THE AUTOMOTIVE PARADIGM SHIFT & THE RISE OF CYBERTECH SUPPLIERS

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Executive Summary

The automotive industry, like many others before it, is going through a paradigm shift in which car owners are changing from mere “drivers to subscribers.” They are beginning to view cars the same way they view smartphones – not just a means to an end (i.e. a way to get from point A to point B), but rather a full user experience customized to their unique needs. OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and the automotive aftermarket are required to rise to the challenge and find new ways to provide drivers with the full automotive experience they seek.

To meet this need, manufacturers are starting to move away from the current model in which cars are built with over 100 electronic control units (ECUs) and kilometers of wiring. The addition of any new feature or functionality requires commissioning a new ECU, putting into motion an unsustainable process that has reached its limit in terms of scalability. Instead of commissioning a brand-new component – and all of its associated complex wiring – every time a new feature is introduced, suppliers are looking for a flexible and scalable platform to consolidate their hardware. The answer lies in the transition to Zonal E/E Architecture led by the newly emerging Cybertech Tier.

This new model simplifies the E/E Architecture of the car with a modular network of plug and play ECUs, giving consumers the high-tech experience they want without the technological complexities. The challenge, however, is that most OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers currently lack the complete skill sets and technological know-how to create and implement this new type of system. Trying to absorb these skills in-house is an arduous process resulting in time-to-market that might be long enough to render any new production obsolete before it’s even off the assembly line.

Instead, OEMs, Tier 1s, and the aftermarket are leveraging suppliers that specialize in Cybertech solutions. This new category of disrupters, led by GuardKnox, bridges the software gap faced by OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers by introducing greater and faster computing power, providing secure OTA software updates, reducing life cycle costs, saving kilometers of cabling and more. By partnering with a Cybertech supplier, OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers will be able to work “F.A.S.T.E.R:

car image
F

Fast Updates

& SW Customizations

A

Application

Oriented Platforms, Consolidated HW with Virtualizations

S

Secure

by Design

T

Turbo speed

of Computing

E

Ethernet

Expertise and Available Solutions

R

Resilience

and Safety Enhanced by Next-Gen SW and HW Architecture

F
A
S
T
E
R

Fast Updates

& SW Customizations

Application

Oriented Platforms, Consolidated HW with Virtualizations

Secure

by Design

Turbo speed

of Computing

Ethernet

Expertise and Available Solutions

Resilience

and Safety Enhanced by Next-Gen SW and HW Architecture

Far from being another cumbersome component in an already complex wheel, the Cybertech Tier is smoothing and accelerating the path forwards to the new frontier in automotive E/E by consolidating components and applications into integrated products that are high-performance, cost-effective, and secure by design. This is especially important as cybersecurity compliance regulation ISO 21434 will come into effect in 2021. For OEMs, Tier 1s and aftermarket suppliers, innovative Cybertech solutions are their ticket to a sustainable future in which they will have the FREEDOM TO EVOLVE to meet the new and dynamic needs and demands of consumers.

AUTOMOTIVE PARADIGM SHIFT - TODAY’S REALITY

“When a paradigm shifts, everyone goes back to zero.” -Joel Barker, Futurist

It’s no secret that the automotive industry, like many others before it, is going through a paradigm shift driven by advances in technology and the changing demands of consumers who are pushing suppliers and OEMs to shift from a vehicle-centric approach to a driver-centric one. Now is the time for OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers to rise to the challenge and find new ways to provide drivers with the full mobility experience they seek.

The constantly connected world we live in today has brought a number of paradigm shifts – or profound changes in the entire way that an industry works – and has created a consumer that expects instant gratification and extreme personalization across industries. Remember the first mobile flip-phones? Those early digital mobile phones had consumers enthralled by the novelty of being able to make a call or reach anyone from anywhere. Little did they know that this was just the beginning of a paradigm shift from the mobile phone to the smartphone – a super-device that is today the hub of our everyday lives performing the role of camera, mobile office, calendar, GPS-device, information repository and much more.


Evidence of new consumer demands is creeping into the automotive industry as car owners are changing from mere “drivers” to “subscribers”. They are beginning to view their cars the same way as they view their smartphones – no longer just a means to an end (i.e. a way to get from point A to point B), but rather a full user experience that must be customized to their unique needs. The driver is now the focal point, rather than the vehicle itself

According to a highly regarded McKinsey study, 36% of drivers would change their brand of car in an instant if they were offered better digital services. Car manufacturers have begun addressing these needs in different ways, one of which is with software upgrades for advanced infotainment systems that allow drivers to personalize their in-car experience.

