Page 22 - Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (January 2020)

Software/Simulation

dSPACE Buys AI Startup, Adds Staff
The deluge of data used by vehicles and the need to
accurately predict how myriad automotive systems
interact makes predictive design analysis a critical
tool for vehicle development. At its first worldwide
user conference, dSPACE described how the compa-
ny has transformed to address new demands.
Martin Goetzeler, dSpace’s CEO, detailed the com-
pany’s expansion to a full-service provider during the
past two years. “We’ve become an end-to-end simu-
lation and validation provider,” Goetzeler said. “We’ve
extended our hardware-in-the-loop capabilities to
include software simulation, software-in-the-loop and
cloud simulation as a service.”
Terry Costlow by more than 30%, passing 1,800 and new corpo-
Over the past two years, manpower has increased
rate R&D and test facilities opened. In June, dSpace

address the burgeoning role of artificial intelligence.
Jaguar Land Rover’s Andy Griffiths (left) and Alex Heslop acquired three-year-old startup Understand.ai to
(right) described the automaker’s training and technical This broad restructuring sets the stage for years of
changes as digital vehicle development expands. double-digit growth, Goetzeler predicted. While the
changes in the past two years have been significant,
the restructuring at dSPACE and many other automo-
factors for some OEMs and software-generated virtual tive companies is far from finished.
tests now dominate many strategies. “We’re in the middle of a transformation driven
by e-mobility and autonomy,” Goetzeler said. “We
Toward a ‘golden point’ need to continue altering our company and work
with new partners.”
“A year-and-a-half ago, we started a consolidation with
vehicle architectures for test; everything needs to fit in dSPACE CEO Martin
this architecture,” said Dr. Peter Oel, head of E/E inte- Goetzler said the
gration, simulation and test at Volkswagen AG. “If we company has broad-
don’t change our processes, we won’t be successful. This ened its portfolio to
meet burgeoning de-
is disruptive in the way we use testing and integration mand for design and
techniques. We won’t buy standard test benches any simulation tools.
more. We want to get modular systems and to be able
to use best-in-class tools for each job.”
He added that cloud technology is a critical
element of this new test strategy. Using the cloud dSPACE
makes it possible to run tests using massive paralleliza-
tion so that voluminous full-vehicle tests can be run The volume of data from inside and outside the
in comparatively short timeframes. vehicle continues to soar and the interactions between
Strategies for enhancing design and validation modules that create and use this information also are
take many forms. The same technologies that make multiplying. That puts more emphasis on ensuring
designs more complex can be used to help engineers that all parties involved in development and testing
better meet users’ needs. For example, JLR is lever- are working closely towards common goals.
aging connectivity and firmware over-the-air (FOTA) “The big challenge is addressing the holistic
updates to help engineers speed new features and func- complexity of the car’s functions; there are a lot of
tions into production, then tweak them after they’ve concerns inward and outward, and they’re highly
seen how drivers interact and use the technology. dynamic,” said Dr. Chen Ma, Product Owner,
“Rather than trying to develop fully a complex Volkswagen AG. “You need everyone to work towards
product where we’re guessing the user requirements, one goal. That’s not easy, because everyone normally
we try to define a minimum product target, then learn works towards their own goals. This is now a highly
from it and add features with FOTA,” said Alex Heslop, interdisciplinary domain – companies need to find
director – electrical engineering at Jaguar Land Rover. a level of working together that is a golden point.” ■

20 January 2020 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING