IBM Launches Embedded Systems Lifecycle Management Initiative

IBM has launched an Embedded Systems Lifecycle Management (ESLM) business initiative to help the auto industry manage electronics and software technology in vehicles. ESLM director Meg Selfe says the initiative will deliver “a cohesive and comprehensive set of business and engineering consulting services, development and integration services, architectural frameworks and engineering tools for the entire vehicle system and software lifecycle.”

“Today's automotive electronic development processes are difficult to manage, since embedded systems involve hardware, software, and electrical systems,” says Selfe. “The interrelationships between hardware, software, and electrical systems in a single vehicle model cause unprecedented complexity, and complex systems of smart devices are difficult and time-consuming to develop and expensive to recall. The lack of automotive embedded-systems standards for architecture and software makes it difficult for automotive suppliers and OEMs to efficiently handle the increasingly complex engineering workload.” . She estimates that full implementation of ESLM solutions and services could achieve 25 percent savings from warranty cost improvements, 30 percent from reusable software, and 25 percent from lifecycle-management due to configurable, updateable software.