BRUSSELS – 12 December 2024 – The Eclipse Foundation, one of the world’s largest open source foundations, today released its second report in a groundbreaking series for the automotive industry: Driving Efficiency and Sustainability: The Business Value of Open Source Software in the Automotive Industry. This latest research highlights how the widespread adoption of open source software (OSS) is reshaping the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) by addressing key priorities such as cost-effectiveness, innovation, and environmental sustainability for business leaders and developers.
Building on the insights from the first report, Driving Innovation & Building Safer Cars with Open Source Software, this new research dives deeper into the transformative impact of OSS in the automotive sector. It demonstrates how OSS enables automakers to meet increasing demands for safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly vehicles while driving innovation and reducing costs.
Key Findings of the Report Include:
- Cost Sharing and Savings Take Center Stage: Nearly 70% of professionals identified OSS as a significant factor in cost reduction, with nearly half anticipating operational expenditure reductions of up to 25% over the total lifecycle.
- Open Source Fuels Innovation: By eliminating the need to independently develop foundational software layers essential to all vehicles, collaborating in OSS helps automakers and developers focus their resources on innovating advanced features that create brand differentiation and boost profitability.
- Collaboration and Compatibility Are Vital: Seamless integration, interoperability, and collaboration are top priorities for decision-makers adopting OSS for SDVs.
- Open Source Drives Sustainability: Decision makers recognise OSS as an enabler of efficient and eco-friendly vehicle development, helping meet global sustainability goals.
- Adoption is Widespread: Over 97% of software professionals report using OSS frequently, with nearly half of decision-makers identifying it as crucial to team success.
“Open source software is playing a pivotal role in the automotive industry's transition to the software-defined vehicle,” said Mike Milinkovich, Executive Director for the Eclipse Foundation. “This report highlights the essential contribution of open source to this significant shift, emphasising its potential to enhance how open collaborative software development can help the automotive industry advance efficiency, innovation, and sustainability.”
Opportunities for Developers, Business Leaders, and Policy Makers
In addition to presenting key findings, the report outlines actionable insights for key stakeholders:
- Developers are empowered to innovate faster with robust OSS tools and platforms.
- Business leaders can leverage OSS to cut costs, improve product quality, and enhance competitive advantage.
- Policymakers are encouraged to support OSS adoption through standardisation, training programs, and interoperability initiatives.
Commissioned by the Eclipse Foundation’s Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) Working Group, the study surveyed 300 automotive developers and business leaders from leading OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers. The findings underscore the critical role of OSS in driving flexibility, innovation, and efficiency within the industry.
The full report, “Driving Efficiency and Sustainability: The Business Value of Open Source Software in the Automotive Industry,” is now available for download.
If you haven’t done so, we also invite you to explore the findings from the first report:
Also, stay tuned for the next and final report in this series:
- Report 3: Challenges Facing Open Source Software in the Automotive Ecosystem
Join the Eclipse SDV Community
Explore opportunities to contribute to the global hub for software-defined vehicle innovation and collaboration. Our diverse membership of industry leaders is driving real-world innovation that is shaping the future of the automotive industry. We provide an inclusive platform where companies of all sizes can engage and contribute on equal footing. Find more details about joining us at sdv.eclipse.org/membership.
About Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle
Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle (SDV), a working group within the Eclipse Foundation, supports the open source development of cutting-edge automotive technologies that power the programmable vehicles of the future where software defines features, functionality, and operations. With over 50 members, including leading automotive manufacturers, global cloud providers, technology innovators, and key supply chain partners, the initiative has strong industry backing. The working group's mission is to provide a collaborative forum for developing and promoting open source solutions tailored to the global automotive industry. Adopting a “code first” approach, Eclipse SDV focuses on building the industry's first open source software stacks and associated tools that will support the core functionalities of next-generation vehicles.
About the Eclipse Foundation
The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organisations with a business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. We host the Eclipse IDE, Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, and over 420 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, specifications, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, open processor designs, and many others. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 385 members. To learn more, follow us on social media @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn, or visit eclipse.org.
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