„More than 90 percent of innovations in automotive come from software and electronics development. Software is the catalyst of modern mobility, and without it much of what we expect today would not be possible: a high level of comfort, seamless connectivity both in communications and in connecting different means of transport, efficient use of resources and much more. Autonomous mobility from driverless trains to people movers through to individual travel – all of that would be inconceivable without software.

The classic application of software in cars is embedded, developed for the respective use case and standardized only to a small extent. That is not particularly efficient. Even just the required scope of functions makes this approach impossible for the future. Software will increasingly no longer be specifically developed for each individual vehicle. The proportion of software that is bought or is open source is growing at a fast pace. This increases the necessity to standardize interfaces and other general conditions. The objective is to have software that, primarily thanks to the tools used, is developed in a fully automated way, is free of bugs and is secure. It must, of course, also meet all the requirements of customers and end customers and make the best possible use of the existing hardware resources. Simply perfect software that resolves all problems and doesn’t create any new ones.

Please find here the complete  interview with software expert Dr. Karsten Michels on the topic: Software plays a key role for the automotive industry. What strategy is Continental pursuing and what is planned for the future?