NEW ERA OF VEHICLES, NEW ERA OF THE
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN

While today’s cars are smarter and more connected than their predecessors, manufacturers have not yet taken full advantage of advances in technology when it comes to E/E Architecture. Cars are expected to run smoothly and seamlessly, yet they are still built with layers of complexity. If you were to look inside the sleek interior of a car today, you would actually find a giant mess of wires. This is because vehicles are currently built with between 100 to 150 separate electronic control units (ECUs) that control everything from door locks to brakes to power steering and everything in between. As each function relies on its own ECU, when the need arises to add additional connectivity, more advanced systems or a new feature, more ECUs must be commissioned with all their associated wiring and components. This increases both costs and complexity, not to mention yet more tangled masses of wires.

For each new feature that is added to a car, a new ECU must be developed, configured, tested and integrated. This is a costly, cumbersome and unreliable approach which involves multiple suppliers. If just one part is missing (pandemic, labor strike, things happen) production lines can be completely shut down as we saw in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, costing OEMs millions and leaving drivers out of luck.

The current process is unsustainable due to prohibitive costs of change, security risks, and technical difficulties in scaling any further. There is simply no additional physical space or bandwidth for a car to continue adding more and more ECUs and wiring. Instead of commissioning a brand new component every time a new feature is introduced, suppliers need a flexible and scalable platform that will allow changes to be implemented at lower cost, over-the-air and much faster, without recalling cars, and without having to re-engineer the entire architecture each time.

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SURVIVING THE PARADIGM SHIFT:
NEXT-GEN E/E ARCHITECTURES AT THE HEART OF MOBILITY

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The need to reconfigure the current automotive supply chain is driven by three main challenges:

  • Consumer Demand – No one supplier will have the capacity to provide a complete “best of breed” package that addresses all of the consumers’ demands and utilizes all of the newest technologies and features.
  • Software Capabilities – OEMs are seasoned experts when it comes to building cars, but some of them do not necessarily have decades of experience in mass software development. Although this is starting to change with many OEMs building their own software divisions (such as Volkswagen’s Car Software Organization and Daimler’s MBition), new automotive systems are primarily based on software and that knowledge cannot be built in a day, a month or even a year. There is now a need for software and technology companies as an integral part of the automotive supply chain.
  • Collaboration – Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly prevalent, and they are fundamentally built differently than traditional cars, requiring a new level of collaboration among OEMs and technology suppliers. This collaboration must begin right from the design phase to ensure the seamless integration of hardware and software in a secure manner.

No question, the existing supply chain is ripe for a major revolution, and OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers have a great opportunity now to transform the way they conduct their business. The question is, how can they do this in the most efficient way?

Cybertech Solutions are Disrupting the Industry

Industries evolve with the changing demands and expectations of their customers, and the same holds true for the automotive sector. OEMs are not oblivious to the tides of change, and they are doing their best to respond. The new generation of car-buyers have made it clear that they want to be the center of attention in their vehicles and OEMs are using their pre-development labs to learn how to integrate new technologies that will make this possible.

New Players Entering the Market

While traditional OEMs are taking their time and researching ways to upgrade their technological offerings, disrupters like Tesla and Nio have entered the market with a bang. These new players challenge the more established OEMs by providing new, software-oriented designs that the new-age consumer can’t resist, but are not necessarily compatible with legacy systems and older components. Coming from software or technology backgrounds, these companies bring a fresh new perspective built on the premise that software is the key component of the new generation of cars.

Contrary to the traditional OEM, Tesla and its counterparts are shaking up the industry by outsourcing the hardware side of car-manufacturing and focusing on the more alluring tech, leading to a shift in the supply chain. The new type of software-driven vehicle – which must incorporate next-gen Zonal Gateways, Vehicle Servers, Domain Controllers, and multipurpose ECU platforms – requires different hardware with fewer parts and a simplified supply chain focused on the software-defined vehicle.

