Rethinking Vehicle Design: The Holistic Approach to Electronics and Software in SDVs

The automotive world is rapidly evolving with the rise of software-defined vehicles, where the integration of cloud and mobile technologies is not just a trend, but a revolution. This shift demands a fundamental change in how we approach vehicle electronics and software architecture.

In the era of SDVs, it’s not just about embedding software into a vehicle — it’s about orchestrating a symphony of complex systems. Not just the vehicle complex systems, but the smart infrastructure of cities and roadways, cloud and web systems, as well as mobile or other devices networked into the smart home or office. These systems must communicate and operate in unison, requiring a design philosophy where software and hardware are considered together, not as separate entities.

As our vehicles become more connected, they also become more exposed to cyber threats. This new landscape calls for robust cybersecurity frameworks that protect not just individual components, but the entire vehicular and non-vehicular ecosystem.

Abstraction through standard interface management, modularization, and product line engineering thinking around variant and version controls will all play into how we think of total systems architecture and modern product development.