Nissan is building its future software-defined vehicle platform on Red Hat’s open-source Linux-based operating system to accelerate AI-native automotive innovation and long-term software scalability.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has selected Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System as the foundation for its next-generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platform, placing open-source Linux at the core of its future automotive architecture.
Announced during Red Hat Summit 2026, the collaboration centres on Nissan’s next-generation Central Vehicle Computer and its Scalable Open Software Platform (SW PF). The initiative marks Nissan’s shift away from proprietary, hardware-locked automotive systems towards a cloud-native and software-defined vehicle model.
Built on the reliability and security framework of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System will provide a scalable and standardised Linux foundation capable of supporting automotive software lifecycles spanning decades.
The partnership also enables Nissan to decouple software development from hardware, allowing smartphone-style vehicle feature updates while maintaining automotive-grade safety and security standards. Nissan said the platform would support an AI-native vehicle architecture, where AI-driven workflows could streamline validation cycles and improve developer productivity.
A key differentiator in the initiative is the integrated engineering model. Red Hat engineers will work directly within Nissan’s development pipeline, allowing the automaker greater control over its software stack and faster global innovation scaling.
Francis Chow, Vice President and General Manager, In-Vehicle Operating System, Red Hat, said the collaboration aims to establish “a reliable, open source foundation for the next generation of in-vehicle computing.”
