AUTOSAR

AUTOSAR was formed in July 2003 by Bavarian Motor Works (BMW), Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Siemens VDO and Volkswagen AG to develop and establish an open industry standard for the automotive electrical-electronic (E/E) architecture.

In November 2003, the Ford Motor Company joined as a Core Partner. In the following December Peugeot Citroën Automobiles S.A. and the Toyota Motor Corporation followed. In November of the following year, General Motors Holding LLC also joined as a Core Partner. After Siemens VDO was acquired by Continental in February 2008, Siemens VDO is no longer independently represented as a Core Partner of AUTOSAR.

Since 2003, AUTOSAR has provided four major versions of the standardized automotive software architecture for its Classic Platform and one release, along with the version of acceptance tests. The work on the AUTOSAR Classic Platform can be divided into three phases:

• Phase I (2004–2006): Fundamental development of the standard (releases 1.0, 2.0, 2.1){{Cite web |last1=Fennel |first1=H. |last2=Helmut |first2=S. |last3=Bielefeld |first3=J. |display-authors=etal |date=2006|title=Achievements and exploitation of the AUTOSAR development partnership |page=10 |url=https://saemobilus.sae.org/content/2006-21-0019/ |url-access=subscription}}
• Phase II (2007–2009): Expansion of the standard in terms of architecture and methodology (releases 3.0, 3.1, 4.0){{Cite journal|date=October 2013|title=AUTOSAR — The Worldwide Automotive Standard for E/E Systems|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40111-013-0003-5|journal=ATZextra Worldwide|volume=18|issue=9|pages=5–12|doi=10.1007/s40111-013-0003-5|issn=2195-1470|url-access=subscription}}
• Phase III (2010–2013): Maintenance and selected improvements (releases 3.2, 4.1, 4.2){{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Shaping the future of a Global Standard|url=http://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/files/papers/AUTOSAR-BB-Spezial-2012.pdf|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053926/http://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/files/papers/AUTOSAR-BB-Spezial-2012.pdf|archive-date=19 December 2015}}

In 2013, the AUTOSAR consortium introduced a continuous working mode for the Classic Platform to maintain the standard and provide selected improvements (including releases R4.2, and 1.0 of acceptance tests).

In 2016, work began on the Adaptive Platform. An initial release (17-03) was published in early 2017, followed by release 17–10 in October 2017{{Cite news|url=https://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Release_17_10_EN.PDF|title=Adaptive Platform_Release_17_10_EN|date=20 December 2017|work=AUTOSAR|access-date=5 June 2018|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231222022/https://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Release_17_10_EN.PDF|url-status=dead}} and release 18–03 in March 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/user_upload/AUTOSAR_Release_18_03_EN.pdf|title=AUTOSAR_Release_18_03_EN|date=23 April 2018|work=AUTOSAR}} With release 18–10 in October 2018, the major development activities were published.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/about/history/|title=History|website=www.autosar.org|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018}}

In December 2023, AUTOSAR R23-11 was virtually released.{{Cite web|last=cooperation|first=AUTOSAR development|title=AUTOSAR R20-11 Release Event|url=https://www.autosar.org/news-events/details/autosar-r20-11-release-event-2020-dec-02/|access-date=2020-12-09|website=www.autosar.org|language=en|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416103952/https://www.autosar.org/news-events/details/autosar-r20-11-release-event-2020-dec-02/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=https://www.autosar.org/news-events/detail?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=228&cHash=af30db5f9eee2609260d07b474f28dfb |title=AUTOSAR Release R23-11 |website=AUTOSAR |date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2024-06-27}}

AUTOSAR aims to establish a global standard for software and methodology, enabling open E/E system architectures for future intelligent mobility. This vision focuses on ensuring high levels of dependability, particularly in terms of safety and security.

