Automotive industry definitions of a software-defined vehicle (SDV) vary between commentators, and there is still debate about whether any company currently offers such a product. Nonetheless, there is a sense that players in the US and Europe have fallen behind the rapid innovations seen in China, where BYD has made advanced driver assist systems standard across its model line.
“China is working about 50% faster,” asserts Aditya Pathak, Vice President and Head of Automotive, Transportation, & Logistics at IT consultancy Cognizant. “A new vehicle release there takes 16-20 months, while Western automakers operate on 36- to 40-month cycles.” This not only means technology evolves at different rates in different markets, but it also leaves varying product impressions among customers. Chinese cars increasingly look more modern and desirable than their American and European competitors.
If these OEMs fall too far behind on SDV development, they will need to channel more and more R&D resources to catch up, which could quickly become financially unsustainable. As such, he tells Automotive World that the US and EU must learn how to compete on four interrelated metrics: speed, productivity, cost, and quality. To help them, Cognizant is partnering with suppliers and tech specialists to create an SDV solution accelerator.
Settling the “perfect storm”
Unlike previous generation vehicles, SDVs are technologically complex systems that are difficult to test and validate, with some examples containing more than 100 million lines of code. Brands are under pressure to deliver new digital features, but Pathak believes failing to manage quality in a cost-effective and time-sensitive manner creates the “perfect storm” to hinder SDV progress.
To remediate this situation, Cognizant is championing a new approach to software engineering. “Artificial intelligence (AI) should be infused throughout the entire cycle,” he states. Incorporating generative AI elements, the company’s SDV accelerator integrates signal-based, service-oriented applications to produce a platform and ecosystem that automates the end-to-end software verification and validation (V&V) cycle.
Most importantly, Cognizant emphasises reframing the relationship between hardware and software. Pathak notes that it has been standard industry practice for these two elements of vehicle development to occur in parallel but independently, usually only coming together in the final third of the cycle timeline. This means OEMs can only test functionality at a late stage, making any flaws potentially more expensive and time consuming to fix. “If companies want to compress SDV cycles, solving this problem can have one of the biggest impacts.”
Building the accelerator
A sophisticated toolchain is required to manage and streamline complex tasks like verification and validation, and this is where industry partnerships come in. In January 2025, Cognizant integrated Siemens’ Pre-Silicon Autonomous Validation Environment 360 (PAVE360) into its SDV accelerator. Siemens’ solution provides a virtualisation platform for creating high-fidelity digital twins of vehicle hardware currently under development, including sensors, as well as scenario-based simulation testing.
The companies claim that prioritising early and frequent testing, called a ‘shift-left approach’, combined with automated V&V processes, produces better quality vehicle software faster. “It removes the physical barrier and allows automakers to test hardware and software compatibility at a much earlier stage, from the sub-system level up to the full vehicle,” Pathak explains. This is particularly vital while the safety and security of emerging smart technologies are under heavy scrutiny by auto industry regulators.
Other collaborations to streamline the continuous testing and validation capabilities of Cognizant’s SDV accelerator include Elektrobit, which added its Software Development Kit for EB corbos AdaptiveCore in February. This brings combined expertise in AUTOSAR middleware and virtualisation to assist modular development of SDVs, reduce software complexity, mitigate cyber security risks, and enhance prototyping to shorten time-to-market.
Still so much do to
Cognizant is currently working with two unnamed large OEMs—one in Europe and one in the US—to introduce its methodology and toolchain to their SDV development processes. As companies explore the flexibility and scalability of virtual electronic control units enabled through pre-silicon software simulation tools, Pathak expects progress on key SDV objectives, such as the transition from domain to zonal architectures, to accelerate.
Solving SDV engineering and development challenges is a collective effort, and there’s still so much left to do
In addition to bringing down R&D costs, this shift will also lay the foundation for all future competition in the SDV market. “Consumers want vehicles that incorporate the best compute, connectivity, infotainment and automated driving functions, etc.,” he says. “Western automakers can finally catch up with China and release more new features faster than ever before.” That might balance competitivity, but what about quality?
Between 2023 and 2024, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded that over-the-air resolutions to software-related recalls rose from 21% to 33%, indicating a ‘silent but ongoing’ issue. According to Pathak, Cognizant’s accelerator means that boosting software variability and development speed does not come at the cost of functionality and performance. “Combining simulation with a shift-left methodology fundamentally changes the game. It means fewer defects and recalls, and when you consider the complexities of things like autonomous driving, adding multiple levels of testing and validation provides the safety and traceability necessary to build trust in these new systems.”
China has its own fair share of work to do on solidifying consumer confidence in smart technologies. However, the country is certainly ahead in developing a globally competitive SDV ecosystem, including a 35-40% manufacturing cost advantage and hegemony over the electric vehicle supply chain. As geopolitical changes and the requirements of national security divide the world into competing spheres of influence, Western automakers must consider new digital solutions to regain the initiative. “Solving SDV engineering and development challenges is a collective effort, and there’s still so much left to do,” Pathak concludes.
