ZF and KPIT form development cooperation for industry-leading middleware solution

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany and PUNE, India, Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ZF Group, a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, and KPIT Technologies, a leading independent software development and integration partner to the automotive and mobility industry, have announced that they will cooperate in the development of an industry-leading middleware solution for the mobility ecosystem.

The continual increase in software complexity coupled with high-performance computing infrastructure needs a robust and dependable middleware solution. The lack of such a solution can potentially delay vehicle development and escalate technology spends.

Built with the software expertise of KPIT paired with ZF's strong understanding of vehicle systems, a mature, modular middleware solution which can be deployed across OEMs represents a transformative opportunity for the mobility ecosystem. This cooperation will also bring onboard solutions from other technology companies, including semiconductor specialists, software companies, cloud services and start-ups.

"The next generation of vehicles that come into the market will feature electric drives, a high degree of automated functions as well as connectivity, and they will be software-defined," explained Dr. Dirk Walliser, SVP Corporate R&D at ZF Group. "Using what we develop jointly with KPIT, we can offer our automotive customers even more comprehensive software solutions that fit seamlessly together with our system portfolio for the software-defined vehicle: high-performance computing, software, intelligent sensors and smart actuators."

In January 2021, ZF established a Global Software Center with responsibility for developing software systems for future architectures on a group-wide level. One core product is an automotive middleware that serves as a "mediator" between a vehicle computer's operating system and its software applications. Its development is closely connected to the development of application software for mobility domains like automated driving, integrated safety, vehicle motion control and electric mobility.

Kishor Patil, CEO at KPIT Technologies, said: "We are very excited to cooperate with ZF in the development of an industry-leading middleware solution. OEMs want to explore open and scalable middleware solutions that can lay the foundation for the future generation of vehicles, and bring significant quality and productivity improvements. An appropriate middleware solution will help OEMs and our mobility customers make the transition to a solid, central computer architecture. Together, we bring software expertise, systems understanding, and knowledge of OEMs and mobility customer needs. This development cooperation for middleware solutions will add immense value to our global automotive and mobility customers, and significantly shorten development cycles."

The middleware development will draw upon KPIT's experience in several production programs, expertise in architecture consulting and software integration, and its strengths in cloud-based connected services. It will use KPIT's existing assets, tools and accelerators and other core infrastructure.

About ZF
ZF is a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF allows vehicles to see, think and act. In the four technology domains of Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving, and Electric Mobility, ZF offers comprehensive product and software solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and newly emerging transport and mobility service providers. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate and enhancing safe mobility.
In fiscal year 2020 ZF reported sales of €32.6 billion. The company employs more than 150,000 associates at approximately 270 locations in 42 countries.

For further press information and photos please visit: www.zf.com 

About KPIT
KPIT is a leading independent software development and integration partner helping mobility leapfrog towards a clean, smart, and safe future. With 7000 automobelievers across the globe specializing in embedded software, AI, and digital solutions, KPIT accelerates clients' implementation of next-generation technologies for the future mobility roadmap. With engineering centers in Europe, the USA, Japan, China, Thailand, and India, KPIT works with leaders in automotive and mobility and is present where the ecosystem is transforming.

For more details, visit: www.kpit.com 

SOURCE ZF North America, Inc.

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