The fast implementation and introduction of innovative functions in automobiles, such as advanced driver assistance and car-to-car communication, hold significant challenges for German automobile manufacturers (OEMs) and their chain of suppliers (Tier 1, Tier 2, …). While the usage of innovative technologies, such as advanced IC node semiconductor technologies, is often required to implement new functions, they are typically unqualified and yet unproven for the realization of automotive applications. The resulting challenges comprise the sufficiently comprehensive and early qualification of such technologies, and automotive applications made with these technologies. Furthermore, requirements engineering, design implementation, verification and validation hold additional challenges. In summary, these challenges are increasingly difficult or even impossible to be mastered by a single OEM or a single supplier, and therefore, a new quality of cooperation is required between all involved development partners in the automotive supply chain.
The partners of the German BMBF-funded project autoSWIFT cover the entire industrial automotive supply chain, including essential institutions for research and project management consulting. autoSWIFT will research and elaborate on methodologies for joint technology and application assessment, bi-directional requirements engineering (OEM ↔ Tier n) and the necessary infrastructure to improve the cooperation within the supply chain. These advancements will allow all partners to develop, tailor and utilize innovative technologies for automotive applications much faster and more reliably than today.
autoSWIFT is the first public-funded project that is dedicated to address the increasingly challenging cross-company product development problems within the automotive supply chain. autoSWIFT provides an essential contribution to the BMBF research focus topic "Automotive Mobility" as part of the BMBF program IKT2020.
