Certifying a vehicle was once a one-time process. A manufacturer would build the car, get it certified, and then it wouldn't need certifying again until the next generation or refresh when significant changes were made. In the wake of the software-defined vehicle era, things get a little more complex as it's easier than it's ever been for manufacturers to update the core functionality of a vehicle via an over-the-air (OTA) update.

Take Tesla, for example, any Tesla owner can choose to add self-driving capabilities to their car. All they need to do is buy the update and the new functionality will be delivered wirelessly. This fundamentally changes the functionality of the vehicle.

The challenge with software-defined vehicles

Currently, ISO and other functional-safety certifications look at the software in a vehicle, taking into account cybersecurity and safety concerns; however, the existing process doesn't match up to the complexities of modern cars. To provide new functionality and features, these vehicles go through potentially dozens of software updates during a single-vehicle generation. This has the potential to change how the vehicle works, as well as how different systems interact with one another.

While high-end electric brands such as Tesla lead the way with OTA updates, other manufacturers are catching up. These software releases are going to happen more and more frequently, especially as we move toward large-scale EV adoption. There's a challenge in safely certifying vehicles that are updated so regularly. While many of the changes may be small, there's no knowing how those small updates could affect other systems in the vehicle.

For example, a small change to the braking system doesn't just affect how the car stops during normal driving, it'll affect the ABS, the emergency braking, and even the adaptive cruise control; all these systems are intertwined. For example, Tesla rolled out an update for its Autopilot system, improving how it used regenerative braking — this had knock-on effects throughout the vehicle.

The importance of continual certification

While manufacturers are often able to show what elements of the code have changed when recertifying a vehicle, they lack deeper visibility into the impact the code has on different systems. So while an update to the braking system might need to be recertified, there needs to be a way to also look at how that affects advanced driver-assist features and other systems — especially those that could impact safety.

This is why, in this era of software-defined vehicles with dozens of systems that work together, we need to move to a process of continual certification. Running impact analysis on a change allows us to see much more deeply into what has been affected by an update. With this kind of insight, the items that need to be recertified can be, but the rest of the vehicle won't need to go through that same lengthy process.

Continually recertifying vehicles within a model year, potentially after every core functionality update, will also increase safety. There's even the potential to use technology to constantly run impact analyses and send these directly to the regulatory body. However, the current process of certifying a vehicle is lengthy and wouldn't scale to support this kind of ongoing certification.

The challenges

Currently, different regulatory bodies have different certification processes but, typically, these involve manufacturers submitting documentation detailing all the changes. There's no standard to these documents so every single OEM may submit something different. Following this, there are multiple rounds of comments, meetings, and questions to determine how significant the changes are to the vehicle and whether or not it needs to be retested. This works, to a point, but when considering continual certification for vehicles that are regularly updated, this method won't work at scale.

AI can provide a solution

There is perhaps a solution to be found in artificial intelligence, specifically Vehicle Software Intelligence. Aurora Labs has developed a tool that runs continual impact analysis on a vehicle to understand the changes that have been made. This not only shows the affected interdependencies from an update but can also flag other issues that could impact recertification -- such as superfluous code.

Aurora Labs' Auto Validate allows both manufacturers and regulatory bodies to gain a deeper understanding of any functionality changes and how they affect other systems. This not only gives developers more insight but could drastically speed up the certification process.

The future

Innovating in this way and moving to a continuous certification process isn't currently a priority for manufacturers but, as vehicles become yet more advanced, this is something that will need to be addressed. Vehicle Software Intelligence presents an opportunity to bridge the gap between OEMs and regulatory bodies while improving safety and compliance.

While the certification process is unlikely to go through any radical changes any time soon, there's an opportunity here for technology to simplify a lengthy process. The regulatory process was designed for vehicles that only change once every few years -- but things have changed. Vehicles are now complex computer systems on wheels that can be updated at the touch of a button with zero downtime for the driver. The fast-paced nature of this technology requires a new way of working that will only scale when supported by AI tools such as Vehicle Software Intelligence.

While both new car manufacturers and traditional OEMs are embracing software updates as revenue generation tool, there could still be some bumps in the road ahead. There's no doubt that adding additional features and upgrades to a car after the initial sale can drive new revenue streams (see part one of this blog series) for carmakers, but all great opportunities come with their share of challenges.