New Software Entering the Market

The first response to changing customer demands in the automotive sector was adding more ECUs. Integrating new components with existing and legacy components required thousands of lines of code, and hundreds of specialized parts suppliers, but those days may soon be coming to an end. The current E/E Architecture has reached its scalability limit and can no longer add new components, technologically or financially.

Enter the new Zonal E/E Architecture, which is built on four game-changing principles:

  • Hardware Consolidation – instead of building an ECU or component from scratch for each and every new feature, multi-purpose ECUs offer improved functionality, less complexity, broader security and much more controlled functional safety while also taking up less space.
  • Wiring Optimization – new topologies for vehicle network communications will reduce the length, weight and cost of cabling to a mere fraction of the current reality. This will result in reduced fuel or battery consumption, providing drivers with effective cost savings.
  • Ethernet Backbone – shifting from a CAN bus to an Ethernet-based system will increase bandwidth and capacity enabling cars to offer improved performance, functionality, security and maintainability.
  • Secured Software-Driven SOA – modular and secured, Service-Oriented Architecture will better accommodate the needed flexibility, security, and agility demanded by the new software-defined cars.

GUARDKNOX PATENTED SOA STACK

USPTO
US10055260


The most substantial and game-changing technical benefits of this new type of architecture include:

  • A modular system that can include plug and play ECUs, a service discovery protocol, a catalogue of software functionalities that an OEM can choose as part of their factory-installed features, and interchangeable parts.
  • Maintenance becomes much easier with diagnostics that immediately identify the source of a problem.
  • Safety features (i.e. suspension for snowy roads, horsepower etc.) are enhanced and even more secure as they can be updated OTA as needed.

Zonal E/E Architecture is the future, but not all manufacturers are prepared for this. The key is evolving to Zonal E/E Architecture at the right pace for each OEM, which may begin by first transitioning to a Domain Controller Architecture before evolving to Zonal Domain Controllers. This also enables manufacturers to use both legacy and next-gen components in the same vehicle by consolidating an application domain, real-time domain, and extensive set of interfaces into a single SoC. This way they can integrate components of both domain and zonal architectures. The solution’s flexible configuration enables OEMs to incorporate only desired functionalities into their vehicle design, such as a specific number and type of vehicular bus interfaces or specific types of encryption engines. This consolidation staggers the jump to zonal so OEMs can learn from released vehicles and best optimize for a complete Zonal E/E Architecture.

So Where Does Cybertech Come In?

Despite the influx of new companies like Tesla into the market, it’s not all bad news for the traditional OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers. Yes, they need to adapt, and quickly. But, they do not have to go it alone – they have the option to leverage the Cybertech Tier. These disruptors, led by GuardKnox, provide specialized technology capabilities in high-powered software and secure by design engineering and implementation.

What Does Being A Cybertech Supplier Mean?

The concept of a cybertech supplier is derived from the Automotive Cyberspace, the virtual connected car world that exists in the in-between space where automotive computers connect with global connected car networks to facilitate online communication. The Cybertech supplier is a new type of automotive industry sector, that provides the technological needed knowledge, experience, and solutions to the various tiers of the already existing and well-known automotive supply chain.

Cybertech suppliers can bridge the technology gap faced by OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers by introducing greater computing power – from kilo speed to terra speed – by providing secure OTA software updates, by solving the challenge of ultra fast routing that is required and more. By partnering with a Cybertech Tier vendor, OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers will be able to work “F.A.S.T.E.R:”

car image
F

Fast Updates

& SW Customizations

A

Application

Oriented Platforms, Consolidated HW with Virtualizations

S

Secure

by Design

T

Turbo speed

of Computing

E

Ethernet

Expertise and Available Solutions

R

Resilience

and Safety Enhanced by Next-Gen SW and HW Architecture

F
A
S
T
E
R

Fast Updates

& SW Customizations

Application

Oriented Platforms, Consolidated HW with Virtualizations

Secure

by Design

Turbo speed

of Computing

Ethernet

Expertise and Available Solutions

Resilience

and Safety Enhanced by Next-Gen SW and HW Architecture

Fast Updates & Software Customizations

  • Current State: With today’s rigid configuration, software updates are slow and require downtime and/or a trip to the garage.
  • Improvement: Over-the-air updates to specific software means faster changes with already-built-in security. This can extend not only to software packages but also to hardware configurations (FPGA) and entire virtual machines.
  • Use Case: The use of a cloud-based personal software package will be easily and securely transferable OTA from one car to another using 5G cellular network (i.e. the user profile is tied to the driver not the car).

