As vehicles transition to software-defined platforms, functional safety is being redefined to address increasing software complexity, evolving system architectures, and continuously updated critical functions.
In this technology insight, leading experts explore the key questions surrounding functional safety in SDVs, offering a multi-perspective analysis of how safety approaches must evolve to keep pace with growing software complexity, faster development cycles, and higher levels of automation.
Expert contributors:
- Markus Baum, Senior Partner, Roland Berger | LinkedIn
- Konstantin Shirokinskiy, Partner, Roland Berger | LinkedIn
- Dr David Ward, Global Head of VRES – Functional Safety, HORIBA MIRA | LinkedIn
Key questions explored:
- As vehicles shift from hardware-centric to software-defined platforms, how is functional safety being redefined, and how well are current standards and practices keeping up with this transition?
- Of the key obstacles in ensuring functional safety for complex SDV software systems – from validating emergent behaviours to managing update integrity and architectural complexity – which are the most critical to solve first?
- Which emerging tools, methodologies, and standards show the most promise for dealing with these challenges, and is the industry converging on a coherent safety framework?
- How can the industry reconcile the pace of continuous software deployment with the rigour of functional safety demands?
- Looking out ten years, how must functional safety frameworks advance to keep pace with increasing autonomy and software complexity, and what happens if the industry fails to get this right?