Currently, the cost and complexity involved in overhauling legacy plated processes mean some OEMs have forms been slow to adopt OTA updates as a method of delivering feature and firmware upgrades. However, legislation, new regulations, and maintaining the user experience could present an equally sizeable barrier.

Cost

As vehicles become more sophisticated, the cost to keep them up-to-date with the latest features could easily spiral out of control. Some methods of updating a vehicle require huge amounts of data to be stored and transmitted for every update. Both full-image and binary updates could see costs run into the millions for cloud storage alone. To provide the type of updates demanded by consumers, OEMs need to look for ways to reduce these costs.

One method is through Line-of-Code Intelligence, which doesn't fully overwrite the flash storage in a vehicle. Instead, it just updates what is necessary and writes to the next available space on the chip. This can help to reduce costs (as there's less data to store and transmit), as well as improve the experience for the end-user.

User experience

As a driver, there's nothing more frustrating than jumping in your car only to find out you have to wait for the vehicle to update before you can use its core functionalities. If manufacturers are to deliver new features to a vehicle in order to increase revenue, the experience needs to be seamless.

Because, full-image and binary updates erase the previous code, the driver would need to wait while the car is being updated. In most cases, this shouldn't take too long, but it's far from convenient. Line-of-code updates are a little different, however, and allow the driver to continue on as normal with no break in how they use their vehicle. This is because the previous code isn't erased, so the old version of the software can continue to run while the update is being delivered.

Safety concerns

While many manufacturers are currently able to make updates as needed to their vehicles, some experts have safety concerns, arguing that novelty and performance features could cause problems. Even where OTA updates are delivered to improve safety, the argument is that these may not have been adequately tested in the same way they would be at the point of manufacture.

Legislation is coming into place that references OTA updates, how they're tested, and the impact of new safety features. This is on top of insurance validity concerns around changing the functionalities of a vehicle, especially when manufacturers offer free trials of different services or those on a subscription.

The UN has already established a set of rules around cybersecurity and software updates. The WP.29 rules (R155 and R156) will come into force in the EU in July 2022 and will be mandatory for all vehicles by 2024. While many of these rules surround cybersecurity, they're also focused on "providing safe and secure software updates and ensuring vehicle safety is not compromised."

As well as safety and security around software updates, WP.29 will also cover these areas:

• Managing vehicle cyber risks
• Securing vehicles by design to mitigate risks along the value chain
• Detecting and responding to security incidents across a vehicle fleet

Manufacturers will need to comply with these regulations for all features delivered with the vehicle, as well as those delivered via an update. While it will take time for these regulations to come into force fully, it's important that manufacturers take steps to ensure they are fully and satisfactorily adopted.

Insurance increases

Many insurers consider new features delivered via an OTA update to be a modification to the vehicle. This could lead to an increase in insurance prices or, at worst, render the cover invalid. We all know to report modifications to our insurer, but the rules around new features delivered over the air aren't quite so clear.

Recently, UK insurer LV did a U-turn on its policies after charging Tesla owners a premium following routine software updates. It told the consumer association Which?: "We now recognize that it isn't fair to expect customers to contact us for every update, so as a result of this valid challenge, we are changing our approach."

With no existing set of rules for insurers, each will decide its own approach to these updates. This could make life difficult for consumers and could impact how car manufacturers deliver updates in the future.

Vehicle Software Intelligence as a solution

While there may be challenges ahead for OEMs, the opportunities for revenue generation are too good to ignore -- especially in this rapidly evolving market. One solution that could ease the pain of these safety and regulatory challenges is artificial intelligence, specifically Vehicle Software Intelligence. This makes the update process more straightforward for car manufacturers by minimizing the size of update files, reducing costs, and giving accurate visibility of a vehicle’s entire software system -- supporting auditing and compliance efforts.

While software-defined vehicle manufacturers are leading the way when it comes to delivering OTA updates, legacy OEMs are catching up. In fact, more than 20% of industry experts expect software sales to account for at least 10% of carmakers' sales by 2027. The road may not be as smooth as some may hope but it's the early adopters that will reap the rewards in the years to come.

Find out more about how Vehicle Software Intelligence could help your business here.

