A first glimpse into a new Eclipse SDV project proposal

At the upcoming SDV Community Days in Bonn, Chulhee Lee and DK Jung from LG Electronics will present a new project proposal: Timpani combines deterministic real-time scheduling with dynamic workload orchestration for software-defined vehicles. By integrating Timpani with Eclipse Pullpiri, global orchestration is aligned with strict timing guarantees, enabling a unified platform for mixed-criticality and time-sensitive SDV workloads across vehicle and cloud environments. We spoke with Chulhee to get a sense of what to expect from the project.

What problem does the Timpani project aim to solve in software-defined vehicles?

The Timpani project addresses three key challenges in software‑defined vehicles.

First, guaranteeing the end‑to‑end execution time of sequential applications. Many in‑vehicle functions are composed of multiple applications that must run sequentially within a specific time window.

For example, a rear‑parking alert feature involves:

• an app that receives distance values from the rear sensor,
• an app that calculates the distance, and
• an app that generates an audible warning.

These must be executed in order and within a defined deadline. Timpani ensures this deterministic end‑to‑end scheduling behaviour.

Second, scheduling sequential applications distributed across physically separated ECUs. Vehicle functions are often spread across different ECUs. Timpani enables sequential scheduling even when applications are running on different ECUs, effectively allowing the entire vehicle to operate like a single integrated computer.

Third, providing CPU scheduling at the Linux container level for cloud‑native architectures. Following cloud‑native principles, Timpani provides scheduling at the container level, regardless of the frameworks running inside the container. Even if a container includes its own execution‑management framework, Timpani coordinates with it and ensures a higher level of system‑wide determinism.

Why are deterministic real-time scheduling and dynamic orchestration important for SDVs?

Vehicle systems place the highest priority on safety. This means certain functions must be executed or monitored within strict and guaranteed time bounds. This is exactly why deterministic scheduling is essential.

At the same time, as we move toward software‑defined vehicles, we must also consider scalability and flexibility. These requirements imply that the system must allow for changes and updates over time. However, a system that operates in a fully deterministic and fixed manner typically does not allow such changes. Once change is introduced, determinism can be weakened.

To address this fundamental conflict, we believe orchestration is required – an approach that can dynamically manage resources, recover from issues, and adapt the system to evolving conditions without sacrificing safety. This is why we are developing the Timpani project together with the Eclipse Pullpiri project. By combining deterministic scheduling with orchestration‑driven adaptability, we aim to create an SDV platform that ensures both safety requirements and cloud‑native flexibility.

“Together, Eclipse Pullpiri and Timpani provide a tightly integrated orchestration‑plus‑deterministic‑scheduling solution for software‑defined vehicles.”

How does Timpani fit into the broader SDV and Eclipse ecosystem?

Timpani has the strongest synergy with the Eclipse Pullpiri project, to which LG Electronics is already contributing and actively developing.

While Eclipse Pullpiri determines deployment locations, manages the runtime environment and required resources for each application like K8S in cloud environments, and orchestrates applications based on vehicle conditions, Timpani focuses on ensuring that critical applications meet their execution deadlines. When a deadline miss occurs, Timpani communicates with Eclipse Pullpiri to orchestrate the affected applications. This may involve changing the deployment location, adjusting resource allocations, or, in some cases, terminating lower‑priority applications. Together, Eclipse Pullpiri and Timpani provide a tightly integrated orchestration‑plus‑deterministic‑scheduling solution for software‑defined vehicles.

Why is the project called “Timpani”?

The project is called “Timpani” because, just like a timpani drum in an orchestra that keeps the beat for all the other instruments, the Timpani project helps keep the timing of all workloads in the vehicle.

It makes sure everything runs on time and in sync. We learned during the Eclipse Pullpiri naming process that trademark rules make it difficult to use common words for project names. So for Timpani, we are also looking for a unique, meaningful, and contribution‑friendly name that avoids trademark issues.

Want to learn more about Timpani? Join the SDV Community Days on 24-25 February in Bonn, Germany.