AUTOSAR provides specifications for basic software modules, defines application interfaces, and builds a common development methodology based on a standardized exchange format. The basic software modules made available by the AUTOSAR layered software architecture can be used in vehicles from different manufacturers and electronic components from different suppliers, thereby reducing expenditures for research and development.

Based on this principle, AUTOSAR aims to prepare for upcoming technologies.{{cite web |title=AUTOSAR: Motivation & Goals |url=http://www.autosar.org/about/basics/motivation-goals/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053927/http://www.autosar.org/about/basics/motivation-goals/ |archive-date=19 December 2015 |access-date=11 December 2015}}

The motivation behind AUTOSAR is to manage the increasing complexity of software and E/E systems as their functional scope expands. The initiative is designed to support flexibility in product modifications, upgrades, and updates, while leveraging scalable solutions within and across product lines. Enhancing scalability and flexibility in the integration and transfer of functions is a key objective, aiming to improve the quality and reliability of software and E/E systems.

The goals of AUTOSAR include addressing future vehicle requirements such as availability, safety, software upgrades, updates, and maintainability. AUTOSAR seeks to enhance scalability and flexibility for function integration and transfer. Additionally, the initiative aims to increase the use of "Commercial off the Shelf" software and hardware components across product lines, promoting software reuse. By accelerating development and maintenance processes, AUTOSAR intends to improve the management of product and process complexity and risk, while optimizing the costs associated with scalable systems. Based on this principle, AUTOSAR aims to prepare for upcoming technologies.

AUTOSAR uses a three-layer architecture:{{Citation |title=AUTOSAR: The worldwide automotive standard for e/e systems |journal=ATZextra |date=October 2013 |volume=18 |pages=9–10 |publisher=Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden |issn=2195-1454}}

• Basic Software: standardized software modules (mostly) with no explicit automotive job, but offers services needed to run the functional part of the upper software layer.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Basic Software|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ecu-software-architecture/autosar-basic-software/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053928/http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ecu-software-architecture/autosar-basic-software/|archive-date=19 December 2015}}
• Runtime environment (RTE): middleware which abstracts from the network topology for the inter- and intra-ECU information exchange between the application software components and between the Basic Software and the applications.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Runtime Environment|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ecu-software-architecture/autosar-runtime-environment/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053929/http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ecu-software-architecture/autosar-runtime-environment/|archive-date=19 December 2015}}
• Application Layer: application software components that interact with the runtime environment.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Software|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ecu-software-architecture/autosar-software/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053930/http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ecu-software-architecture/autosar-software/|archive-date=19 December 2015}}

The purpose of the foundation standard is to enforce interoperability between the AUTOSAR platforms. The foundation contains common requirements and technical specifications (for example protocols) shared between the AUTOSAR platforms, and the common methodology.{{Cite web |title=Foundation |url=https://www.autosar.org/standards/foundation/ |access-date=14 May 2018 |website=www.autosar.org}}{{Cite book |last1=Stepanovic |first1=Mia |title=2020 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE) |last2=Bjelica |first2=Milan |last3=Kastelan |first3=Ivan |last4=Velikic |first4=Gordana |date=January 2020 |publisher=IEEE |isbn=978-1-7281-5186-1 |location=Las Vegas, NV, USA |pages=1–2 |chapter=Scalable approach to extending automotive software using AUTOSAR adaptive stack |doi=10.1109/ICCE46568.2020.9212328 |chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9212328 |s2cid=222221057}}

• System Configuration Description includes all system information and the information agreed between different ECUs (e.g. definition of bus signals).
• ECU extract: contains the information from the System Configuration Description needed for a specific ECU (e.g. those signals where a specific ECU has access to).
• ECU Configuration Description: contains all basic software configuration information that is local to a specific ECU. Use this information to build the executable software, the code of the basic software modules and the code of the software components out of it.{{cite web|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/autosar-methodology/|title=AUTOSAR: Methodology|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053932/http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/autosar-methodology/|archive-date=19 December 2015|access-date=11 December 2015}}{{Cite book|last1=Chaaban|first1=Khaled|last2=Leserf|first2=Patrick|last3=Saudrais|first3=Sebastien|title=2009 IEEE Conference on Emerging Technologies & Factory Automation |chapter=Steer-By-Wire system development using AUTOSAR methodology |date=September 2009|chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5347123|location=Mallorca|publisher=IEEE|pages=1–8|doi=10.1109/ETFA.2009.5347123|isbn=978-1-4244-2727-7|s2cid=16258656 }}