For many years, software has been an enabler for hardware, but, increasingly, it's becoming a source of revenue for automotive manufacturers. In fact, according to McKinsey, data-driven services could create up to $1.5 trillion in additional revenue for OEMs.

Profits on a new car are ridiculously tight, with many manufacturers making just 13-21% gross profit margin (GPM) on a car sale. These margins are squeezed even tighter thanks to supply chain disruption; increased steel, energy, and logistics costs; and more R&D spend. Compare this to the software industry, where the average GPM is 72.31%, and it's no wonder OEMs are turning to software to boost margins. Many are already using over-the-air (OTA) updates to deliver new features to vehicles even after the initial sale.

One of the most well-known examples of this is Tesla offering acceleration upgrades to its vehicles with a simple update -- for a fee, of course. But there's potential here for other brands to follow suit, and many already are.

Giving more to customers

Adding new vehicle features via OTA updates will not only drive revenue to manufacturers but can improve customer satisfaction too. Drivers can add new functionality to their vehicles as need dictates or if they want to customize a used vehicle to their needs. But this is so much more than updating satellite navigation or adding new infotainment features, software gives OEMs the chance to update the functionality of the car itself through firmware updates.

This often includes small upgrades to improve the performance of a car, as in the case of Tesla. The Polestar 2 is another example, however, it gained 67 horsepower from an update to the powertrain ECU, with a retail price of $1,125. This is a fantastic indication of what we can expect in the future as OEMs begin to use software as a revenue generation tool.

Tesla is used to monetizing these upgrades and does so with great success. For example, for $10,000, you can buy the full self-driving package for your car. Tesla makes this easy for customers and simply delivers these new features through an OTA update. This, essentially, activates the existing hardware enabling drivers to make use of Tesla's full suite of autonomous capabilities.

BMW is another manufacturer that's offering more to its customers through remote updates. Owners can choose to add a range of digital services to their vehicles -- either for a one-off price or a monthly subscription. You could add active cruise control, adaptive suspension, or BMW Drive Recorder -- this automatically activates in the event of an incident but can be used to record beautiful surroundings and road-trip memories at the touch of a button if you choose.

New revenue streams

It's not just BMW, Tesla, and Polestar monetizing these updates. Stellantis recently announced a strategy that will build on existing vehicle capabilities to transform how customers interact with their vehicles -- the company is predicting this strategy to generate 20 billion euros in incremental revenue by 2030.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said: "Our electrification and software strategies will support the shift to become a sustainable mobility tech company to lead the pack, leveraging the associated business growth with over-the-air features and services and delivering the best experience to our customers."

Manufacturers have plenty of options when it comes to monetizing functionality upgrades via remote updates. One-off fees add permanent features to a vehicle but the subscription model allows OEMs to create recurring revenue streams. General Motors is already using this to add new functionality to older models. Owners of around 900,000 vehicles built from 2018 can add navigation to their infotainment system for just $15 a month.

The opportunities are endless here, especially as manufacturers look beyond their infotainment systems and to the firmware of a vehicle. Updating the features of a car -- such as safety systems, performance, or self-driving capabilities -- is where the real money lies.

OEMs aren't shy about their plans to make money from these additional features. Markus Schafer, head of research for Mercedes cars, told CAR magazine: "We're aiming for an additional 1bn euro by 2025 to be added from packages and services that we're selling over the air. Of course, we want to provide features and new experiences to our customers, but also ultimately to do additional business in the future after we've sold the vehicle. That's going to be more and more important."

For consumers, OTA updates mean personalization for their cars, allowing them to add all the features they require to an otherwise standard used car. Adding these functionalities enables OEMs to continue earning from older vehicles while promoting brand loyalty among used car buyers. While software-defined vehicle manufacturers are leading the way, legacy OEMs are catching up. In fact, more than 20% of industry experts expect software sales to account for at least 10% of carmakers' sales as early as 2027. The road may not be as smooth as some may hope but it's the early adopters that will reap the rewards in the years to come.

Read Part 2 of this series here

In the world of software updates - why are we even talking about hardware?

For in-vehicle applications, the software that runs different functions is installed directly into the vehicle (unlike cloud-based applications that we're getting accustomed to in other industries). There are as many as 100 mini computers or electric control units (ECU) in a vehicle, each consisting of both software and the hardware components that run them. When manufacturers plan the ECU components, one of the key decisions is what size memory to allocate. Chip makers price memory storage (Flash and RAM) differently based on capacity - and the price difference between the different sizes is tremendous.

