Software-defined vehicles How software is changing automotive development

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Siemens Digital Industries Software GmbH

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With the growing role of software in autonomous vehicles, complexity in development also increases. AI and machine learning are essential for making precise decisions in real-time. Therefore, automotive manufacturers must find new development approaches.

Nand Kochhar, Vice President of Automotive and Transportation, Siemens Digital Industries Software

Software is now an important component of almost all modern vehicles. Consumers expect high-tech features supported by software from the automotive industry. This transition to a software-defined vehicle leads to a rapid increase in vehicle complexity and changes the nature of automotive development. To remain competitive in the modern automotive industry, manufacturers and suppliers must be able to deliver innovative, software-driven vehicle functions. These functions must also integrate seamlessly into a vehicle's mechanical, electrical, and electronic systems.

The importance of these software systems will increase as the industry approaches the goal of full autonomy. In an autonomous vehicle, the software will take full responsibility for operating the vehicle in dynamic driving environments. This task requires the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms into already complex software systems to process information and make real-time decisions. The impact of this increasing complexity will manifest itself in various ways during the development of automotive software:

• Software design and development: Software systems must meet a larger number of requirements, support more functions, and operate more reliably as the vehicle becomes increasingly software-driven.

• Verification/Validation and Compliance: With increasing complexity of vehicle software, verifying and validating its functionality becomes increasingly challenging. This is particularly true for safety-critical systems, which must meet very strict requirements for failure rates and modes (functional safety).

• Change Management: When design changes occur, software teams must test and validate the implementation of the changes and communicate them to all affected systems. Efficient, accurate, and organized distribution and implementation of these changes are crucial for building a vehicle that functions as intended and is safe.

Software enables the development of smarter, more adaptable, comfortable, and desirable vehicles, but it also accelerates development cycles and adds to the complexity of vehicles. In addressing these challenges, new approaches to vehicle development can help automakers manage the growing complexity of the software and hardware, as well as the mechanical and electrical systems of autonomous vehicles.

Software complexity creates new challenges

The integration of more software into the vehicle increases complexity, particularly in the interaction between software and other systems such as the electrical and electronic systems (E/E) and networks with electronic hardware. The increasing software content in the vehicle raises the frequency and significance of interactions between the software and other systems. These other systems must then consider the real-time aspect of most modern automotive software, leading to additional compatibility constraints for both the selected hardware and software systems during development.

The added complexity at all levels of the vehicle overwhelms traditional isolated development processes. Integration issues between development teams and disciplines will become more frequent and severe. Document-based approaches for program management at the system level will also become impractical as teams and external partners become increasingly involved in the vehicle program. The result is a higher vehicle development risk, leading to more recalls, warranty claims, and costs for the automaker.

Digitization enables the future of AV development

Automakers must find new approaches to software development to continue the journey towards autonomous vehicles (AV). Today, software development teams in the automotive industry and the entire vehicle development cycle are insufficiently prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. In response, many companies are adopting a function-based software development approach to better manage complexity and accelerate development cycles.

However, these approaches have gaps. Many companies still rely on document-based methods to track and manage software development. This does not meet the challenges of a modern car—and certainly not an AV. With document-based methods, whether function-based or not, companies will struggle to ensure compliance with various standards, such as functional safety, for both software and development processes. Change management and collaboration between teams will also prove difficult as software systems become more sophisticated and interconnected both with each other and with other systems in the vehicle. Technical changes need to be cascaded and efficiently implemented across multiple systems, requiring continuous collaboration among teams during development.

A company-wide software and system development approach

Digitalization can help close the gaps in traditional software development in the automotive industry. It encourages companies to move beyond the document-based development approach and improve the integration of software with other technical areas. As a result, software engineers can work more closely and efficiently with their colleagues in electronics hardware, E/E systems, and mechanics. This enhanced collaboration can reduce development risk by making it easier and faster to identify and fix design issues or prevent these problems from arising in the first place. All areas can then improve and optimize their designs despite accelerated development cycles, as less time needs to be spent resolving issues during integration.

Digitalization also enables automakers to pursue an enterprise-wide Software and System Engineering (SSE) approach for the entire vehicle development process. A digitized SSE process allows automakers a holistic view of the vehicle during development through interconnected digital tools at the system level. The system level encompasses various areas and subsystems, including software, hardware, and mechanical systems.

SSE can capture product requirements, performance goals, constraints, and other information to create the product definition. These definitions and requirements are then available to all stakeholders, including CAD, CAE, and even partner companies. It also enables a multidirectional flow of information. Once simulations and tests are completed, this data can be captured to further enrich the digital twin of the vehicle and ensure that all stakeholders have access to an up-to-date model of the vehicle and its behavior. A modern digitized software development workflow based on SSE is built on three main pillars:

• Requirement capture and test specification for all aspects of software systems with attribute assignment and integrated traceability. This can include an online platform for workflow management and digital solutions for test case management with requirement traceability.

• Design and testing procedures that link requirements with models and code. This enables the tracking of test results, as well as automated testing and the planning of software releases with status monitoring.

• Live reporting and dashboards that can provide insights into model development with automated result feedback.

Together, the three pillars form a solution that can continuously provide key information to the right people at all stages of development. This includes the processes of software specification, implementation, testing, model reuse, and change and impact analysis. This solution also enables stakeholders to view and manage information via a globally accessible platform with direct traceability to the relevant models.

This approach can help coordinate and orchestrate the entire software development flow, from higher-level program engineering, such as feature/function breakdowns, trade studies, and target setting, to the core control and software development processes. Through digitalization, development areas and teams are also better integrated and prepared to tackle the challenges of AV software development and integration.

Holistic approaches for the future of mobility

Driven by a rapid increase in software content and maturity, vehicle complexity is rising to deliver the advanced features and functions demanded in today's market. The ongoing pursuit of commercially available autonomous vehicles will further amplify these trends, making software a critical component of vehicle development and driving vehicle complexity to new heights. In tackling this complexity and its associated challenges, automakers will find that traditional document-based and isolated software development methods are not suitable for the task.

To keep pace, automotive companies must embrace digitalization and adopt a holistic software and system engineering approach for the design and development of automotive software. Such an approach promotes and facilitates collaboration between development areas and enables a multidirectional flow of information within the company. These capabilities aid automotive engineers in their work on the future of mobility.