BMW joins Eclipse Foundation's SDV Working Group

BMW Group has announced its strategic membership in the Eclipse Foundation's Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) Working Group. This partnership marks a pivotal step in BMW's commitment to collaborative software development for modern vehicles, leveraging its two decades of in-house software expertise.

Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Development, emphasised the importance of this collaboration, stating, "BMW has mastered software from chip to cloud and has done so for generations. The number of digital functions in cars is growing rapidly. All players in our industry can benefit significantly from more cooperation in developing and securing software that does not differentiate from competition."

The complexity of modern vehicle software systems, which can contain hundreds of millions of lines of code, underscores the need for collaborative efforts in developing basic software functionality. The Eclipse Foundation notes that there is significant potential for overlap in basic software functionality even within the automotive industry, highlighting the value of open-source initiatives.

Christian Salzmann, Vice President of BMW Group Global Software Strategy and Software Factory, expressed enthusiasm for the open-source model, saying, "We see open-source as an active collaboration model for software development and expect a lot from the joint activities in the Eclipse SDV Working Group." He also noted BMW's existing experience in open-source projects such as 'Zuul', positioning the company as a valuable contributor to the SDV Working Group.

The Eclipse SDV Working Group has quickly established itself as a central hub for open-source software development in the global automotive industry. Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, welcomed BMW's strategic membership, stating, "We're thrilled to have an innovative leader of BMW's calibre join as a strategic member. Their contributions will play a pivotal role in driving this transformative shift in modern vehicle design."

As a Strategic Member, BMW will have the opportunity to guide the working group's direction and lead multiple projects. This builds upon BMW's long-standing membership in the Eclipse Foundation, which spans over a decade, and includes ongoing support for the openMDM and openPass working groups.

BMW's commitment to open-source collaboration extends beyond the Eclipse Foundation. The company will continue its involvement with AUTOSAR (Automotive Open System Architecture), where it has been a founding member working alongside other automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and technology companies to advance standards for electrical electronics (E/E) architecture.

The Eclipse SDV Working Group, with over 50 members including major automotive manufacturers, global cloud providers, and technology leaders, aims to develop and promote open-source solutions for the global automotive industry. The group adopts a "code first" approach, focusing on building the industry's first open-source software stacks and associated tools for core functions of future vehicle generations.

BMW's active participation in the SDV Working Group will involve direct engagement from specialist departments within its development division, particularly from the Software Factory. The company's employees will participate in SDV Hackathons and Community Days, collaborating closely with experts from other member companies to develop software for series projects within the partner network.