Application-Oriented Platforms, Consolidated
Hardware With Virtualizations

  • Current State: The ECU software tends to be coupled to the hardware, rendering it very rigid and non-reusable.
  • Improvement: Decoupling functionality from physical hardware means software can be updated, maintained and reused allowing for multiple configurations.
  • Use Case: Cars can have any range of ECU configurations, capabilities and features. They can even be retrofitted and upgraded with software updates this way, for example, with a new infotainment ECU and connectivity, achieving enhanced user experience.

Secure By Design

  • Current State: Until today, security was not part of the design phase, but rather was an afterthought leaving some elements open to possible exploitation.
  • Improvement: Security-by-design is an engineering effort. A mixed-criticality environment provides advanced protection where safety-critical and non-safety critical applications can be hosted on a single chip alongside one another ensuring robust security design, enabling new business cases, and compliance with current and upcoming regulations (WP.29 and ISO 21434).
  • Use Case: Users can have their own digital profiles that are transferable and can provide a personalized experience in any car. New advanced features such as driver monitoring and an OEM app store are only possible by employing this method.

UNECE R155 Makes Security a Requirement:

A new UN Resolution (UNECE R155) formalizes the responsibility of OEMs to address security and safety issues raised by software systems in cars. The new regulation mandates Cybersecurity Management Systems and processes to be applied to the entire vehicle supply chain and lifecycle and emphasizes the identification and testing of security risks. The regulation goes into effect by July 2024 and all OEMs will be required to comply.

Read more here

Turbo Speed Of Computing

  • Current State: ECUs are very specific task-oriented devices with only limited processing capacity, which means that many ECUs are needed.
  • Improvement: Combine and consolidate functionality from different single purpose ECU’s into a flexible platform. Such a platform can be optimized to use cases and enable custom hardware accelerators (FPGA) and dedicated hardware resources.
  • Use Case: With each new turbo-speed ECU, capable of so much more, the number of ECUs in a car will be significantly reduced.

Ethernet Expertise And Available Solutions

  • Current State: Limited bandwidth and huge amounts of wiring needed for the different car components to communicate with each other.
  • Improvement: An ethernet backbone means higher bandwidth, wiring consolidation, a richer and seamless user experience with upgraded features and customization.
  • Use Case: Cars will be able to efficiently run existing advanced cameras, sensors, and other components that increase driving functionality.

Resilience And Safety-Enhanced By Next-Gen Hardware And
Software Architecture

  • Current State: No redundancies. There are too many ECUs in a car to create backups for each. One malfunctioning ECU can impact the entire car.
  • Improvement: Stronger ECU functionality provides redundancy options as needed. Less components create less possibilities for malfunction. If there is a complication, only that one software unit is impacted.
  • Use Case: Realtime redundancy – functionality will migrate from one ECU to another if there is a malfunction (i.e. a power spike), the core functionality remains intact.

The Future of OEMs, Tier 1 and
Aftermarket Suppliers

With the help of Cybertech suppliers, the future is brighter and less complex for traditional OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers. The methods they have relied on for decades are quickly becoming obsolete, leaving them with fewer options. While they could revamp themselves and learn the necessary expertise and innovation internally, this would be a costly endeavor resulting in a long time to market. And, by the time re-training is complete, chances are that technologies will have evolved again leaving them forever behind the curve.

The obvious answer is to partner with Cybertech suppliers and leverage the expertise of vendors whose reason for being is to create and implement the latest technologies, safely and securely. Cybertech suppliers companies are the perfect complement to traditional OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers because they have the expertise to consolidate components and applications into integrated products (or platforms) without trying to become car manufacturers themselves. Rather, they exist to bridge the knowledge gaps for integrating cutting-edge electronic subsystems into next-generation vehicles and architectures. They can and will provide the technology necessary for the manufacturers to build the right hardware to house the new generation of software. And, they can and will provide the know-how in advanced software development to build secure, efficient, and cost-effective solutions.

Where OEMs are used to providing new vehicle designs and specifications that Tier 1 suppliers fulfill, both can rely on Cybertech suppliers to provide the know-how and solutions for fast computing, Ethernet, Zonal Architecture, cybersecurity and more.

