TTTech Auto has launched the Electronic Controls Design House (ECDH) to help automotive manufacturers transition to the software-defined vehicle. The offering includes off-the-shelf electronic control units and services such as prototype development or design, industrialization, production and logistics of customized hardware.

The automotive industry is currently facing a major technological upheaval at the hardware architecture and software levels. The long-awaited transition from traditional signal-based vehicle networks such as CAN or LIN to high-speed Ethernet is accelerating. Meanwhile, centralized computing platforms are replacing vehicle-wide distributed electronic control units. As a result, the complexity of a wiring harness for cars is greatly reduced.

For many companies, this is a new territory. The functional safety of critical applications running on distributed, network-centric compute systems must be ensured.

Software-defined vehicles will become a reality when all the underlying hardware—the ECUs and all the connectivity—meets the software’s demanding requirements. We cover every aspect, from secure software platforms to innovative hardware solutions and deterministic communication technologies. This is how we enable our customers to safely and successfully follow this evolutionary path.

—Friedhelm Pickhard, Chief Growth Officer at TTTech Auto

The Electronic Controls Design House helps car manufacturers build state-of-the-art E/E architectures that ensure functional safety, cybersecurity and performance for production programs of all sizes. We assist with architectural considerations for SAE Level 4 autonomous driving by bringing in-depth technical understanding of advanced technologies such as TSN, PCIe and DDS.

—Horst Willburger, Director Electronic Controls Design House at TTTech Auto

TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) gives embedded systems engineers the tools to design automotive networks with predictable latency and guaranteed bandwidth. This is critical to ensure that messages reach their destination in real-time when Automotive Ethernet connects safety-critical functions (e.g. the brake signal). TSN also enables mixed-critical processing, allowing the use of computer hardware and software with applications of different ASIL classification (Automotive Safety Integrity Level).

MotionWise, the safe vehicle software platform, in combination with TSN features, guarantees time-defined execution of individual services, which is the basis for functionally safe applications.

The services of the Electronic Controls Design House are typically complemented by software development of base software, software component integration, conceptual design studies, cost reduction activities, functional safety management, and cybersecurity management. TTTech Auto’s engineering services are series proven and fully compliant with all relevant standards, such as ISO 26262, ISO 21434 and automotive SPICE.

TTTech Auto has a long history in automated driving and functional safety. As a spin-off of TTTech, TTTech Auto brings in extensive knowledge in designing time-triggered network technologies for functionally safe systems from various industries, such as aerospace, space and off-highway.

TTTech Auto was founded in 2018 with the participation of technology leaders Audi, Infineon, Samsung and TTTech to build a global, safe vehicle software platform for automated and autonomous driving. In 2022, the company raised US$285 million from Aptiv and Audi in its latest funding round.