, stored in Secret Manager, retrieved at runtime.
- Network: Private GKE clusters without public IPs; Cloud SQL IAM authentication for Keycloak database.
Data controls
Custom Data API gateway limits Bigtable queries to predefined parameters (vehicle IDs, sensor types, time windows) rather than granting direct database access.
Open source rationale
Reflects automotive sector demand for adaptable building blocks across brands, hardware, and software roadmaps. Targets reduced TCO via Arm compute and Bigtable with AI-native vehicle software environment.