ACO Tech, the home-grown automotive software company, has unveiled its brand-new ATLAS automotive operating system, which it hopes to form an ecosystem that not only provides in-car infotainment systems, but also a suite of connected features including payments and other lifestyle convenience bonuses.
In that vein, the company has signed a strategic partnership with UOB Malaysia, Fasspay Payment Solutions, and Five Petroleum Malaysia to kickstart its plans.
Together with its newly-minted partners, ACO Tech will implement a car-based digital wallet system and an integrated in-car payment system, dubbed ATLAS Pay, which will be made available by the fourth quarter of this year.
The company will further collaborate with Five to offer automotive-related support through an extensive network of approved service providers, automotive merchants, and “seamless refuelling experience” at Five petrol stations, presumably with payment handled via ATLAS Pay.
“As auto manufacturers strive to deliver a connected and personalised driving experience to consumers, it is imperative for ATLAS to be agile, scalable and ever-evolving,” says ACO Tech CEO, Li Pu. “While ensuring our technology capabilities are optimised to rapidly adapt to demanding needs, building relationships with industry partners continue to be a priority for ACO Tech to provide innovative in-car experiences that make perfect sense to drivers.”
ALSO READ: Your next car’s cabin could be powered entirely by Apple CarPlay
Aside from the ATLAS OS infotainment system, which is built on the open-source Android 10 platform to deliver a “personal experience” that “[meets] the diverse demands and preferences of the Malaysian lifestyle”, the ATLAS ecosystem also includes the dedicated ATLAS Auto app that allows the user to access vehicle telematics from their mobile phones, alongside an automotive-focused social networking platform.
ACO Tech is also working on a wearable watch-like device that will allow users to control their vehicles remotely, with real-time info synchronised directly to the device.
In addition to the aforementioned partners, ACO Tech also signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the launch event to expand its partnership with Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) to continuously develop cloud-based automotive solutions based on Huawei Cloud for regional markets.
The new extended collaboration will see both companies accelerate innovations in software applications for big data and artificial intelligence to further “promote the adoption of smart mobility lifestyle”.
ACO Tech says that there are now more than 10,000 cars on the road equipped with the ATLAS operating system, which will soon be extended to the X50 soon via an over-the-air (OTA) software update in the near future. The company also teased a “global partnership” on audio streaming that will be announced later this month, which could be foreshadowing the addition of Spotify onto the platform.
