The global automotive industry is witnessing rapid transformation. Key trends like vehicle electrification, autonomy, connectivity, and software-defined vehicles (SDVs) are converging to reshape the paradigm of mobility.
Traditional closed, vertically integrated vehicle architectures are, therefore, increasingly inadequate to meet the pace, complexity, and cost constraints of this transformation.
Open architecture, comprising modular, standard-interfaced, interoperable hardware and software stacks, offers a promising path to unlock new levels of efficiency in development, deployment, maintenance, and innovation.
The current whitepaper examines how open architecture can catalyze high efficiency in the automotive domain – from reducing development friction and cost, enabling reuse across platforms, accelerating innovation, optimizing system performance, to enabling over-the-air lifecycle upgrades. We examine the technical enablers (e.g. modular ECUs, zonal architectures, software containerization, open standards like AUTOSAR, SOAFEE, RISC-V, etc.), propose an implementation strategy, present illustrative use cases, and assess risks and mitigation strategies.
And finally, we sketch a multi-stage roadmap for adoption across OEMs, Tier-1s, and ecosystem players.