To ensure the cost of a vehicle is as effective as possible, manufacturers purchase memory chips based on the size of the program file. Since flash sizes are standard and program sizes can vary, often not all memory is utilized. For example, if one program (measured in compiled binary code) is 13MB, the closest chip size is 16MB, leaving 3MB free for software image growth over time.

To conduct software updates, a sufficient amount of available space must be available on the memory drive.

Why do OTA solutions require available memory space?

There are a few different methods in the market today to send update files to vehicles. Some send the entire program all over again, and some send the delta or only the changes between the current and the new version of software. However, to assure a failsafe update process, all the different methodologies have one thing in common: you don't erase the existing version until the new one is safely installed. Verifications of the newly updated version and the enablement of a safe rollback to the previous version is required to ensure a smooth transition.

This means that at any given time, an ECU's memory must allow for both the original program as well as the complete update file simultaneously - making the need for memory greater than the original size of the program. Using our earlier example, a 13MB application taking up 81% footprint may not leave sufficient memory space for additional update files.

The initial (now legacy) OTA update methods require a full second/redundant bank of flash memory, also known as A/B memory. Whether a full image or binary diff update, it is very costly and requires creating dual partitions in the endpoint memory and doubling the available memory. In this manner, the updated software version image is written to the second partition, and if it fails, the system can revert to the previous version that is located on the first partition.

How much can a little flash drive possibly cost?

Conservative prices for 512MB NAND flash chips that might be used in domain controller architectures cost about $8 each, but a manufacturer may produce several million vehicles annually with multiple (3-4) domain controllers, TCU, Head-Units and gateways. Even in architecture with smaller discrete micro-controller ECUs that use 2, 4, 8 or 16 MB flash memory chips, they typically still cost $1 or more each, and a vehicle may have 100 ECUs that are required to be updateable. If a manufacturer builds 10 million vehicles a year that require double banks of flash memory, the additional cost could easily surpass $1.5 billion.

To read more details about potential costs of OTA updates, visit the Guidehouse Insights' Cost Consideration Guide.

Aurora Labs' additive update files - the cost-effective alternative

Aurora Labs' Line-of-Code Intelligence technology has revolutionized the way that updates files are created. Unlike existing binary diff update methods, Aurora Labs' Auto Update integrates into the development toolchain and automatically analyzes and identifies changes in the lines of code. With this intimate understanding of the software, we are able to generate the world's smallest update files (6x smaller than other binary diff methods and a fraction of the size of a full software image). Our small update files are additive update files that are written to the next free space on the existing flash memory. As many as 20 update files can be written to the existing free space avoiding the need for additional memory drives or even external memory 'boosters'.

To learn more about our OTA technology, visit the Auto Update product page.

Can you imagine manually QA'ing a system that looks like this?

We certainly cannot. And based on the recent Automotive Software Survey conducted by Strategy Analytics, neither can most industry developers:

The advent of technological advancements into vehicles represented by complex, interoperable and interconnected in-vehicle software systems present not only development challenges, but drastically increase the complexity of quality control.

As car makers and Tier-1 suppliers gear up to solve and support new quality control measures, we'd like to shine the light into some opportunities that rise from the growing complexities.

Opportunity: Implement continuous QA for vehicles that are on the road

As the automotive software industry follows software development trends, the pace is escalating using rapid development methodologies. The shift from the longer and phase-oriented development process to continued development is necessary to keep pace with the exponential growth of in-vehicle software to support electronic and software-led vehicles. The maturing software development methodologies from 'v development to CI/CD create opportunities for ongoing and continuous quality control that will in turn increase customer satisfaction and prolong the value of the vehicle. Survey respondents also reaffirm this notion looking at upcoming new model development.

Opportunity: Conduct proactive QA to alleviate costly recalls

As car makers implement continuous monitoring and tracking of 'on the road' vehicles, they gain the power to be proactive about threats, software friction or new bugs. This can present a huge opportunity for a major paradigm shift in the automotive industry: vehicles can detect problems before they cause system failures and remotely fix them OTA in-lieu of lengthy and costly recalls and garage base visits.

