Automotive industry launches alliance for software development
In a unique alliance, eleven leading companies from the European automotive industry are driving forward a joint open-source initiative. The aim is to develop non-differentiating vehicle software based on an open, certifiable software stack – and thus accelerate the transformation to the software-defined vehicle (SDV). The initiative has now been officially launched at the 29th International Automotive Electronics Congress with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Up to now, the German automotive industry has had massive problems in the area of software. For example, the VW Group has bundled software development in its subsidiary Cariad. However, Cariad has had trouble for years and has become a bottleneck for new vehicle launches. Electric cars from Porsche and Audi have been severely delayed as a result, in some cases by up to three years. Last year, VW therefore sought salvation in a multi-billion euro alliance with the Californian electric car startup Rivian, which is intended to make VW fit for the SDV world. In China, VW has had a similar partnership with Xpeng since 2023.
Initiated by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and supported by industry giants such as VW, but also BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, ZF, Continental and others, the industry wants to establish an open, transparent and manufacturer-independent software ecosystem. Implementation is taking place within the framework of the Eclipse Foundation and the S-CORE project, which forms the basis for an open software core.
“Together we are building a future-proof and powerful software ecosystem – open, transparent and secure,” said Dr Marcus Bollig, Managing Director of the VDA. The initiative is a clear commitment to European technology leadership in global competition.
Shared code instead of duplication of effort
A central component of the project is the so-called code-first approach: instead of merely creating specifications, executable software is developed and provided directly. This should not only reduce the development effort but also speed up the market launch.
Many of the software components developed, such as middleware for communication, authentication or interfaces, are considered ‘non-differentiating’ and therefore have no direct influence on the customer experience. This is precisely where the cooperation comes in: Jointly developed basic functions create scope for innovation in the differentiating features.
“A shared code-first approach will be the foundation for functional innovations in our future products,” explained Dr Christoph Grote, Senior Vice President Electronics and Software at the BMW Group. “We are committed to ECLIPSE S-CORE as a promising open-source approach for our upcoming projects.”
Functional safety and global standards
A key objective of the alliance is to establish an open source development process for the first time ever that will enable subsequent certification in accordance with ISO 26262 – the standard for functional safety in automotive technology. This process was defined at the beginning of 2025 and successfully audited externally.
In addition, the software landscape should be interoperable with existing industry standards such as AUTOSAR and COVESA. This not only ensures compatibility, but also avoids fragmentation through regional or proprietary solo efforts.
Mike Milinkovich, Executive Director of the Eclipse Foundation, emphasised: “Collaboration in the development of secure and open-source automotive platforms is a critical factor for the automotive industry. The Eclipse Foundation’s governance model enables open collaboration between OEMs, tiers, and tech players within the Eclipse SDV Working Group. We recognize the trust placed in us as the stewards of such a strategic initiative and embrace the challenge of making it a success.”
Roadmap to 2030
The project follows a clear time structure:
:
- End of 2024: Establishment of the S-CORE project with initial toolchain and base stack – already achieved.
- Early 2025: Development of a secure open source process to prepare for ISO certification – also already implemented.
- Mid-2025: Definition of the reference architecture and functional requirements.
- End of 2025: First public implementation of important software modules.
- 2026: Publication of the complete stack for series projects.
- 2030 at the latest: First series vehicle with fully integrated open source stack.
In the long term, the jointly developed components will be available to the industry as certified distribution packages. This will allow manufacturers and suppliers to focus their resources more on the development of differentiating functions.
Broad support from the industry
Support for the project is broad and prominent. Dr Thomas Irawan, CEO of ETAS GmbH, emphasised: “Building on our role as a pioneer in automotive platform software, we are driving industry-wide innovation through an open source ecosystem, accelerating time to market, and delivering safe and sustainable solutions for the mobility of tomorrow.”
Mercedes-Benz also emphasises the strategic relevance: “As the creators of the automotive open source ecosystem, we are actively driving the future of automotive software with our code-first strategy. This is our clear commitment to open standards as the foundation for innovation,” explained Magnus Östberg, Chief Software Officer.
The initiative is expressly open to other partners, regardless of size or origin. The aim is to create a global network for open automotive software that promotes innovation, reduces development costs and at the same time fulfils the highest safety and quality requirements.
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