▲ Lee Han-seong, Yellowknife representative (Photo provided by Yellowknife)

“SDV software can be a key component of a real, profitable business.”

Yellowknife Leads Future Mobility Experiences with User-Centric Service Software
“ SDV Long-Term Profitability Will Change the Sales Profit Structure of the Existing Automobile Industry ”
“ Cars must transform from mere means of transportation to immersive digital platforms ”

[Editor's Note] On September 3, our magazine will host the 2024 Automotive Conference, where we will learn about the changes in the industry and global trends that SDV will bring, and we will also hold sessions that will provide insights into the implementation of embedded software in automobiles. Yellowknife, the first presenter at the conference, will explore how comprehensive SDV software revenue models, including paid services, data-based revenue, and information provision, should be structured, and will introduce service software commercialization methods to enhance profitability. We asked Yellowknife CEO Lee Han-seong, who will be a speaker ahead of the event, about revenue generation and commercialization methods in SDV.

■ Introduction to Yellowknife

Yellowknife is a mobility software development company that was launched as an in-house venture of Hyundai Motor Company in 2020. It provides innovative solutions in the SDV field and is leading the future mobility experience with user-centered service software within the paradigm of the automobile industry that is rapidly shifting to software-centered.

Service software will be a key element in determining the core value and competitiveness of future vehicles, and Yellowknife aims to achieve sustainable growth and profit generation through its unique technological prowess and business modeling know-how in this field.

■ Won innovation awards at many exhibitions including CES and Korea Electronics Show. Why do you think you were able to win the award?

Starting with the 2020 CES Innovation Awards for its 'Smart Custom Dashboard', the company has been recognized for its innovation and has won awards at various exhibitions due to its unique approach and technological excellence in SDV software development.

The 'smart custom instrument panel' played a significant role in opening the era of personalized vehicle services by allowing users to directly select functions and designs that suit their individual tastes and needs, instead of information unilaterally provided by vehicle manufacturers.

▲ Yellowknife theme UI UX platform guide image (Image provided by Yellowknife)

Based on this, the 'Theme UI UX Platform' that can flexibly change the theme of the infotainment system (cluster, AVN) has been expanded, and is currently receiving a response from the market as a key element for providing customized services as of 2024.

Yellowknife's innovative solutions, which contribute to the evolution of future mobility beyond a means of transportation into a tool that provides personalized digital experiences, are revolutionizing the market and creating new business models with a unique user-centered approach and technological excellence.

■ It was mentioned that the remaining time, excluding the 2 hours spent using the vehicle, should be targeted. I wonder how we should exploit that time and what kind of business models will be created within it.

Capturing the remaining time outside of driving time in the vehicle is an important strategy to maximize the potential of the SDV.

To capture this moment, vehicles must be transformed from mere means of transportation to immersive digital platforms.

We can propose services that enable various activities such as entertainment, work, and communication in the vehicle.

Building on this direction, Yellowknife is developing software that provides customized interfaces and immersive experiences.

▲Image of Yellowknife theme UI UX platform app usage (Image provided by Yellowknife)

This could create new business models that make efficient use of in-vehicle time.

Examples include gaming platforms, subscription-based streaming services, and personalized advertising and marketing services.

These business models provide high value to users and the opportunity to generate a sustainable revenue stream for companies.

■ Yellowknife provides a service to customize the UI of in-vehicle displays and has introduced a platform such as a marketplace. I think compatibility between vehicle OSes was also a hurdle, so I'm curious as to how you solved it.

Yellowknife adopted a plug-in structure technology architecture to ensure compatibility with various vehicle operating systems in SDV software development.

This architecture maximizes the flexibility of the system, allowing its functions to be easily expanded or changed according to the user's needs.

In particular, Yellowknife is implementing high-performance GUI in embedded systems within vehicles based on the QT/QML framework.

The QT/QML framework is a powerful toolkit for developing cross-platform applications and UIs, and its plug-in architecture allows flexible adaptation to a variety of operating systems.

It is designed to provide a consistent user experience across major OS environments such as Android, Linux, and QNX.

Additionally, with the goal of technological synergy, we are expanding our solutions based on the Web-Browser framework through collaboration with OBIGO starting this year.

This collaboration will seek to expand web-based applications and services, and move toward providing more diverse solutions without barriers to infotainment and operating system response.

■ At e4ds' Automotive Conference, we will introduce a comprehensive SDV software revenue model structuring method and a service software commercialization plan to enhance profitability under the theme of 'SDV Software Implementation and Business Prospects'. What is the main point of the presentation?

The key takeaway from this year’s Automotive Conference presentation is that with the shift to SDV, software has become the core value and competitiveness determining factor for vehicles, and business models based on this will determine the success of the future mobility industry.

First, we will discuss the development direction and commercialization plan of service software to enhance SDV profitability, and emphasize the methodology to enable SDV software to become a core element of a business that can actually generate profits, beyond simple technical implementation.

In addition, Yellowknife will forecast mobility killer services that can advance the timing of software monetization based on consumer expectations and market trends analyzed in the field, and present actual application cases and business models.

Through this, we hope to share strategies to ensure that SDV software can become a key driver of the future mobility market, and to provide a clear understanding of the industry's potential and the resulting business opportunities.

■ Please give a word to e4ds readers

The mobility industry is evolving rapidly even at this moment, and software is at the center of it.

Yellowknife is committed to creating new user experiences that go beyond the simple functionality of a vehicle through innovative technologies that drive SDVs.

I believe that technological innovation must ultimately be centered around the user.

SDV, which is evolving into a personalized digital platform, has the potential to revolutionize user experience in a more three-dimensional way than the mobile industry that was transformed by smartphones. there is.

We ask for your continued interest in the infinite possibilities of the SDV industry and the innovative, user-centered technologies that Yellowknife will create within it.