The importance of proactive actions is strongly resonating within our survey respondents as well with 93% agree with this notion:

Opportunity: Accelerate the implementation of AI-powered Vehicle Software Intelligence

As outlined in the example above, ECUs and system capabilities within a vehicle are interrelated and have direct effects on each other - necessitating a deep and current understanding of their relationships and dependencies. Utilitrends in the Automotive Software industryzing AI and dynamic monitoring, Vehicle Software Intelligence technologies will be a must-have for developing, monitoring and testing connected vehicles. These technologies will not replace existing development and QA processes and tools, but rather be an additional intelligent layer to bring static data to life and give insights at the line-of-code resolution. At Aurora Labs, we strongly believe that Vehicle Software Intelligence is the key to solving development challenges and the early onset of these technologies will help the OEMs innovate and iterate faster.

To see additional , read the full Automotive Software Survey report.

It used to be the mechanical details of a vehicle that made it stand out. Buyers wanted to know who had the best engine, which four-wheel-drive system was superior, or simply which was going to be the most reliable in bad weather. While these things still matter, times change, and OEMs are looking for new ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.

In the last decade, there's been a clear shift in the automotive landscape. We're seeing new propulsion types, the rise in autonomous abilities, and a level of connectivity that feels like it's straight out of science fiction. Consumers want to know if a car will park itself, whether an over-the-air (OTA) update will make it go faster, and which new advanced driver-assistance systems will keep them safe behind the wheel.

All these innovations rely on one common factor; software -- and for new energy vehicle (NEV) startups, in-house development has been crucial from day one. Legacy manufacturers are racing to catch up.

Software as a competitive differentiator

With the average vehicle containing around 150 million lines of code, the software makes up a large part of a car's value -- dictating new features such as gesture control, self-driving abilities, and voice interaction. With the likes of Tesla and NIO leading the way with software, many other automotive OEMs are looking for ways to bring their development in-house. This would not only improve time to market but also offer clear differentiation from competitors.

These changes won't happen overnight, though, as digital transformation of this scale takes time. Our recent Automotive Software Survey showed the majority of respondents predict that 10-25% of vehicle software will be produced in-house by mass-market manufacturers in 2025.

Consumers expect OTA updates

Most buyers think of Tesla when it comes to OTA updates for a good reason. The electric-only manufacturer has been building these capabilities into their cars since the launch of the Model S in 2012. Other automakers have struggled to keep up, though most now offer some form of basic OTA updates.

What is still setting NEV companies, such as Tesla and NIO, apart is the type of updates they offer. Most manufacturers can update the software on the infotainment systems but those leading the charge can also administer OTA updates to the safety-critical systems. This means being able to make adjustments and upgrades to more complex systems such as braking, steering and ADAS. Legacy manufacturers will struggle to do more than update the navigation and infotainment systems with their current development processes and OTA update solutions.

Data from Statista shows the value of the worldwide OTA update market could be as much as $7.5 billion by 2025, meaning it's not an area automakers can ignore. To keep up with consumer demand and not be left standing by NEV powerhouses, OEMs are looking for ways to quickly increase the capabilities of their OTA updates and launch new features. Bringing everything in-house is the clear solution but this will take time, meaning OEMs will continue to work with tier-one suppliers.

Managing the transformation

Using these suppliers is still necessary for most manufacturers but the benefits of in-house software development can't be ignored. It can help keep costs down, fast-track delivery, and protect against cyber vulnerabilities but there's a solution for OEMs who still need to outsource some elements of their software development: Vehicle Software Intelligence.

The key to working with suppliers is visibility. It's important to understand the bigger picture of inter-dependence and operability between elements developed by different vendors. Aurora Labs' Vehicle Software Intelligence is an AI layer that is used by OEMs in their software development efforts and the way they manage suppliers.

One challenge, for example, is software dependencies. When OEMs rely on third parties for their development needs, it's easy to lose sight of how different systems hang together. With a Line-of-Code Intelligence solution, manufacturers to get a better view of the system as a whole. This allows developers to keep an eye on the thousands of inter-related functions and capabilities to better understand the potential effects of new features and conduct OTA updates with confidence.

With 77% of respondents to our 2021 Automotive Software Survey stating that the trend towards in-house software will increase, it's clear that automakers have some work to do. The development of software needs to be treated as a strategic move by OEMs that want to stand out as the demand for software-defined vehicles continues to grow.

