DevOps as a code booster.

The central idea of the AutoDevSafeOps project is to provide models, tools and processes with which safety-critical automotive software can be developed quickly, reliably and with certifiability in mind. 

About the research project: As a method for developing safe automotive applications, DevOps is both a necessity and a business readiness. With it, the EU automotive industry can remain at the forefront of future providers. The research project is doing important groundwork for this. AutoDevSafeOps is a 17 consortium partner strong research project with participants from all over Germany. It has been running since September 2022 and will create the basis for fully comprehensive DevOps use in the automotive industry by August 2025. According to insiders from industry and politics, this is the only way to ensure a safe, sustainable market launch of highly automated and ultimately fully automated driving functions. With around 13 million euros, the BMWK is thus funding a project that will enable the local automotive and supplier industry to transform itself into an SDV provider.

Market volume & motivation: Observers estimate the market for partially and fully autonomous vehicles to be worth up to $556.67 billion worldwide by 2026, with an annual growth rate of almost 40 percent. Asvin is part of this research effort, contributing its expertise in hardening the software supply chain and implementing SBOM, which is long overdue in the US.

On DevOps and market success: Lars Petermann, head of sales at Stuttgart-based asvin GmbH, highlights the relevance of agile development methods for the automotive sector: “DevOps can make the time from code commit to deployment up to 440 times shorter and the error rate five times smaller. That lowers both time2market and risk for OEMs.” This is because functional safety plays a key role, especially in the new services in the connected car or in autonomous driving. It generates customer acceptance and thus success in the marketing of corresponding products and services.

Cybersecurity generates growth prospects: According to Mirko Ross, founder and CEO of asvin GmbH, secure development and secure operation are the most important basic prerequisites for new markets: “We are continuously investing and exploring methods and tools for the cybersecurity of next-generation vehicles. To this end, we have bundled an outstanding international team of cybersecurity researchers from Europe, Israel and the USA in the asvin Labs. Together and in close coordination with the automotive industry, this is where the necessary new solutions for greater cybersecurity in the mobility sector are created. Best example: cybersecurity mesh technologies.”