In line with the EU Strategic Research and Innovation priorities on Electronic Components and Systems, key European industrial companies, research organizations, and academic organizations from eleven countries started a three-year project to pioneer innovative methods, technologies, and processes for series vehicle development beyond 2030.
The HAL4SDV project mission is to advance European solutions in software-defined vehicles (SDV) and next-generation vehicles. It aims to harmonize efforts across Europe, creating a comprehensive SDV ecosystem while leveraging existing national projects and international R&D activities. By focusing on unifying software interfaces and development methodologies, HAL4SDV will enable software configuration that abstracts from vehicle hardware, paving the way for a "software-defined vehicle" approach for both safety-critical and non-safety-critical applications in future vehicles.
Beyond technological innovation, HAL4SDV underpins Europe's automotive industry, sustains its competitive edge, and accelerates green and digital transitions, both fostering collaboration and promoting sustainability across the automotive ecosystem.
The main HAL4SDV objectives include:
- SDV platform Service oriented Architecture (SoA) based architecture, serving non-safety & safety-related applications
- HAL architecture definition in context of a comprehensive “System + Software” approach
- Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) developments - standardized interfaces to sensors, actors, compute resources and persistent storage, abstraction using hypervisors, HAL SW updates
- Hardware abstraction layer key software element updates
- HAL for secure enclaves to build up Zero Trust concepts
- Cloud-based rapid prototyping for software-defined vehicles
- Security Support for automotive safety-relevant applications
The project's objectives are comprehensive and far-reaching, spanning the unification of software interfaces, creation of a robust hardware abstraction framework, facilitating of Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, designing of advanced platform architectures, and the provision of essential development tools. These objectives are pivotal in ensuring the agility and adaptability of the European automotive industry to meet the demands of the future.
The HAL4SDV consortium, led by TTTech Computertechnik AG including TTTech Auto AG, combines leading OEMs for shaping the vision and strategic requirements, Tier1 companies keenly interested in exploiting the project’s results, integrated design manufacturers driving SDV integration in computing platforms, software and technology providers offering critical expertise, SMEs contributing specialized knowledge, and academic partners and research institutes bridging fundamental and applied research.
With 59 partners' joint efforts, the HAL4SDV project is ready to shape the future of mobility, secure Europe's leadership in the automotive sector, and drive progress toward a more connected, efficient, and environmentally conscious future in the automotive sector. Moreover, it responds to the pressing need for Europe to invest massively in technological leadership in the automotive domain, ensuring the region's future growth and prosperity.
This article was first published on 16 December by University of Oulu.
Receive the Funding Newswire [full access requires a subscription] each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.