Proven by Intelligence

In this post, we introduce a realistic SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle) strategy from the perspective of automotive software developers.

| SDV Concept and Its Importance

1. What Is SDV?

SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle) refers to a vehicle in which software defines and controls key vehicle functions. While traditional vehicles are designed around hardware, SDVs are software-centric, enabling greater flexibility and functional scalability.

This software-driven approach makes it possible to:

 - Improve vehicle performance

- Add new features

- Deliver real-time updates

As a result, SDV has become a core enabler of future automotive technologies such as autonomous driving, connected vehicles, and electric vehicles.

2. Impact and Importance of SDV in the Automotive Industry

To adopt SDV, the automotive industry must address several key requirements:

• Software–Hardware Integration

Ensuring compatibility between hardware and software while enabling software updates

• Vehicle Network Compatibility

Supporting seamless data communication across multiple vehicle systems

• OTA Update Support

Designing a stable architecture for continuous software updates

• Enhanced Security

Strengthening data encryption and authentication to prevent cyberattacks

• Modularity and Scalability

Designing modular software architectures that allow easy feature addition and modification

3. How to Address SDV Requirements

To meet these SDV requirements, many OEMs have selected AUTOSAR as a highly suitable architecture.

4. New Challenges for ECU Software Developers

As SDV adoption accelerates, automotive software developers are increasingly required to develop software based on AUTOSAR. This brings new tasks and challenges, including:

• Requirements analysis and software architecture design

• AUTOSAR software development and implementation

• Documentation of development artifacts

| Where Should Developers Start?

Most ECU suppliers already have Non-AUTOSAR-based software. Therefore, the first step is to convert existing Non-AUTOSAR software into AUTOSAR software.

However, AUTOSAR is a platform-based standard with strict rules and extensive documentation, which can make it difficult to approach and apply in practice.

After AUTOSAR-based development, developers must also prove that the software was developed according to defined processes. These assessments are conducted by A-SPICE assessors and OEMs, requiring the submission of SWE.2 and SWE.3 development artifacts (diagrams and work products).

Manually generating accurate artifacts from large, multi-developer codebases is extremely time-consuming, costly, and prone to human error.

| MDS Intelligence’s Practical Proposal, RapidAUTO Pro

RapidAUTO Pro enables:

• AUTOSAR software development and implementation

• Software architecture and unit design

• Automatic generation of development artifacts

Step 1.

Convert Non-AUTOSAR Software to AUTOSAR Using Reverse Engineering

✅ RapidAUTO Pro converts Non-AUTOSAR software into AUTOSAR software without requiring prior AUTOSAR expertise.

✅ Existing software is componentized according to user requirements, and global variables/functions are analyzed and refactored to create platform-ready AUTOSAR software components (ICC1-compliant).

✅ A virtual RTE generated by RapidAUTO Pro enables unit and integration testing (MIL).

✅ As a result, ARXML files and AUTOSAR code are generated as official development artifacts.

Step 2.

Automatic Generation of Development Artifacts

RapidAUTO Pro automatically generates A-SPICE SWE.2 and SWE.3 artifacts based on ARXML and AUTOSAR code.

✅  SWE.2 Diagrams (ARXML-based)

• Software Component Diagram (Atomic, Composition)

• VOPC Diagram

• Sequence Diagram

• Internal Behavior Diagram

✅ SWE.3 Diagrams (AUTOSAR code-based)

• Sequence Diagram

• Class Diagram

• Activity Diagram

✅ Through these two steps, developers can:

• Convert existing Non-AUTOSAR software into AUTOSAR software

• Fully address A-SPICE SWE.2 and SWE.3 requirements

| RapidAUTO Pro Use Case

Using RapidAUTO Pro, MDS Intelligence successfully achieved a significant reduction in engineering effort for SWE.2 and SWE.3 compliance.

A comparison between manual diagram creation and RapidAUTO Pro demonstrated substantial time savings. With continued use, organizations can achieve long-term reductions in both time and cost.

| Beyond SDV Buzzwords

At many automotive conferences, SDV is frequently discussed—but often only at a conceptual or visionary level, without presenting practical implementation strategies.

✅ The AUTOSAR Business Unit at MDS Intelligence provides:

• Practical development solutions (RapidAUTO Pro)

• Consulting services for AUTOSAR, A-SPICE, and ISO 26262 compliance

✅ RapidAUTO Pro allows developers to:

• Focus solely on development

• Automatically generate required artifacts

• Dramatically reduce engineering effort

✅Even without prior AUTOSAR knowledge, developers can:

• Develop AUTOSAR software

• Automatically generate SWE.2 and SWE.3 artifacts for A-SPICE compliance

For further inquiries or a detailed introduction to RapidAUTO Pro,

please contact us via email or through our website.