Automotive
The state of automotive software development in 2023
By Jill Britton, director of compliance, Perforce Software S Safety
When respondents were asked to choose among five areas of concern, safety still holds the top spot (30%), but interestingly, this is a decrease of 12% compared to last year. There are some notable shifts in top safety concerns, with a slight increase to 47% in those reporting difficulty fulfilling every ISO 26262 requirement demonstrating functional safety compliance, rather than customers expecting compliance with a coding standard (down to 34%). This underlines that a wider group of automotive suppliers are increasingly being asked to comply with ISO 26262 requirements (80% of the respondents).
Security
Security took second place as the top concern; again, there are some changes compared to 2022. For example, ‘unauthorised access to on-board/off-board systems’ was cited by 53%, a massive jump compared to last year. However, this is likely due to a reduction of other concerns regarding enforcing secure
26 May 2023
oftware is an increasingly integral part of automotive development and design, and the 2023 State of Automotive Software Development Report from Perforce reflects what is happening in this fast-growing market. Through responses from over 400 automotive industry professionals worldwide, the survey provides insight into their priorities, concerns, working practices, and emerging trends. For instance, only 10% say they are not working on electric vehicle components at all, with the majority working extensively or at least somewhat on what is fast becoming the norm. Similarly, connectivity has become a central focus for many, with 43% working extensively on connected vehicles. Steady progress is being made towards fully autonomous vehicles, with 35% extensively focused on designing a fully autonomous vehicle, a marked increase of 13% compared to 2022.
coding practices, security testing, and lack of security skills. These developments reflect a greater awareness and emphasis on security best practices within automotive organisations. However, difficulties remain, with 44% citing that meeting regulation for cybersecurity approval was their leading software security challenge, followed by enforcing secure coding practices (33%). On the plus side, only 15% are not given tools or training to help with security. This demonstrates an acknowledgement that security is a priority and, while not easy, must become front of mind.
Other concerns
Following safety and security, quality was the top concern for around a quarter of respondents. A third highlighted codebases being too complex, and likewise, a third have difficulties enforcing coding best practices. 11% cited testing as their top quality concern, which is an increase compared to 2022 and again, there are some changes. For example, more respondents are experiencing
Components in Electronics
difficulties documenting automated and manual testing efforts for compliance, which may reflect the growth of these requirements. However, it is notable that there is a reduction in teams reporting that they are struggling to test efficiently, not testing early enough in development, or coordinating tests across global teams. This could be due to deploying more modern testing tools and techniques, such as shift-left, which refers to automating tests and security scanning earlier within the software development lifecycle (SDLC). 34% have already embraced shift-left, and 39% intend to do so soon. This increasing commitment to testing matters because it can help prevent software vulnerabilities that can lead to security breaches, safety issues or other problems. Indeed, 35% of respondents have been impacted by a code vulnerability several or many times, and more than half have been impacted at least once. In addition, 56% had experienced at least one recall. While a recall may not be caused by a code vulnerability, a
code vulnerability will always create a security issue in software.
Compliance
In addition to the general requirement for ISO 26262, 78% say that they will be required to comply with ISO/SAE 21434, a relatively new standard that focuses on cybersecurity in road vehicle electronic systems. Also, for two-thirds of the respondents, SOTIF(ISO/PAS 21448) is part of their software development process. This standard was developed to address the additional safety challenges for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. However, compliance with these functional standards remains a difficulty for many.
Compliance with coding standards is an essential part of automotive software development, and many organisations are using more than one. 42% use MISRA (a decrease compared to 2022), closely followed by C++ Core Guidelines (39%). 36% use AUTOSAR C++14, 31% Embedded C (Barr Group), 26% High Integrity C++,
www.cieonline.co.uk.uk
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