Automobile Industry Should Prioritize between Hardware and Software

Automobile industry is one such industry in which both hardware and software have firm grounds. Both the fundamentals have played an important role in the development of the industry and will continue the same. On one hand, where the adoption of software has seen immense growth in automobile manufacturing and on the other, hardware has seen lesser transformations.

The industry is moving towards autonomous vehicles, more resources are being allocated to software development and enhance collision avoidance systems. The demand for higher functionality and comfortability also has resulted in the dominance of software in the industry. Also, the change in consumer behaviour is a major reason behind gravitation of vehicle manufacturers towards mobility-as-a-service. Remotely operatable vehicles are highly cherished among customers and they prefer their vehicle to be more and more autonomous which results in hefty investments in software research and development.

Although, software is extremely important in new vehicle models still the hardware cannot be compromised because of it. Physical development and enhancement of vehicles are equally important for better performance and durability. The industry has observed many changes in the hardware section, as the build materials have evolved from metals to carbon fibers which are more durable and light, boosting the overall performance. Hardware advancements have not just impacted chassis but also the other parts such as steering, tyres, shockers and the rest which have enabled vehicles to bear road debris, sustain heavier loads for a longer period of time and all this is a result of expert engineering.

In automobile manufacturing ecosystem, a balanced advancement of both software and hardware is required to achieve higher productivity, better customer experience, and performance goals. Software controlled testing chambers have come up which have saved much of human efforts and time. A vehicle goes through such chambers for its built test to ensure passenger safety and compliance to regulations. A robot is another best example as it utilizes both advance software and hardware to operate and provides impressive results in the industry. In a nutshell, good software requires equally efficient hardware to operate on and vice-versa.