The Record - Issue 19: Winter 2020

75 AUTOMOT I V E Developing connected vehicle services DXC Luxoft’s Ronny Kraehe and Ferdinand Arndt explain why automakers must bridge the gap between software and vehicle design BY A L E X SM I TH V ehicles are becoming more connected, communicating with systems outside the vehicles to deliver brand new mobility experiences. This has resulted in a profound shift in how the automotive industry thinks about vehi- cles, looking towards a software-driven approach. “What we see in the automotive industry is a paradigm shift with today’s hardware-defined cars transforming into software-defined transporta- tion platforms,” said Ronny Kraehe, vice president of connected mobility at DXC Luxoft. “Software components are now going directly into the vehi- cle and enabling data-driven applications. Vehicles are becoming personalised and updateable, and to do that you need a secure digital service platform end-to-end, from the vehicle to the cloud.” According to Kraehe, this transformation will be driven in large part due to consumer demands. “Automakers expect that innovations and new features are brought way faster into the vehicle, as they are used to that model from the mobile industry,” said Kraehe. This means that develop- ment cycles will become way shorter, and auto- makers that aren’t currently software-oriented will find this to be a huge challenge.” One example of an area in which connected vehicles will introduce change is in diagnostics. “If we have increasingly complex vehicles, the classic diagnostics won’t work anymore,” says Ferdinand Arndt, senior director of connected mobility at DXC Luxoft. “Third-party applica- tions and services are part of the vehicle and are spread across the cloud, so to find a solution to a problem you need a completely new strategy. You will need over-the-air (OTA) remotely managed self-repairing software inside the vehicle and in the cloud to quickly identify the issue and fix it.” DXC Luxoft has committed to designing, cre- ating and deploying turn-key solutions and ser- vices to help its clients adapt to the new future of the automotive industry. “At DXC Luxoft we are able to combine embed- ded automotive know-how with IT business lead- ership. We can provide solutions as to the right strategy for an automaker’s migration towards a truly digital platform. We also invest in streams to create solution accelerators, such as technology blueprints on how to integrate with connected vehicle platforms, and we are very proud of our solutions for advanced diagnostics.” adds Kraehe. These solutions are being accelerated by DXC Luxoft’s relationships with key technology part- ners, including its collaboration with Microsoft. “Our role as a strategic partner in the automotive engineering services also allows us to bring key ecosystem partnerships,” says Kraehe. “By lever- aging the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform, DXC Luxoft will enable and accelerate the deliv- ery of vehicle-centric solutions and services. Our collaboration with Microsoft gives automakers control and flexibility for creating highly differen- tiated, intelligent and beneficial connected mobil- ity experiences for their customers.” Ronny Kraehe (left) and Ferdinand Arndt (right) of DXC Luxoft