The AUTOSAR classic platform is the standard for embedded real-time ECUs based on OSEK. Its main deliverable is specifications.

The architecture distinguishes between three software layers that run on a microcontroller: application, runtime environment (RTE) and basic software (BSW). The application software layer is mostly hardware independent. Communication between software components and access to BSW happens via RTE, which represents the full interface for applications.

The BSW is divided in three major layers and complex drivers:

• Services
• Electronic control unit (ECU) abstraction
• Microcontroller abstraction

Services are divided further, into functional groups representing the infrastructure for system, memory and communication services.

One essential concept of the Classic Platform is the Virtual Functional Bus (VFB). This virtual bus is an abstract set of RTEs that are not yet deployed to specific ECUs and decouples the applications from the infrastructure. It communicates via dedicated ports, which means that the communication interfaces of the application software must be mapped to these ports. The VFB handles communication within the individual ECU and between ECUs. From an application point of view, no detailed knowledge of lower-level technologies or dependencies is required. This supports hardware-independent development and usage of application software.

The Classic Platform also enables the integration of non-AUTOSAR systems such as GENIVI, now renamed COVESA, by using the Franca Interface Definition Language (Franca IDL).{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/standards/classic-platform/|title=Classic Platform|website=www.autosar.org|access-date=2019-12-02}}

Standardization of functional interfaces across manufacturers and suppliers and standardization of the interfaces between the different software layers is seen as a basis for achieving the technical goals of AUTOSAR.{{cite web |title=AUTOSAR: Technical Overview |url=http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053934/http://www.autosar.org/about/technical-overview/ |archive-date=19 December 2015 |access-date=11 December 2015}}{{Cite web |title=Application Interface |url=https://www.autosar.org/standards/application-interface/ |access-date=14 May 2018 |language=en}} Only by standardizing concrete interface contents in their physical and temporal representation allows achieving the needed integration compatibility.

New use-cases required the development of the adaptive platform. One example is automated driving, in the context of which the driver temporarily and/or partially transfers responsibility for driving to the vehicle. The automation system replacing the driver will require communication with external  infrastructure (e.g. traffic signs, traffic centers or cloud servers), it needs to perform a huge amount of signal processing, calculations of driving strategies and system health monitoring: This has to be based on high performance computing hardware, like multicore-processors or graphics processing units.

Further, Car-2-X applications require interaction to vehicles and off-board systems. That means that the system has to provide secure on-board communication, support of cross-domain computing platforms, smartphone integration, integration of non-AUTOSAR systems, and so on. Also, cloud-based services will require dedicated means for security, such as secure cloud interaction and emergency vehicle preemption. They will enable remote and distributed services, such as remote diagnostics, over the air (OTA) update, repair, and exchange handling.

To support dynamic deployment of customer applications and to provide an environment for applications that require high-end computing power AUTOSAR is currently standardizing the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform. Its core is an operating system based on the POSIX standard. The operating system can be used by the application via a subset of the POSIX according to IEEE1003.13 (namely PSE51). One of the key features of the Adaptive Platform is service-oriented communication since the Platform is based on the Service - Oriented Architecture.{{Cite book|last1=Furst|first1=Simon|last2=Bechter|first2=Markus|title=2016 46th Annual IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks Workshop (DSN-W) |chapter=AUTOSAR for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: The AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform |date=June 2016|chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7575379|location=Toulouse, France|publisher=IEEE|pages=215–217|doi=10.1109/DSN-W.2016.24|isbn=978-1-5090-3688-2|s2cid=1133757 }}

Adaptive AUTOSAR is developed and written using C++ which is an object-oriented programming language. The communication protocol used for the in-vehicle networking is SOME/IP, based on Ethernet.

