The landscape of automotive technology is undergoing a significant transformation as predictions for 2025 emerge, particularly regarding silicon and software developments. Dipti Vachani, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Arm’s automotive business, shared insights on the future of the automotive industry, emphasising the need for extensive ecosystem collaboration among various stakeholders. She indicates that the complexities inherent in silicon and software mean that no single entity will manage the entire design, development, and integration process independently.
In Vachani's view, this complexity presents unique opportunities for companies, both large and small, to specialise in delivering distinct computing components. The automotive sector, in particular, must integrate the entire supply chain—from silicon vendors and tier one suppliers to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and software developers—to leverage their combined expertise in defining the prospects of AI-enabled software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
A notable trend influencing this transformation is the adoption of virtual prototypes, which are expected to significantly accelerate the development cycles for silicon and software. These platforms allow companies to develop and test software prior to the availability of physical silicon, thereby expediting automotive development by as much as two years. Vachani anticipates an increase in companies launching their virtual platforms, which will feature seamless architectures that provide instruction set architecture (ISA) parity. Such uniformity across environments—from the cloud to the edge—will enable developers to create and deploy automotive products with efficiency.
Standardisation is another critical factor in this evolution. As the industry progresses towards chiplets that amalgamate various computing components, the importance of standardised platforms and frameworks will rise. These standards will ensure compatibility of hardware from different vendors, facilitating smoother collaboration and innovation in the automotive ecosystem. The automotive industry is expected to witness a concerted effort towards standardisation in the chiplet marketplace, alongside the introduction of scalable open architecture for the embedded edge (soafee). This approach aims to decouple hardware from software, fostering greater flexibility and interoperability between computing components.
Generative AI technology is also making headway in the automotive space, particularly in automated driving (AD) software architectures. Vachani notes that self-supervised learning in end-to-end models addresses scalability barriers faced by traditional approaches, enhancing the capabilities of AD systems in adapting to unfamiliar scenarios. This innovation may significantly accelerate the deployment of AD technology across various operational design domains.
The automotive industry is experiencing advancements in regulations surrounding driving assistance systems as well. Progress in the harmonisation of regulations for Level 2+ hands-off driver control assistance systems (DCAS) and Level 3 automated lane-keeping systems (ALKS) is anticipated to expedite the global rollout of these premium features. Major automakers are investing in the requisite hardware to enable the upselling of these functionalities through subscription models throughout the lifespan of the vehicle.
To mitigate the risks of driver misuse associated with automation, regulatory bodies and new car assessment programmes are focusing on sophisticated in-cabin monitoring systems. For instance, in Europe, the Euro NCAP 2026 rating will encourage deeper integration of direct-sensing technologies, such as camera-based driver monitoring systems (DMS), with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and AD features to ensure that vehicles can appropriately respond to varying degrees of driver disengagement.
These developments signal a dynamic shift in the automotive sector, as companies navigate through complex technological landscapes, regulatory challenges, and an evolving market intimately linked to AI automation. Vachani's predictions point to a future where collaboration, innovation, and standardisation are pivotal in realising the full potential of automotive technologies.
Source: Noah Wire Services