The automotive software solution landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift as the industry moves towards software-defined vehicles. The amount of software integrated into vehicles is growing quickly as architectures move away from function-specific control units to central and zonal controllers that create virtual machines, using hypervisors and/or containers to combine the functionality of multiple ECUs. Virtualization in software is the key to the architectural enablement of the software-defined vehicle and enables mixed-criticality systems, such as infotainment and safety cameras, to share the same hardware.
OEMs such as Tesla, BMW, VW, Mercedes, Stellantis, and Volvo have all announced initiatives to develop their own software base as part of this shift. But do traditional vertical stack software development paradigms scale enough to allow OEMs to do what they want to do? Will integrating third-party software into those OEM stacks help make that scaling possible?
In this white paper, we take a deep dive into the wide ecosystem of software solutions that will aid the lifecycle of the software-defined vehicle. In breaking down the differences between community managed and commercially managed software, it understands how different third-party systems can complement one another. A detailed exploration around the longevity of vehicle software works to underline the importance of a strong over-the-air software update strategy, while examining the pitfalls of a poorly implemented one.
For OEMs and suppliers heavily involved with, or seeking to more heavily implement, vehicle software – the white paper evaluates different approaches to sourcing new software while mapping out the best practices for implementing it. Likewise, it details the legislation and standards that are actively supporting the software solutions that will aid the development and operation of software-defined vehicles in the future.