Software-defined vehicles
Cracking the complexity of software-defined vehicles
Over the last decade the complexity of in-vehicle software has multiplied. We have reached a point where software becomes the main factor for a vehicle’s functionality. Hardware provides the underlying, necessary capabilities, but it is the software that becomes the differentiator. The software-defined vehicle has emerged and presents companies with a new set of complexities.
For the coming generations of passenger, off-highway and industrial automation vehicles producing excellent hardware is not sufficient anymore. To deliver world-class vehicles, companies have to deliver world-class software.
Thoughtworks believes that software-defined vehicles will drive the future of connected, autonomous, shared and electrified vehicles. We are committed to enabling our clients for this transition.
We understand the unique challenges of developing software-defined vehicles:
- Decouple hardware-bound and feature software and and allow software components to communicate through higher-level vehicleAPIs
- Allow for a continuous design, development, testing and deployment of in-vehicle software with fast-feedback cycles and independent of hardware generations
- Evaluate and implement new technologies besides the traditional stack to increase the engineering effectiveness and developer experience
We are pioneers of agile and modern software practices. We believe that iterative development, fast feedback, and the use of the right technologies will lead to faster development while ensuring compliance and safety.
We will help you transition to the era of the software-defined vehicle. We are there to take this journey with you. We ideate, consult and deliver.
Our services include

The programming language Rust is a promising choice for use in the automotive industry. Its strong emphasis on safety in particular makes it well-suited for use in safety-critical systems, such as autonomous driving software. By using Rust, automotive companies can create software that is more reliable and secure, which can help improve the overall quality and performance of their vehicles.

In the automotive industry, software is written, integrated, and tested in long cycles. Receiving feedback and experiencing the functionality of the software is crucial to avoid issues. Vehicle DevOps is our way of creating a constant development flow with short feedback cycles.

Today all in-vehicle communication is planned on a signal basis. With software becoming the differentiating factor, we need to enable developers to write vehicle software without dealing with the complexity of the hardware related aspects. The Vehicle API should support a self-serve approach to discover and consume in-vehicle services. We help you to design the APIs and develop tools that unlock their value and help to bring features faster into the market.

With the rising amount of in-vehicle data produced and the increasing demand to access it, a strategic approach is required to collect, transfer and provide access. The goal is to make efficient use of the data produced to support the further development of the software. We have in depth experience in data strategies, data engineering and data product design.

Machine learning and AI are key elements for the development of autonomous vehicles, especially in the area of perception and object recognition. Embedding these practices into a continuous development process is essential. Thus adopting practices like CD4ML become indispensable.
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