New Electronic Architectures Are Reshaping Vehicle Development

The evolution of electrical and electronic architectures is changing how functions are distributed across vehicles, bringing new requirements for integration, software and validation.

The number of electronic systems in vehicles has grown significantly over the past few decades. Safety, connectivity, comfort, energy management and driver assistance have introduced new functions and additional electronic control units (ECUs). For many years, new features were commonly associated with dedicated modules. This resulted in vehicles with numerous electronic units, communication networks and extensive wiring systems.

Advances in onboard processing capabilities are now changing this architecture.

A More Centralized Architecture

The automotive industry is developing architectures that consolidate different functions into high-performance vehicle computers. In this configuration, zonal controllers connect nearby sensors, actuators and other devices to central processing units. This approach can reduce the number of dedicated modules, optimize wiring and reorganize how information moves throughout the vehicle.

These changes affect electrical design, component distribution and the development of new functions.

Software Takes on a Greater Role

Processing consolidation allows different functions to operate on shared computing platforms. Software becomes increasingly relevant to vehicle development and product evolution, allowing certain functions to be updated throughout the vehicle lifecycle. This development is closely related to Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and brings additional engineering requirements in software architecture, communication, performance, diagnostics and safety.

Integration and Development

As different applications share processing resources and communication networks, dependencies between systems increase.

Changes involving software, communication or processing need to account for their potential impact on other functions. Electrical and electronic engineering, software, systems engineering, product development, testing and validation therefore need to share requirements and information throughout the project.

This integration influences decisions from early development through complete vehicle evaluation.

Validation Evolves Alongside the Architecture
Individual components continue to be evaluated, while interaction between systems requires increasing attention.

Communication, software behavior, sensors, actuators and vehicle responses need to be assessed under the conditions expected during development. Vehicle-level validation helps identify behaviors that may emerge when different systems operate together.

Global Group has extensive experience in the automotive sector and supports different stages of development, including systems and component development, Vehicle Engineering & Attributes, CAD/CAE, validation testing and complete vehicle development.

Discover Global Group's automotive engineering solutions.