Empowering Tomorrow's Automotive Software

Hosted by ETAS

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Jul 2026

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About the show

The automotive industry is undergoing its most radical transformation in a century. As the software-defined vehicle (SDV) leads the future of mobility, modern cars are rapidly evolving into sophisticated digital platforms on wheels. Empowering Tomorrow’s Automotive Software explores how electrification, automation, vehicle architecture, and connectivity are reshaping automotive engineering. Hosted by ETAS experts, each episode dives into the critical solutions driving modern vehicle development, including AUTOSAR, embedded cybersecurity, ECU development, virtual validation, Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), measurement and calibration, cloud-connected systems, and more. Brought to you by the experts at ETAS , leaders in high-performance automotive software solutions and embedded device security. To learn more, visit etas.com Produced by ETAS Inc.; Madelyn Downs, madelyn.downs@bosch.com Imprint and contact information: ETAS Inc. 15800 N. Haggerty Road Plymouth, Michigan 48170 USA contact.us@etas.com Privacy Policy

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43 recent

July 23, 202643 min

Industry Trends Toward Software Virtualization and Simulation

The automotive industry is shifting from a physical-first testing mindset to a virtual-first engineering approach, driven by the massive rise in software-defined vehicle complexity. In this episode,, host Suresh Sivavarman sits down with Cedric Armand, Director of Virtualization at Ford Motor Company, to break down the industry's rapid evolution toward software virtualization and simulation. Cedric shares how virtual-first environments enable automotive engineers to run millions of automated regression tests overnight—shifting defect discovery left to prevent costly field failures. Together, they discuss the foundational building blocks of scaling simulation (from virtual ECUs and plant models to cloud-based co-simulation platforms), overcoming the limits of physical HIL benches, managing organizational change for virtual tool adoption, and leveraging AI to accelerate testing efficiency. Whether you are an automotive software engineer, systems architect, or validation manager, this episode offers a firsthand look at how major OEMs are scaling virtual development to accelerate time-to-market. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: The Shift from Physical Testing to Virtual-First Engineering 03:00 - Defining Virtualization vs. Simulation in Automotive Systems 08:15 - The Massive ROI of "Shifting Left" & Running Automated Regression Tests 16:45 - Beyond HIL Benches: Scaling Virtual ECUs and Cloud-Based Co-Simulation 24:30 - Cultural Change & Organizational Buy-In for Virtual Tool Adoption 32:10 - The Future Role of AI in Diagnosing Test Failures and Streamlining Validation Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

June 23, 202638 min

Introduction to Enterprise Purple Teaming

In the final episode of our Enterprise series , host Vasili Kutscherjavenko sits down with ETAS experts Wolfgang Neufeld and Rene Reuter to demystify the collaborative world of Purple Teaming. Following up on previous discussions regarding independent red and blue team dynamics, the group explores how bringing attackers and defenders together in active workshops eliminates the traditional "blaming approach" and accelerates an organization's actual threat detection capabilities. The trio also take a deep dive into the modern cyber threat landscape, discussing how rapidly evolving generative AI models are altering the game, enabling even less-skilled attackers to rapidly execute zero-day vulnerabilities and accelerating the speed of enterprise breaches. Whether you are an enterprise security leader, a plant operations manager, or a cybersecurity professional looking to optimize your incident response times, this episode offers a highly practical blueprint for building mature, resilient defense systems. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction to Enterprise Purple Teaming 03:15 - Red Team vs. Blue Team: Defining the Roles 08:40 - What is Purple Teaming and Why It Matters 14:20 - Bridging the Gap Between Offensive and Defensive Security 21:05 - Integrating Purple Teaming into Automotive & Enterprise Workflows 28:30 - Key Challenges, Metrics, and Measuring Success 34:50 - Final Takeaways and the Future of Collaborative Security Check out our other Enterprise episodes: Introduction to Enterprise Red Teaming Introduction to Enterprise Blue Teaming Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

June 8, 202640 min

Exploring Virtual ECUs and the Transition to SIL (Software-in-the-Loop)

As software deployment velocity continues to outpace physical hardware availability, relying strictly on traditional Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) setups is rapidly shifting from a core strategy to an operational bottleneck. In this episode, host Suresh Sivavarman sits down with Sangeeta Theru, Virtual Validation Platform Lead at Stellantis, to explore how the automotive industry is evolving from hardware-centric testing frameworks to software-first engineering environments. Sangeeta breaks down how Stellantis leverages a "shift-left" strategy by scaling Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) platforms to achieve faster time-to-market, minimize late-stage engineering risks, and drastically reduce physical vehicle prototype costs. Whether you are an embedded software engineer, a system validation manager, or an OEM technical lead, this conversation offers a practical guide to demystifying Virtual ECUs (VECUs) and scaling digital validation workflows. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction & Software-First Engineering Shifts 04:15 - The "Shift-Left" Catalyst: System-Level Digital Validation 11:30 - Overcoming the Trust Gap: Physical vs. Virtual Target Faults 18:45 - HIL vs. SIL: Why 70-80% of Validation Can Bypass Physical Hardware 26:10 - Demystifying Virtual ECUs (VECUs): Levels 3, 3+, and 4 Abstractions 34:00 - Managing Global Complexity & Scaling SIL Across OEM Supply Chains 38:20 - Key Takeaways for Accelerating Vehicle Launch Timelines Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

