Continental has unveiled a collaboration with Synopsys to propel the development and validation of software features and applications for the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV). This innovative partnership integrates Synopsys' cutting-edge virtual prototyping solutions for virtual Electronic Control Units (vECU) into Continental's Automotive Edge (CAEdge) cloud-based development framework, introducing digital twin capabilities for software development.
The collaborative efforts aim to empower automakers in accelerating software development, ultimately expediting their time to market.
Gilles Mabire, CTO, Continental Automotive, emphasised the challenges associated with the Software-Defined Vehicle, requiring simultaneous work on hardware, software, applications, and validation while ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety.
Mabire highlighted the transformative impact of Synopsys' virtual ECUs and vehicle digital twin capabilities in facilitating the development and testing of advanced software solutions at an earlier stage, enabling faster deployment to vehicles.
The modern SDV is envisioned to offer drivers a cutting-edge user experience with continuously evolving software features. To meet this demand, automotive manufacturers and suppliers are leveraging advanced tools to simulate the performance of digital features and ensure compatibility with existing and upcoming car models.
CAEdge serves as a cloud-based development environment within this context, offering a modular hardware and software platform that connects vehicles to the cloud. The platform includes a virtual workbench for the development, supply, and maintenance of software-intensive system functions.
Digital representations of real-world physical devices, such as vECUs and the vehicle digital twin, play a pivotal role in expediting the development and validation of software solutions before the general availability of hardware.
Mabire emphasised how the combination of the CAEdge framework with Synopsys' virtual ECU technologies directly addresses the need of vehicle manufacturers to accelerate software development and automate software validation within a modern cloud-based environment.
Synopsys' virtual prototyping tools simplify the deployment of individual vECU and vehicle digital twins by combining multiple vECUs with simulations of vehicle dynamics, sensors, and environments. These tools support a full range of vECU abstraction levels (L1 through L4), mixed abstraction vehicle simulation, and boast the largest library of models developed within the automotive semiconductor and software ecosystem.
Together with CAEdge, developers can harness the power of a digital twin throughout the SDV development pipeline, automating both software validation and delivery processes during development and the vehicle's entire lifecycle.
Tom De Schutter, VP - Engineering - Systems Design Group, Synopsys, expressed the significance of this collaboration in accelerating the deployment of the Software-Defined Vehicle. By combining Continental's expertise in designing, developing, and manufacturing complex automotive systems with Synopsys' proven vECU technologies, the partnership aims to expand and expedite the automotive design process from physical to virtual realms.
Both CAEdge and the integration of Synopsys' vECU technology will be showcased at CES 2024. Continental's presentation at the event will unveil the latest technologies, highlighting mobility innovations that span from the road to the cloud. This collaboration stands as a testament to the commitment of Continental and Synopsys in revolutionizing software development for the future of automotive technology, solidifying their positions at the forefront of innovation in the automotive industry.
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