Want to learn how to apply Vehicle Software Intelligence to your software? Contact us.

For 10 years, I have been writing about and taking the bullhorn to the mountain to talk about automotive software and the benefits of over-the-air updates. For three years, I have been writing about and taking the bullhorn to the mountain to talk about automotive software and the benefits of validating what happens when there is an over-the-air update.

This week, I experienced what happens when an update is not validated and found myself at the epicenter of the unknown. I have a swanky new 2021 SUV. This model is no longer a boxy vehicle like previous models - it is sleek and fun and has many of the infotainment, ADAS and connectivity features we talk about on a daily basis in the automotive industry.

When I first bought the car, I could say, "Call Mike," and Mike was soon on the line. Now, I say "Call Mike," and I get the response - "Ok, let me help you with that. I need some more information. Look at the notification on your device."

"Looking at my device," forces distracted driving and is obviously not recommended. This prompt goes against every goal of bringing voice assistance into the car. I went to an online consumer OEM support group and read posts noting that this problem started in November 2021. With yes - an over-the-air update.

I'm sure the update did fix some things - or add some things - I don't know. I do know that the update screwed up my ability to call out by contact name (I can call out by dictating the phone number, but out of my 210 contacts, I know three phone numbers by heart.)

So, after going through many menus, I finally went to the dealer for help.

I met with a super nice support person. He tried - but his conclusion was that it was an Android Auto and phone problem and I had to go to AT&T.

I went to the AT&T store and met with a super nice sales person. He told me he wasn't certified to help me - he cannot give advice or guidance for anything in the car for liability reasons. He did give me a phone number for the AT&T Advanced Technology Group.

I called the AT&T Advanced Technology Group and another really nice support person told me that her group only works on networking issues to the car - hotspots and things. This AT&T person told me I had to talk to the car manufacturer and sent me to a really nice support person at the OEM who also told me I was again not talking to the right group and he forwarded me to another support group within the OEM.

Here is the kicker - I don't know if the next support person is really nice. My next conversation was with a phone recording repeating, "My name is Joe. I can't hear you. Please call back later."

I do love my new swanky, new SUV. This is my third purchase from this OEM.

I also come from phone company parents - so I'm sure the phone company helped to put me through college.

All of this really nice support and sales people are doing the best they can with the information they have.

I know that we are in the early days of 100 million lines of automotive software code. I also know that validating software behavior throughout the entire car resulting from an over-the-air update is paramount and that the really nice sales and support people from both the automotive companies and the service providers - need to be educated on how to help consumers navigate to success.

For now, I am still at the Epicenter of the Unknown. Please comment if you have any insights or fixes to this 'call by contact name' problem.

Vehicle Software Intelligence (VSI) is a category of solutions based on sophisticated AI algorithms that garner insight into the condition of, and interaction between, vehicle software assets. These solutions will be used throughout the entire lifecycle of the vehicle -- from the software development stage, through QA, production and on-the-road with over-the-air updates.

Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions help all who touch the software - from engineers developing the software to those running over-the-air software update campaigns - understand and act on software behaviour.

There are many use cases for Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions. Below are examples of the most pertinent use cases where VSI can help auto manufacturers today.

Understand software dependencies

According to a study conducted by Andreas Vogelsang of the Institut fur Informatik, Technische Universitat Munchen and Steffen Fuhrmann of the BMW Group, 1,451 dependencies were found between 94 vehicle features. With VSI, not only will you know which dependencies exist but more importantly, VSI analyzes the behaviour of the software functions and allows the OEM to know in real-time which connections and dependencies are active, which are not, where new dependencies have been created, and where existing dependencies are broken. Maintaining visibility into and a deep understanding of software dependencies is crucial for ongoing tracking, maintenance, regulations, security and new feature introductions.

AI-based Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions are required to understand the complex vehicle software systems and provide car makers with a clear, consistent and visible map of all software relations and dependencies.

Unused code detection

Automotive engineers that have been with their companies for more than 15 years often talk about how they find code they wrote 15 years ago still present in today's vehicles. In addition to this scenario, automotive software comes from multiple software Tier-1 vendors and the open-source community. This causes a major problem for a car manufacturer to obtain the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL-D) certification which states that there can be no unused code in a vehicle.