Where in the past, it was acceptable for OEMs to take up to five years to develop new technologies and bring them to market, today’s fast-paced technological development makes speed crucial. Customers don’t want to wait – they expect instant access to the newest and most upgraded features.

What’s In It For Me? – OEMs

OEMs are already looking towards consolidation, but the path remains clouded. In order to succeed in the new paradigm, they must focus on the following 4 key areas that will lead to a full Zonal E/E Architecture which can aggregate all parts at the relevant control points:

  • Pre-Development Staging Projects: The ability to have pre-development projects where OEMs can have a firsthand view of different solutions and then refer Cybertech suppliers to their preferred Tier 1 suppliers to implement their preferred solution.
  • Access to Cutting Edge Technology: The need to access the latest technologies and capabilities to define the next-gen architecture and set the requirements from the hardware and software perspectives which will eventually use the relevant OTA mechanisms and other features provided by the Cybertech vendor.
  • Work Cross-Functionally: OEMs are able to work directly with Cybertech vendors to help guide their unique vision. They are also able to cooperatively build customized and optimal solutions which can serve their end goals and long-term strategy.
  • Holistic Approach: The ability to integrate different approaches resulting in a best-of-breed system, secure by design from the very beginning of the process.

Of course this evolution cannot happen from one day to the next, so by partnering with the right vendor, OEMs have the FREEDOM TO EVOLVE by choosing on which areas to focus as they prepare their cars for the future.

What’s In It For Me? – Tier 1 Suppliers

When new demands filter down from the OEMs to the Tier 1 suppliers, confusion may ensue as they scramble to learn how to build to new specifications, increasing the time to market and therefore potentially losing customers. There are three specific areas where the Cybertech suppliers can provide crucial assistance to the Tier 1s in order to reduce this time to market:

  • Involvement in Defining E/E Architecture: By partnering with Cybertech Tier vendors, Tier 1 suppliers can enter the discussion with the OEMs at an earlier stage. Being involved in the process of defining the E/E Architecture while bringing already working solutions to the next-gen requirements. This will make Tier 1 suppliers a full partner in creating a vision for the future.
  • Adopting Innovative Software Technologies: Tier 1s will be able to significantly grow their market share with more robust software and integration capabilities if they look beyond automotive to other industries such as aviation and adapt their advancements to automotive. For example, the right supplier can help implement Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) from the aviation industry.
  • Time to Market: Tier 1s can partner with the supplier to gain access to the technology needed to respond to RFQs for which they otherwise would not be qualified.

For OEMs and Tier 1s, the Cybertech supplier is their ticket to a sustainable and more profitable future in which they will have the FREEDOM TO EVOLVE to meet the new needs and demands of consumers.

Cybertech Suppliers is Key to Reducing Time to Market

Many OEMs and Tier 1s are tempted to bring F.A.S.T.E.R. software development in-house (and many have already done so in some capacity), but this is a huge investment and can be quite risky. The amount of time and resources needed for manufacturers to catch up to the technical expertise and knowledge already prevalent in the Cybertech Tier will significantly increase how long it takes to bring new features to market.

However, collaboration with the Cybertech suppliers means an immediate alignment with the latest cutting edge vehicle software design. OEMs and Tier 1s will leap generations forward in building new vehicle software foundations equipping them with the agility and flexibility to bring new features and updates to the market on-demand.

Don’t Forget the Aftermarket

While much of the focus of the automotive industry is on OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, there is a large aftermarket segment (worth $300 billion in the USA alone and over $900 billion globally) that will also benefit from the Cybertech Tier.

The aftermarket refers to the manufacturing, distribution, sales and installation of any post-sales parts and upgrades, including services and applications. The new consumer and software-driven cars provide similar challenges to aftermarket vendors – including car dealerships – in that they also do not have the technical know-how to re-engineer a car in order to add a non-factory installed upgrade.

Car dealerships and their suppliers, will partner with Cybertech Tier vendors to provide their customers with the newest applications, gadgets and upgrades, while also increasing their own revenue streams.

Using Cybertech technology, a car can report to the dealership that it’s due for maintenance and the dealership can then send a personalized message to the car’s infotainment system. Important vehicle metrics and relevant predictive maintenance data can be sent back to the manufacturer’s operational datacenters in order to facilitate customer relationships, provide top level customer service and offer value-added services based on driver behavior and preferences.