Two types of interfaces are available: services and application programming interfaces (APIs). The platform consists of functional clusters which are grouped in services and the AUTOSAR adaptive platform foundation.

Functional clusters:

• Assemble functions of the adaptive platform
• Define clustering of requirements specification
• Describe behavior of software platform from application and network perspective
• Do not constrain the final SW design of the architecture implementing the Adaptive Platform.

Functional clusters in AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform have to have at least one instance per (virtual) machine while services may be distributed in the in-car network.

Adaptive platform services include:

• Update and Configuration management
• State Management
• Network Management
• Diagnostics

The adaptive platform contains both specification and code. In comparison to the Classic Platform, AUTOSAR develops an implementation to shorten the validation cycle and illustrate the underlying concepts. This implementation is available to all AUTOSAR partners.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/standards/adaptive-platform/|title=Adaptive Platform|website=www.autosar.org|access-date=14 May 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Hanser_Automotive_2017_AUTOSAR_for_Intelligent_Vehicles_EN.PDF|title=AUTOSAR for Intelligent Vehicles|date=29 November 2017|work=AUTOSAR}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/user_upload/2017_ELIV_AUTOSAR_proofs_to_be_THE_automotive_software_platform_for_intelligent_mobility.pdf|title=AUTOSAR proofs to be THE automotive software platform for intelligent mobility|date=18 October 2017|work=AUTOSAR}}{{Cite journal|last1=Reichart|first1=Günter|last2=Asmus|first2=Rinat|date=2021|editor-last=Bertram|editor-first=Torsten|title=Progress on the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform for Intelligent Vehicles|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-658-34752-9_6|journal=Automatisiertes Fahren 2020|series=Proceedings|language=de|location=Wiesbaden|publisher=Springer Fachmedien|pages=67–75|doi=10.1007/978-3-658-34752-9_6|isbn=978-3-658-34752-9|s2cid=240964305 |url-access=subscription}}

AUTOSAR defined six different levels of membership. The contribution of partners varies depending on the type of partnership:{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Basic Information|url=http://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/files/basic_information/AUTOSARBasicInformationShortVersion_EN.pdf|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053935/http://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/files/basic_information/AUTOSARBasicInformationShortVersion_EN.pdf|archive-date=19 December 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/about/current-partners/|title=Current Partners|website=www.autosar.org|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.autosar.org/about/organization |title=Organization |publisher=AUTOSAR |access-date=2024-06-27}}

• Premium Partner Plus
• Premium Partner
• Associate Partner
• Associate Partner Light
• Development Partner
• Attendee
• Subscriber

Core Partners include the founding partners Bavarian Motor Works (BMW), Robert Bosch AG, Continental AG, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Holding LLC, Peugeot Citroën Automobiles S.A., Toyota Motor Corporation, and Volkswagen AG.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/about/current-partners/core-partners/|title=Core Partners|website=www.autosar.org|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018}} These companies are responsible for organization, administration and control of the AUTOSAR development partnership. Within this core, the executive board defines the overall strategy and roadmap.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Executive Board|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/executive-board/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053937/http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/executive-board/|archive-date=19 December 2015}} The Steering Committee manages day-to-day non-technical operations and admission of partners, public relations and contractual issues.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Steering Committee|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/steering-committee/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923180530/http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/steering-committee|archive-date=23 September 2015}} The chairman and Deputy of chairman, appointed for one year, represent the Steering Committee for that purpose.{{cite web|title=Autopresse: Autonews|url=http://auto-presse.de/autonews.php?newsid=247101|access-date=11 December 2015}} The AUTOSAR Spokesperson takes over the communication with the outside world.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Spokesperson|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/spokesperson/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053939/http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/spokesperson/|archive-date=19 December 2015}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.autosar.org/fileadmin/user_upload/AUTOSAR_introduces_new_chairman_EN.pdf|title=AUTOSAR Chairman handover Press Release|date=21 November 2017|work=AUTOSAR}}

Premium Partner Plus companies support the project leader team in the various technical, organizational and everyday processes. They also give new strategic inputs to the project leader round.

