Software-defined vehicles are redefining the industry

Hartwig Schwerdtle and Klaus Jungbauer Hartwig Schwerdtle and Klaus Jungbauer

14 April 2026 - 09:16

2 min

Two electric sports cars on display outdoors under purple and red event lighting.

The SDV transition is not just about technology. It is about redefining how the automotive industry organises development, distributes value and manages complexity in a software-centric world.

Secor

The shift to software-defined vehicles is fundamentally changing vehicle architectures, development processes and responsibilities. This analysis explores what that means for OEMs and suppliers.

The term “software-defined vehicle” (SDV) is widely used, yet often interpreted differently depending on perspective. What is clear, however, is that it represents a fundamental departure from today’s vehicle architectures.

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At its core, the SDV shifts control, functionality and differentiation away from distributed hardware and into centralised software systems. This transition is not just technical. It is reshaping roles, responsibilities and value creation across the entire automotive industry.

How SDV architectures are changing the supplier landscape

A central expectation of SDV architectures is the drastic reduction of electronic control units (ECUs). Instead of dozens or even hundreds of distributed controllers, future vehicles will rely on a small number of zonal controllers and high-performance computers.

This shift has direct implications for suppliers. Components that previously included dedicated ECUs are increasingly being replaced by standardised hardware, while functionality moves into centralised software layers. As a result, pricing structures and value distribution across the supply chain are changing.

For Tier 1 suppliers, this raises fundamental questions:

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How many of today’s ECU-based components will turn into standardised hardware?
What impact will this have on revenue, profitability and workforce requirements?
How will competitive positioning change in a software-centric ecosystem?
And ultimately: what role will remain in the future supply chain?

At the same time, new opportunities are emerging. Suppliers with strong software and integration capabilities can position themselves as system providers, delivering not just components but complete functional solutions. Software applications, services and digital features also open new avenues for differentiation and revenue generation.

OEMs and suppliers alike are also facing broader strategic questions:

Do we have the in-house capabilities to fully leverage the opportunities of the SDV?
How reusable will today’s software be across future hardware generations?
And how much standardisation is realistically achievable without limiting differentiation?

Why integration and standardisation become critical

The technical challenge of SDVs lies less in individual components and more in integration. Software from multiple suppliers must interact reliably within a unified architecture. This requires clearly defined and standardised interfaces.

Industry initiatives such as Eclipse S-CORE and Shift2SDV aim to address this by establishing common middleware standards and enabling cross-OEM software compatibility. Standardisation helps reduce complexity in communication, testing and system validation.

However, integration remains a key responsibility for OEMs. Combining middleware, hardware abstraction layers and user experience across evolving E/E architectures is a complex task. It requires robust toolchains, consistent testing strategies and well-defined application programming interfaces.

Software-defined vehicles: key facts at a glance

Core shift: From distributed ECUs to centralised compute (zonal + HPC)
Impact: Hardware commoditisation, software-driven value creation
Supplier risk: Loss of differentiation in traditional ECU-based components
Supplier opportunity: System integration and software solutions
Key challenge: Integration of multi-supplier software
Required tools: Standardised APIs, Dev toolchains, automated testing
Key initiatives: Eclipse S-CORE, Shift2SDV
Architectural trend: Middleware standardisation and abstraction layers
Strategic question: Software reuse across hardware generations
Future model: Hardware-independent software and app-based ecosystems

In practice, software modules from different suppliers must be validated step by step within a structured development environment. Without clear interfaces and automated testing processes, system complexity quickly becomes unmanageable.

One proposed approach is to combine standardised hardware interfaces with hardware-independent software layers. Concepts such as the Secor SDV framework aim to enable interchangeable control units and application libraries that remain compatible across generations. This would allow software to evolve independently of hardware cycles, while maintaining a stable and resilient supply chain.

Ultimately, the SDV transition is not just about technology. It is about redefining how the automotive industry organises development, distributes value and manages complexity in a software-centric world.

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