In addition – and equally as important – to what the Cybertech Tier can help aftermarket vendors provide to customers, there are also key ways that new technologies can directly impact the vendors’ business itself, particularly car dealerships:

  • Remote Keyless Entry: By being able to securely and remotely unlock vehicles without carrying around a physical key, dealerships can remain secure while eliminating downtime wasted on searching for keys.
  • Inventory Management: Dealerships can easily track location, predictive maintenance and other critical details of each car in the fleet.
  • Increased Revenue & Retention: Car dealerships have a 28% chance of repeat sales, but that number jumps to 70% when the dealership continues the engagement post-sale with servicing or regular communication. Dealers can use Cybertech to gain a better understanding of fleet analytics and basic indicators for mileage and leasing data to help ensure customer retention.

ZONAL ARCHITECTURE

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The New Supply Chain

The Cybertech Tier is a new link in the 100+-year-old supply chain, one that enhances the relationship between the OEMs and the Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers. Currently, OEMs rely on Tier 1 suppliers to provide the parts they need based on their specifications. However, with the sophisticated software requirements of the new generation of cars, OEMs will lack the time and technological know-how to guide Tier 1 suppliers through the newly innovative design and integration process. While some OEMs – such as Volkswagen – are developing their own software talents in-house, skilling-up will be a long process that won’t give OEMs the speed and agility they need to compete today.

Cybertech tier

Role within the Automotive Supply Chain

Tier 2 Suppliers

Tier 1 Suppliers

OEMs

After- Market

Consumers

Advanced ECUs and SW
Pre-Development Projects
Products and services

To succeed, OEMs require the FREEDOM TO EVOLVE to meet new customer demands, and a major part of this role involves providing Tier 1 suppliers with the necessary specifications to supply new components and technologies. Tier 1 suppliers in turn, must have the technical know-how to provide that hardware and software to answer the OEMs’ specifications. In the rapidly-evolving automotive industry of today, OEMs lack the knowledge to build the specs for Tier 1 suppliers, and Tier 1 suppliers, while experts at mass production, lack the capabilities to mass produce next generation equipment.

The tech-native Cybertech Tier vendor can guide OEMs to create specifications and schematics in the pre-development stage, provide the Tier 1 supplier with the necessary skills to answer OEM specifications and give the aftermarket vendors the competitive edge they need to succeed as well.

Far from being just another layer in an already complex supply chain, the Cybertech Tier is smoothing the path forwards to the automotive revolution by consolidating components and applications into integrated products that are high-performance, cost-effective, and secure by design. Partnering with Cybertech Tier companies is a unique opportunity that will enable OEMs, Tier 1 and aftermarket suppliers to swiftly respond to the automotive paradigm shift, answering the new needs of consumers by bringing new solutions to market quickly and generating new revenue streams. To ignore this shift in working style is to risk long-term survival.

GuardKnox: The Leading
Cybertech Tier Vendor

GuardKnox is a technology and engineering company specializing in E/E products and solutions for the automotive market. The automotive industry’s first Cybertech Tier vendor, GuardKnox empowers OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and the aftermarket to deliver the next generation of secure, software-defined and service-oriented vehicles. GuardKnox’s secure, flexible and scalable solutions enable added connectivity, Zonal E/E Architecture, hosted applications, high-speed routing (including network recovery and service discovery functionalities) and vehicle personalization.

By partnering with GuardKnox, OEMs, Tier 1s and aftermarket suppliers can quickly provide the next generation of drivers with the high-performing vehicles that they expect powered by the latest technologies and advanced app capabilities.

The company’s pioneering approach to automotive innovation is inspired by the founders’ experience in missile defense systems and the aviation industry and has led to multiple technology patents for automotive architecture. The GuardKnox leadership team’s vast experience in developing and testing cybersecurity for military systems places them in the unique position to apply these solutions to similar civilian challenges in vehicles.

The challenges of today’s automotive E/E Architecture are similar to those the team faced with fighter jets and solved by decoupling functionalities from the hardware and implementing a Zonal Architecture. This patented approach uses SOA methodology to enable any ECU, domain controller or gateway to serve as a vehicle-wide computing platform.

GuardKnox is based in Israel, with subsidiaries in Stuttgart, Germany and Detroit, Michigan.

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