In recent months, we have heard more and more about the software-defined car as the future. Increasingly, almost all vehicle systems are controlled through computers, which has led to a large proliferation of codes and processors. Bosch, the world’s largest automotive supplier, first entered this path more than 40 years ago and now has to bring together more than 17,000 workers in disparate equipment in a new single department of cross-domain IT solutions.
Computers made the first impression on cars in the 1970s, when automakers struggled with new emissions and fuel economy requirements. The advent of Bosch’s anti-lock braking systems in 1978 brought electronics to active protection systems and has not declined since then. Personally, I spent all my 17 years in the progression of automotive products running on writing systems and software.
Over the past decade, the number of individual computers in many cars has exceeded one hundred and the amount of code has also increased from 10 million lines to more than one hundred million lines in many cases. Often, these disparate systems will have to focus on sensor knowledge and will have to be coordinated. This makes it a real challenge when a giant component is provided through other divisions of a company or even wants to be incorporated from other vendors.
However, managing the various software controls that are now combined into those toughest computing platforms requires much closer coordination. That’s why Bosch has to consolidate several divisions into its cross-domain IT response unit. Bosch has recently had an annual software engineering budget of 3 billion euros and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 15% over the next decade.
The new department will also be guilty of the progression of integrated computing platforms and will be overseen through Bosch board member Harald Kroeger. The purpose is to be able to speed up progression and drive the deployment of new functions and functions. The Automotive Electronics department had already been consolidated before this year and will be part of the new organization from early 2021. The new organization will also come with existing powertrain organizations, automotive media and chassis systems.
I’ve spent my adult life running in and around the industry. After graduating from GMI with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I spent the next 17 years in
I’ve spent my adult life running in and around the auto industry. After graduating from GMI with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I spent the next 17 years working on electronic systems that help cars stop, pass, and replace the address before leaving to write about what other engineers were creating. Since then, I’ve been looking to teach my readers, audience and listeners about how the newest automotive generation works, what it can do, and perhaps most importantly, what it can’t do. Since 2014, I have combined my wisdom in communication and engineering as a senior analyst with Navigant Research, covering select fuels, complex driving technologies and connected vehicles. I’m also a co-host of the Wheel Bearings podcast on https://wheelbearings.media/