An Intelligent Nervous System Drives A Resilient, Software-defined Vehicle
Speaker, Fionn Hurley
ADI Automotive Marketing Director
At VECS, 2025
The undergoing transformation in automotive might fundamentally alter the way we interact with cars!
There is a transition to the software-defined vehicle (SDV), a technological advancement that will transform the driving experience. We see at the centre of this shift the ability to bring increased consumer value. The goal of the change is to ensure that every new technology introduced brings genuine value to the end user.
The SDV ecosystem is broad and multifaceted, and a strong collaboration is essential to success. The ecosystem is expanding out beyond original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers with silicon suppliers and other partners becoming a more integral part of this with each contributing their unique innovations. As a result, there are more complex yet coordinated collaborative technological efforts and potential.
One of the highlights of SDV is the ability to enable hyper-personalized, immersive, and safer vehicle cabins, as well as more efficient drivetrains, leading to a more personalized car-ownership experience. For automakers, this is an opportunity to differentiate themselves by constantly improving their offerings and deepening their relationships with end users leading to brand differentiation and more importantly brand loyalty.
OEMs need to shorten the time to market (TTM) for new platforms. The electrical/electronic (E/E) architecture has evolved over time to become one of the more complicated components in the car. As new features are added, the number of electronic control units (ECUs) has grown, complicating the design and making it difficult to maintain and scale. This is where ecosystem stakeholders, such as semiconductor providers, can play an important role bringing new innovate technologies to facilitate the transition to a more optimised zonal-based architecture.
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) is one of the major providers of connectivity solutions in automotive and we divide into three major networks: A2B™ for audio network, GMSL™ for the video network, and E2B™ for the body control network. Each of these areas has its unique challenges and opportunities as automotive technologies evolve, especially as advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) levels increase and data traffic requirements.
A common thread running through ADI’s technologies, including GMSL, A2B, and E2B, is the focus on Intelligent Edge solutions that eliminate the need for microcontrollers (MCUs) and software at the edge. This is particularly relevant in the context of body connectivity, where innovations like the remote-control protocol (RCP) with E2B are driving the industry forward.
Extending Ethernet to the edge is a significant step forward in the evolution of SDVs. The introduction of 10BASE-T1S provides an alternative to traditional bus networks such as CAN to implement a complete Ethernet network from the high performance compute node to these edge nodes. However, this move could increase the software complexity on edge nodes.
Analog Devices foresaw this challenge and created the E2B RCP technology, which optimizes central and edge partitioning for optimal performance. The 10BASE-T1S RCP technology enables system implementors to eliminate the need for microcontrollers and software distributed on many edge nodes, instead enabling the ability to centralise that software in a single location in the HPC or zonal ECU.
This technology ensures that SDVs can deliver true value to OEMs by reducing form factors, cutting costs at the edge, lowering boot times, and offering bounded low latency, power saving, timestamping, and timed actuation, so that all nodes in the system are synchronized and operate seamlessly.
At Analog Devices, we take a holistic approach to system design. We understand the complexity of the challenges faced by our customers and help them overcome these challenges. We're helping to drive the automotive industry towards a smarter, more efficient future.
As we look ahead to the future of mobility, one thing is clear: the software-defined vehicle is more than just a trend. It’s the future of how we interact with and experience our cars. By embracing collaboration, innovation, and intelligent solutions, we can create a more personalized, efficient, and safer automotive world for all.