QNX, Vector and TTTech Auto are to jointly develop a vehicle software platform that will be much simpler and more cost-effective to implement than existing options that are known for being complex and expensive to integrate.
The participation of numerous software providers in each vehicle ECU introduces substantial complexity, driving up integration and upgrade costs while often resulting in software incompatibilities, performance bottlenecks, deployment hurdles and production delays. Additionally, hardware-specific dependencies intensify the challenge by causing vendor lock-in and restricting portability across various modules and programs.
The vehicle software platform developed by QNX, Vector and TTTech Auto will provide auto makers with a robust foundation to address these challenges and will serve as a base for future innovations. Auto makers will also benefit from an open and transparent multiparty collaboration framework that welcomes contributions from new ecosystem members over time. Pre-integrated, lightweight and certified to meet the automotive industry’s highest standards for functional safety (ISO 26262 ASIL D) and security (ISO 21434), this platform is designed for simplicity, optimized for performance and scalable across the entire vehicle.
“Auto makers are under intense pressure to deploy software quickly, simply and at scale – a demanding reality that often results in a whack-a-mole of issues that distract from their core mission to deliver a compelling in-car experience that differentiates their brand,” said John Wall, chief operating officer and head of product, engineering and services at QNX.
“Amidst that backdrop, many have reached out with the same question: ‘Can you take care of the heavy lifting of the underlying software stack so we can focus on what matters most to our customers?’. Working with like-minded partners in Vector and TTTech Auto, we’re excited to be stepping up to the plate with a holistic vehicle software platform that will make development headaches and managing multiple suppliers a thing of the past, freeing auto makers to create the groundbreaking features that will redefine what it means to get behind the wheel.”
Alex Oyler, director at global automotive research firm SBD Automotive, commented, “Behind the best software engineering organizations in the world exists a mature, well-integrated toolchain. With the rapid transition to software-defined vehicles, entirely new tools – and integrations between them – must be developed to scale development in the world of over-the-air updates, software-in-the-loop simulation and cloud-native vehicle simulation. Close cooperation between companies like QNX, Vector and TTTech Auto plays a critical role in helping accelerate achievement of crucially important SDV key performance indicators such as faster time-to-market, complexity reduction and workforce efficiency.”
Matthias Traub, president and managing director at Vector Informatik, added, “Our customers are investing significant time in integrating various components of a vehicle software platform and maintaining it throughout the vehicle’s lifecycle. By pre-integrating more parts upfront, we can drastically reduce the effort required by OEMs, ultimately shortening their time-to-market. The collaboration between QNX, TTTech Auto and Vector to develop a pre-integrated vehicle software platform will enable OEMs to reallocate resources from non-differentiating software to focus on customer-facing functionalities. By jointly creating a vehicle software platform, variants will be reduced, quality and maturity of the software will be increased, and the total maintenance costs will be drastically reduced.”
“At TTTech Auto, we are committed to accelerating the development of software-defined vehicles by providing faster, more robust integration solutions,” said TTTech Auto’s CEO, Dirk Linzmeier. “Our collaboration with QNX and Vector enables us to deliver a scalable platform that supports multiple system-on-chips (SoCs), ensuring that auto makers can innovate rapidly and efficiently. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in simplifying the complexities of vehicle software integration, allowing OEMs to focus on driving experiences for their customers.”
Development for the core of the software platform will be handled by QNX and Vector in tandem, leveraging their combined expertise in secure operating systems and automotive middleware solutions. Vector will bring its knowledge in tooling and testing, while TTTech Auto will contribute capabilities in task and communication scheduling, along with its innovative correct-by-design methodology.
Once released, contributions from additional ecosystem partners and open-source initiatives will be invited. The companies say that details on the general availability of the new architecture will be announced in 2026.