The importance of software engineers in the automotive industry
The complexity of software in automotive is constantly changing. Most luxury cars of today include several electronic control units, and a big part of these operate using the software. The increasing amount of software used in automotive has led to the demand for software engineering. In fact, automotive software engineering has become essential in today’s automotive industry.
Here's what you need to know about the importance of software engineers in the automotive industry.
Improves the Performance Level of the Software
Software solutions have become an essential part of the automotive industry, and one of the main tasks of software engineers is to improve the performance level of the software. Many different types of software are used in automotive, and their main functions are to enhance the vehicle's safety and overall performance. To improve the efficiency of the software, software engineers work mutually with automotive makers to develop robust and flexible software solutions.
The innovation in technology has pushed automotive manufacturers to utilise automotive software solutions that can deliver improved utility and comfort to their clients, and software engineers are a big help when it comes to this. Thanks to software engineers, the automotive industry has undergone a massive transformation in recent years. Electric cars, autonomous driving, shared mobility, and connectivity are some of the features that are now widely accessible, all thanks to automotive software development.
The overall goal of automotive software development is to enhance care safety, make transport more intuitive, and improve the driving experience. Automotive software engineers are transforming the development of embedded software in automotive. In the future, there will be an increasing need to connect all vehicles and jets, fine-tune the regular upgrades and improve the processes. This is where automotive software engineers can step in.
Help to Reduce Complexity
Automotive software engineers are well-trained in automotive software technology and have the experiences to help make the processes less complex. One of the complexities of automotive software is escalating on the architectural and functional levels while the development productivity is not increasing on the same level.
Research shows that software complexity has increased by a factor of 4 over the past years, while the productivity in software development increased only to about 1 to 1.5. The issue is more severe in large modules that are becoming increasingly more complicated, such as the advanced driver-assistance systems. The productivity of these modules is around 25 to 35% less than the traditional embedded software.
The widening gap could compromise the success rate of automotive companies. Increased efforts in software development could diminish the companies' abilities to innovate and compete. Software maintenance alone could use up all resources for software research and development if complexity in automotive software continues to grow even though productivity remains the same, leaving little to no room for innovation. Eventually, the gap between complexity and productivity will lessen the cost competitiveness, leading to severe financial problems.
Tech is a Must in the Automotive Industry
Technology continues to help make vehicles operate smarter, more fuel-efficient, connected, and become driverless. These transformations shape the future of the automobile industry for years to come. It would take several years for car manufacturers to innovate a vehicle's fundamental building blocks. However, technology has allowed companies to drastically develop. The convergence between technology and automobile development means that vehicle manufacturers should not only focus on traditional hardware. They must also become a software provider.
Things can easily get complicated if everyone decides to do a similar shift. Problems can rapidly escalate in a market with a shortage of software engineers and where everyone is trying to build their software competencies. Hiring a well-skilled software developer is not easy, and things can become more complicated if the company focuses on automobile manufacturing, given the limited budget for the IT and IT recruiting department. The issues with building teams could lead to delays in starting the project or extending the timeline.
For automobile companies to compete and stay relevant in today’s age of rapid development, they should focus on establishing relationships with software providers instead of developing the technologies in-house. Partnering with software development companies with robust expertise in the automotive industry can help minimise these issues since you will have skilled engineers available to frame the project. They can also provide architects and other professionals, reducing the risk of shifting towards software development and allowing them to train internal staff through hands-on projects.
How to Find Specialist Software Engineers
More and more car manufacturing companies are finding the need to hire automotive software engineers. These engineers can help the automotive sector look for suitable software solutions that work well on a particular vehicle system. These professionals have taken the Automotive Software Engineering course, which combines autonomous vehicle making and software development. The software is responsible for controlling the functionality of vehicles, assisting the driver, and providing software solutions for entertainment and information. As software engineers, they are mainly responsible for designing and developing software systems for in-car technology.
Hiring automotive software engineers is not easy since this is a specialised field. Therefore, it's worth getting recruitment help from an automotive software engineer recruitment agency, a recruitment agency specialising in recruiting automotive software engineers. The company will match you up with qualified engineers with the knowledge and skills required for this role.
Although the qualifications of an automotive software engineer will vary from one company to another, the main requirement is a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of experience in automotive software development. Most engineers in this field spend some time in the same position to gain enough experience before taking up the role of an automotive software engineer.
Prior experience in developing new car technologies would be a big advantage. An automotive software engineer must be thoroughly familiar with the development technologies and processes involved in automobile use. As a result, many of these engineers will also gain experience in automobile mechanical engineering and production to better understand the requirements involved in developing the software.
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