AI-based Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions are required to help track unused code for increased safety and for auto manufacturers to obtain Automotive Safety Integrity Level certification.

Evidence of software updates

By 2025, software is expected to reach 40 percent of the car value and based on a recent Automotive Software Survey, by the same year, it is expected that every vehicle will receive between 2 and 6 over-the-air annual software updates. Based on UNECE WP.29, in order for a vehicle to remain compliant with Type Approval regulations, the automotive manufacturer must document if the update is fixing bugs or a security patch, nullifying the need for additional certification testing. Another scenario is if the software update only affects a sub-section of installed vehicle software - limiting the amount of tests that need to be run to receive amended Type Approval.

AI-based Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions give automotive companies the solutions needed to prove what lines of code, and what features and functionality, have been affected by the software update making the process of remaining Type Approval certified streamlined and less expensive.

We have witnessed many industries go through disruption based on new technologies. Software is disrupting the automotive industry. It is changing the make-up of the required workforce, vehicle time-to-market and lifecycles, driver experiences, vehicle maintenance and the list goes on.

Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions are needed for the use cases mentioned above, in addition to cybersecurity simulations, memory and battery endurance and understanding and testing unpredicted scenarios. AI-based Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions will help the vehicle manufacturer obtain deep understanding of software behaviour to enhance the processes, reduce the cost and speed up software development, quality control, certification and over-the-air updates.

Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions are the key to the software-driven disruption of the automotive industry.

When most drivers think of artificial intelligence in their vehicles, they think of the sensors and cameras feeding automatic safety systems or allowing for some level of autonomous capability. There is, however, a use for AI throughout the entire vehicle software architecture.

Modern cars have evolved significantly in the last few years and it's not unusual for a car to run on 100 million lines of code over 100 or more ECUs. All the safety systems, entertainment features, drivetrain, and interior have a raft of inter-dependencies. This means that if something goes wrong in one system, it could have a ripple effect of errors throughout the vehicle - something that's hard to predict during the development stage.

Enter Vehicle Software Intelligence

To solve this problem, Vehicle Software Intelligence (VSI) uses AI to better understand and map these complex systems. This gives developers a better understanding of how the different software elements in a car link together and behave but it also provides a wealth of opportunities when it comes to over-the-air (OTA) updates and continuous development.

The Guidehouse Insights' whitepaper Vehicle Software Intelligence - Adopting the Artificial Intelligence Required to Create a Software Defined Vehicle, explores how the automotive market has changed and how VSI is needed to drive new innovation within the industry.

One area the report explores is the web of dependencies within a vehicle. It states: "With the vastly more complex interactions of today's vehicle systems and what is yet to come, VSI tools that can see across all of the domains and run AI algorithms to map the software functionality and behaviour will detect potential conflicts."

Unlike traditional methods, Vehicle Software Intelligenceunderstands the intent of the software, the intricacies of systems that vary widely in function, their behaviour in real-time, and their interdependencies - something it's near-impossible for developers to do manually with static code analysis tools. On top of this, VSI also sets the groundwork for a new way of working in the industry, with many manufacturers moving to a cycle of continuous development, continuous integration, continuous testing, and continuous deployment, aka CI/CD.

Future-Proofing

Consumers are coming to expect a certain level of OTA updates from manufacturers and the demand for this is only set to grow. Vehicle Software Intelligence enables a continuous development cycle because it allows developers in different domains to work at their own pace, without waiting for hardware upgrades to deploy their updates.

It also simplifies the update process. "Unlike existing update technologies that compare binary files," states the whitepaper, "Line-of-Code updates that are based on VSI algorithms can take advantage of the intimate understanding of the vehicle software code." This makes updates less costly to the manufacturer compared to other update methods and enables a far superior user experience with zero-downtime updates.

Beyond this, it also sets the vehicle architecture up for the future. As domain-level software is combined and consolidated into more powerful platforms, segments of code from multiple sources will need to be integrated. Using Vehicle Software Intelligence can speed up this process, even if that code comes from third parties or has been written for different platforms.

Utilizing AI in this way is changing the way manufacturers approach their vehicles and will usher in a new era of software-defined vehicles. To dive deeper into Vehicle Software Intelligence and how it works, take a look at the full whitepaper here.