China Automotive Innovation Corporation (CAIC) Automotive Operating System: Defining the "Digital Soul" of Smart Cars with Domestic Self-Developed Base

At the 2026 China International New Energy Vehicle Technology, Parts, and Services Exhibition, China Automotive Innovation Corporation (CAIC) will make a grand debut with its full-stack self-developed automotive operating system (accompanied by concurrent sub-forum activities). With strong determinism, cross-domain integration, and intelligent native core capabilities, it provides a domestic secure foundation for advanced driving assistance, centralized computing, smart cockpits, and regional control. The exhibition will showcase its full-spectrum technological strength, ranging from real-time control to AI-native capabilities.

1. Two Generations of Evolution, Three Major Platforms Covering Vehicle Control / Smart Driving / Cockpit Scenarios

The CAIC automotive operating system has undergone a transformation, evolving from addressing basic needs to breakthrough innovations, and now defining future technological advancements. It has formed a two-generation product matrix:

• First Generation: The automotive real-time operating system, with CAIC·MOS at its core, is paired with three major platform products — CAIC·AP, CAIC·CP, and CAIC·AAOS — covering all scenarios in vehicle control, smart driving, and cockpit, supporting a smooth upgrade from traditional ECUs to domain controllers.

• Second Generation: The deterministic automotive operating system (CAIC·DAOS) comes equipped with a deterministic scheduling hub, autonomous decision-making sandbox, and security containers. Based on the CAIC·Hypervisor virtualization layer, it enables cross-domain integration of vehicle control, smart driving, and cockpit, creating a unified foundation for the central computing platform.

2. Core Product Matrix

3. Hardcore Parameters, Performance Maximized – 8 Leading Industry Indicators

At this auto show, China Automotive Innovation Corporation (CAIC) unveiled quantifiable hardcore parameters to demonstrate the solid strength of the domestic operating system. 

• 22 Innovative Technologies: Scalable elastic core, CPU interrupt controller virtualization, deeply optimized locking mechanisms, etc., comprehensively breaking through underlying bottlenecks.

• 4+ Safety Certifications: Meets high-level requirements for functional and information security, ensuring the safety of the entire vehicle lifecycle.

• 10+ Mainstream Chip Adaptations: Full coverage of mainstream chip architectures, hardware-independent design, enabling fast implementation and mass production.

• 8 Leading Performance Indicators:Deterministic scheduling latency < 8ms IPC process communication latency < 2.6μs End-to-end latency optimization far exceeding Linux distributions High concurrency, low jitter, meeting the stringent requirements of L4-level smart driving and above.

4. Mass Production Validation, Solid Implementation in Multiple Models

Technology goes beyond the laboratory, firmly rooted in mass production: 

• Over 10+ controllers have been installed, covering scenarios such as intelligent gateways, cross-domain controllers, and centralized computing platforms.

• Successfully implemented in 2 mass production models, passing rigorous whole-vehicle level verification.

• Supports 3+ government research projects, leading the domestic standardization process of automotive operating systems.

Looking to the Future:AI-native + Embodied Intelligence, defining the next generation of intelligent cockpits.

CAIC's forward-looking layout for embodied intelligent operating systems aims to create an AI-native engine, intent understanding, multimodal perception fusion, environmental semantic understanding, and group intelligence collaboration. This will transform vehicles from “tools” into “intelligent companions” that understand you, accompany you, and evolve with you, redefining the future of human-vehicle interaction experiences.

2027 China International New Energy Vehicle Technology, Parts, and Services Exhibition

A full industry chain exhibition, covering everything from design to manufacturing, from usage to services. 

• Pre-Installation: Vehicle manufacturing (batteries, motors, electronic controls, autonomous driving, smart cockpits, smart manufacturing, AI, etc.)

• After-Sales Services: Charging and swapping stations, new energy vehicle maintenance, repair tools, spare parts, and more.