March 31, 202638 min

Accelerating SDV Development through Virtualization and AI

Developing software-defined vehicles (SDVs) requires a massive paradigm shift in how cloud infrastructure, virtualization, and artificial intelligence converge on the factory floor and in the cloud. In this episode, host Suresh Sivavarman, Customer Chief Engineer at ETAS, sits down with Raj Paul, Mobility Industry Leader at Microsoft. Together, they break down how the partnership between Microsoft and ETAS is redefining vehicle development cycles. Raj explores how cloud-native developer environments, digital twins, and generative AI are accelerating software validation, streamlining developer onboarding, and enabling continuous OTA updates across modern automotive architectures. Whether you are an automotive software architect, cloud engineer, or OEM technology strategist, this episode offers a practical look at scaling AI and cloud-driven virtualization across the SDV ecosystem. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: Cloud Computing & SDV Acceleration 04:10 - The Microsoft & ETAS Vision for Cloud-Native Automotive Software 10:25 - Virtualization & Digital Twins: Moving Beyond Physical Prototyping 17:40 - Generative AI in Development: Boosting Code Generation & Validation 24:15 - Overcoming Friction in Developer Workflows & Onboarding 30:50 - Continuous OTA Deployment & Cloud-to-Vehicle Integration 36:10 - Key Takeaways for the Future of Connected Mobility Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

January 13, 202639 min

Generative AI Security in the Automotive Domain

As generative AI (GenAI) shifts from traditional deterministic algorithms to complex probabilistic models, securing AI implementations across automotive systems presents entirely new engineering and cybersecurity challenges. In this episode, host Zane Pelletier sits down with Ivan Granero, Cybersecurity Specialist at Bosch, to explore the security implications of deploying GenAI within the automotive domain. Ivan breaks down the fundamental shifts in risk modeling, the threat of prompt injection attacks, LLM data leakage, and how security teams must adapt threat analysis and risk assessment (TARA) frameworks to safeguard embedded automotive software and cloud-connected vehicle architectures. Whether you are an automotive cybersecurity researcher, AI engineer, or vehicle software architect, this conversation provides a practical guide to securing next-generation AI in software-defined vehicles. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: GenAI Security in Automotive 04:15 - Traditional Machine Learning vs. Probabilistic GenAI Models 10:30 - Emerging Threat Vectors: Prompt Injection & Data Leakage in LLMs 16:50 - Securing GenAI Across the Vehicle Lifecycle & Supply Chain 23:15 - Adapting TARA (Threat Analysis & Risk Assessment) for AI Systems 30:40 - Safeguarding Intellectual Property & Embedded Model Integrity 35:20 - Key Takeaways for Future Automotive AI Defense To view the tool Zane and Ivan mentioned in their discussion, click here . Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

December 2, 202544 min

Exploring Injection Attacks on UAVs and the Realities of Embedded Device Security

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and connected embedded devices face an increasingly complex physical threat landscape where software protections alone are no longer enough to stop sophisticated hardware attacks. In this episode, host Zane Pelletier from ETAS is joined by Gabriel Gonzalez-Garcia, Director of Hardware Security at IOActive, for an in-depth exploration of drone security and hardware hacking. Gabriel breaks down how fault injection attacks, including voltage glitching and clock manipulation, allow attackers to bypass secure boot mechanisms, alter instruction execution, and extract sensitive cryptographic keys from embedded chips. Whether you are an embedded systems engineer, automotive security researcher, or hardware designer, this conversation offers critical insights into securing microcontrollers and automotive ECUs against physical and fault-based exploits. Read Gabriel’s full whitepaper: https://www.ioactive.com/drone-security-fault-injection-attacks-gabriel-gonzalez/ In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: Drone Hacking & Hardware Security Realities 05:10 - Why UAVs Present Unique Attack Vectors for Embedded Research 12:45 - Demystifying Fault Injection Attacks: Voltage & Clock Glitching 19:30 - Bypassing Secure Boot & Hardware-Based Access Controls 27:15 - Extracting Cryptographic Keys & Firmware from Target Chips 35:40 - Defensive Engineering: Hardening Microcontrollers Against Physical Exploits 40:15 - Key Takeaways for Automotive ECUs and Connected Hardware Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