Premium and Development members contribute to work packages coordinated and monitored by the Project Leader Team established by the Core Partners.{{cite web|title=AUTOSAR: Project Leader Team|url=http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/project-leader-team/|access-date=11 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219053940/http://www.autosar.org/about/organization/project-leader-team/|archive-date=19 December 2015}} Associate partners are making use of the standard documents AUTOSAR has already released.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/about/current-partners/associate-partners/|title=Associate Partners|website=www.autosar.org|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018|archive-date=28 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128021250/https://www.autosar.org/about/current-partners/associate-partners/|url-status=dead}} Attendees are currently participating with Academic collaboration and non-commercial projects.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosar.org/about/current-partners/attendees/|title=Attendees|website=www.autosar.org|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018|archive-date=28 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128020510/https://www.autosar.org/about/current-partners/attendees/|url-status=dead}}

{{Incomplete list|date=February 2021}}

Selection of vendors, including RTOS, BSW, design tools, compiler, etc.{{Cite web|last=cooperation|first=AUTOSAR development|title=Vendor IDs|url=https://www.autosar.org/about/vendorid/|access-date=2021-02-25|website=www.autosar.org|language=en}}

• Elektrobit (now part of Continental AG)
• ETAS (part of Bosch)
• KPIT Technologies
• Siemens (previously Mentor Graphics)
• Vector Informatik
• Tata Technologies

Vendors which provide related tools and software, e.g. for testing, diagnostics, development, etc.

• dSPACE GmbH
• MATLAB by MathWorks

• Automotive Grade Linux
• COMASSO Organization provides an open source AUTOSAR platform
• GENIVI Alliance

AUTOSAR takes part in various events every year. Furthermore the AUTOSAR Open Conference (AOC) is planned every year to network and give an overview over the newest achievements.

A list of the events which are planned can be found on the AUTOSAR website.{{cite press release |url=https://www.autosar.org/news-events |title=News & and Events |publisher=AUTOSAR |access-date=2024-06-27}}

• Automotive SPICE (A software process assessment framework required by or relating to some specifications of AUTOSAR)
• Electronic control unit (ECU)
• ISO 26262 (Functional safety norm, required by or relating to some specifications of AUTOSAR)
• List of requirements engineering tools (Tools for ARXML/MBSE modelling, such as IBM's Rhapsody{{Cite web|date=2017-10-17|title=Generating ARXML and C code|url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/rhapsody/8.2.1?topic=profile-generating-arxml-code|access-date=2021-04-10|website=www.ibm.com|language=en-us}})
• MISRA
• OSEK

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Scheid|first=Oliver |title=AUTOSAR Compendium: Part 1: Application & RTE|year=2015|page=406|publisher=Createspace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1-50275-152-2}}
• {{cite book |last1=Kindel |first1=Olaf |last2=Friedrich |first2=Mario |title=Software Development with AUTOSAR (Softwareentwicklung mit AUTOSAR) |publisher=dpunkt.verlag |year=2009 |page=300 |isbn=978-3-89864-563-8}}
• Staron, Miroslaw (2021). Automotive Software Architectures - An Introduction. Springer. {{ISBN|978-3-030-65938-7}}.

• {{Official website|https://www.autosar.org/}}
• [https://www.autosar.org/user-groups/ AUTOSAR user groups] ([https://comasso.org/ COMASSO], etc.)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Autosar}}

Category:Automotive software

Category:Engine technology

Category:Motor trade associations

Category:Software architecture