AutoSAR

AUTOSAR stands for Automotive Open System Architecture, a global partnership of automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and software tool developers established to standardize the software architecture used in vehicle electronic control units (ECUs). Its objective is to improve interoperability, scalability, and reusability of software across different vehicle platforms, reduce integration effort, and lower development costs.

The AUTOSAR specifications describe a layered software architecture that separates application software from the underlying hardware and system services. In the classic platform, software is composed of software components (SWCs) that communicate via the runtime environment (RTE) and run on a Basic Software (BSW) layer, which includes operating-system services, ECU abstraction, communication stacks, memory, and services. The Adaptive Platform, introduced to address high-performance computing needs for advanced features such as autonomous driving, uses service-oriented architecture, a POSIX-compliant runtime, and virtualization to support dynamic software deployment on high-end ECUs.

AUTOSAR provides standardized interfaces, exchange formats, and development methodologies to enable portability and reuse. Central artifacts include SWCs, their ports and interfaces, and ARXML-based descriptions that are consumed by toolchains for configuration, integration, and testing. The consortium also promotes a development process that covers system, software, and hardware aspects, aiming for consistent modeling, verification, and integration across suppliers and OEMs.

Governed by the AUTOSAR Consortium, the organization comprises major automakers, suppliers, and tool vendors. Its standards have become widely adopted in the automotive industry, shaping how automotive software is designed, integrated, and maintained across generations of vehicles.