November 19, 202547 min

Measurement and Calibration for Any Vehicle

In this webinar recording, we highlight the critical role measurement and calibration play in developing automotive software functions for microcontrollers by exploring emerging trends and future advances in measurement and calibration technologies, and understanding their potential impact on the industry. You'll discover why precise measurement and calibration are essential for vehicle performance and efficiency, and learn about advanced measurement techniques and effective calibration methods that ensure accuracy and reliability in vehicle systems. We also cover strategies for integrating these practices into your development workflows, enhancing both efficiency and performance, and help you gain insights into how powerful ETAS tools can optimize these processes. Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

November 11, 202540 min

Infrastructure Hacking and Autonomous Vehicle Security

As physical transportation networks integrate deeply with cloud connectivity and smart city infrastructure, securing autonomous vehicles requires looking far beyond the car itself to protect the broader ecosystem. In this episode, host Zane Pelletier sits down with cybersecurity expert Tiffany Rad to explore the evolving threat landscape surrounding transportation systems, critical infrastructure, and autonomous mobility. Tiffany breaks down key vulnerabilities in autonomous vehicle architectures, supply chain security risks, insider threats, and the emerging role of artificial intelligence in embedded systems. Drawing from her extensive background in industrial control systems (ICS) and space cybersecurity, Tiffany also shares actionable advice for engineering students and security professionals looking to enter the field. Whether you are an automotive cybersecurity analyst, infrastructure manager, or autonomous systems engineer, this conversation provides a unique, cross-industry perspective on safeguarding connected mobility environments. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: Transportation Ecosystems & Infrastructure Security 04:20 - Autonomous Vehicle Vulnerabilities Beyond the ECU 11:15 - Supply Chain Risks & Managing Third-Party Hardware Integrity 18:40 - Mitigating Insider Threats in Critical Infrastructure 25:30 - AI's Role in Embedded Security: Defensive Tool vs. Attack Vector 32:10 - Cross-Industry Lessons: What Automotive Can Learn from ICS & Space Security 37:15 - Career Guidance for Emerging Cybersecurity Professionals If you want to learn more about some of the challenges mentioned in the episode, see below: https://www.cyberdrone-challenge.org/ https://www.cyberauto-challenge.org/ https://www.cybertruckchallenge.org/ Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

September 22, 202517 min

Driving the Future of Automotive Software with ETAS and Infineon

As the automotive industry shifts toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs), deep collaboration between silicon suppliers and software tool providers is critical to reducing development friction and accelerating time-to-market. In this episode, host Janak Patel, Technical Director at ETAS, sits down with Hugo Ochoa, Product Marketing Manager at Infineon Technologies. Together, they explore the strategic partnership between ETAS and Infineon, focusing on how co-innovating hardware and software platforms empowers automotive engineers. Hugo and Janak discuss optimizing microcontroller performance, simplifying complex software architecture integration, and streamlining developer workflows for next-generation ECUs. Whether you are an embedded software developer, microcontroller architect, or automotive product line manager, this episode highlights how ecosystem collaboration drives efficient, safe, and scalable vehicle software deployment. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: The ETAS and Infineon Strategic Partnership 03:10 - Hardware & Software Co-Design for Software-Defined Vehicles 06:45 - Overcoming Microcontroller Complexity & Integration Bottlenecks 10:20 - Streamlining Developer Workflows for Next-Gen Automotive ECUs 14:15 - Future Outlook: Scaling Scalable Platforms Across Supply Chains To learn more about how ETAS and Infineon are working together to optimize vehicle security, check out these additional resources: White paper Webinar recording Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS

August 18, 202535 min

Navigating the Shift: OEMs and the Evolution of Automotive Software

The automotive industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation as OEMs transition from traditional ECU integration toward developing and owning scalable, safe, and resilient software platforms in-house. In this episode, ETAS experts Subash Scindia and Nigel Tracey explore the strategic and technical shifts required for vehicle manufacturers to navigate this evolution. Subash and Nigel break down the critical role of software platform ownership, how OEMs are balancing speed-to-market with rigorous safety standards, and why building high-trust partnerships across the Tier 1 supply chain is essential for delivering next-generation software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Whether you are an OEM software architect, automotive product manager, or embedded systems director, this episode offers valuable perspectives on mastering platform engineering and long-term software lifecycle management. In this episode: 00:00 - Introduction: The Strategic OEM Shift Toward Software Ownership 05:20 - Evolving from ECU Integration to Scalable Software Platforms 11:40 - Balancing Fast Delivery Cycles with Functional Safety & Trust 18:15 - Navigating Tier 1 Supplier Relationships in the SDV Era 25:30 - Architecting Resilient Software Foundations for Next-Gen Vehicles 31:00 - Key Takeaways for OEM Platform Strategy & Long-Term Lifecycle Management Click here to find out more about ETAS’ AUTOSAR Classic solution RTA-CAR . Thanks for listening! Email us at: contact.us@etas.com Learn more about ETAS on our website Follow us on LinkedIn: @ETAS