Ducati selects Qt to power motorcycles’ digital displays

Espoo, Finland, 20 September 2023 - Qt Group (Nasdaq, Helsinki: QTCOM) has today announced it has officially partnered with Ducati to support its implementation of next-generation digital displays on its luxury motorcycles. The new Scrambler 2023 model is the first one to apply the Qt for MCUs technology – a graphics framework and toolkit that delivers smartphone-like user experiences on resource-constrained devices.

The convergence between brand style and graphics is a fundamental element for the success of prestigious motorcycles. Fluidity and elegance define the Ducati customer experience, and their digital displays need to reflect these attributes with reactivity, performance, and style. Ducati’s motorcycles’ complex cluster design includes stylish splash screen animations, dynamic multilingual menus that change position and size on the screen for optimal readability, and swift real-time interaction with motorcycle data.

“The market requires modern, rich, and sophisticated graphics, with dynamic visuals that adapt to world events. Speed, intervention of electronic vehicle control system, and RPMs should be reflected on the screen in real-time, with a constant data flow happening in the range of milliseconds. Our aim was to achieve smartphone-like performance, without the corresponding gigahertz clock capabilities” said Claudio Mariani, Instrument Cluster and Connectivity Supervisor at Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.

The new Ducati Scrambler uses a microcontroller (MCU) to power its digital display as this technology offers robust tools for applications requiring snap boot, accurate timing, thermal efficiency, and real-time control. However, without the right software development framework, running graphical interfaces on MCU-based embedded systems may suffer from resource limitations. The Qt for MCUs graphics frameworks allows the Ducati Scrambler to achieve high-performance ‘quasi-3D graphics’ using only 1.5MB of RAM. Qt for MCUs runs on either bare metal or real-time operating systems with highly optimized libraries tailored to the MCU and low-end MPU footprint.

"With Qt technology, we’ve been able to develop and test the UI on PC while a second team developed the hardware from bare metal,” said Amilcare Franciosi, Automotive Team Leader at Egicon, the Tier 1 supplier in charge of creating the Scrambler’s cluster. “At the time we moved to integration, the UI graphics and functionality were already tested and only needed to be verified on the actual hardware. Such parallel workflow reduced our delivery time by over 50%.”

Ducati adopted Qt for MCUs on bare metal to create a nimble system stripped out of all unnecessary elements, and at the same time to develop the UI on PC before the actual hardware was ready.

"Riding a Ducati is just an all-around cool experience,” says Miao Luo, Head of Automotive and Design Tools at Qt Group. “We wanted to make sure the solution we give them for their digital displays allows their motorcycles to continue living up to the ‘cool factor’ that has defined their brand for years. The result is an extremely fluid and aesthetically animated experience via the motorcycle display.”

“The partnership serves as yet another example of the automotive industry continuing along the path of software-defined vehicles” concludes Luo.

The news follows on from Qt’s research this year showing that vehicle manufacturers are directing development budgets toward improving user interfaces and the user experience (UI/UX) to enhance their competitiveness.

Findings showed that more than half (52%) of respondents plan to spend at least 30% of their product development budget on improving UI/UX in vehicles over the next 12 months, with 23% planning to invest between 40-49% of that budget in UI/UX. In contrast, only 25% of respondents allocated above 30% of their budget towards UI/UX in the previous year, indicating growing recognition of the link between UI/UX and business success.

About Qt Group

Qt Group (Nasdaq Helsinki: QTCOM) is a global software company, trusted by industry leaders and over 1.5 million developers worldwide to create applications and smart devices that users love. We help our customers to increase productivity through the entire product development lifecycle: from UI design and software development to quality management and deployment. Our customers are in more than 70 different industries in over 180 countries. Qt Group employs some 700 people, and its net sales in 2022 were 155.3 MEUR. To learn more, visit www.qt.io.

About Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. - A Sole Shareholder Company - A Company subject to the Management and Coordination activities of AUDI AG

Founded in 1926, since 1946 Ducati has been manufacturing sport-inspired motorcycles characterised by high-performance engines, innovative design and cutting-edge technology. The Ducati factory is located in Bologna’s Borgo Panigale district. The model range covers several market segments with the following families: DesertX, Diavel, XDiavel, Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, Panigale, Streetfighter and SuperSport. In 2015, Ducati presented the Ducati Scrambler: a new brand made of bikes, accessories and apparel that that stands out for its creativity and self-expression. In 2020, Ducati unveiled the Multistrada V4, the world's first motorcycle equipped with front and rear radar, which with its technology marks a new milestone for the world of two wheels. Ducati’s iconic motorcycles, together with an extensive range of bike accessories and technical and lifestyle apparel, are distributed in 90 countries worldwide. In 2022, Ducati delivered 61,562 bikes to customers. Ducati competes with official teams in the MotoGP World Championship and Superbike World Championship. In MotoGP, where the Company has been racing since 2003, Ducati won the Constructors' title in 2007, 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Teams' title in 2007, 2021 and 2022 and the Rider’s title in 2007 and 2022, becoming two times World Champion. In Superbike, Ducati has won 18 Constructors' titles and 15 Riders' titles, confirming its position as the most successful manufacturer in the category. 2022 marked an unprecedented year for Ducati: for the first time in its history, the Company won the Triple Crown in both the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships. From 2023 until 2026, the motorcycle manufacturer will be the sole official supplier of motorbikes for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the electric class of the MotoGP World Championship.

About EGICON SRL

EGICON SRL is a global manufacturer of high-reliability electronic solutions. EGICON team develops and produces automotive and industrial solutions for the main market players, a competent and fast partner with the highest quality level. To learn more, visit www.egicon.com

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