Key Takeaways from the Discussion:

The Rise of the Software-Defined Vehicle

• The primary purpose of a vehicle is still relevant to move people from point A to point B, but the way that purpose is delivered is being redefined by software. Many more functions and applications are becoming software-defined and among these, location is at the heart of the most complex to engineer.

• HERE recognized that developers often face challenges integrating high-quality location data into their SDV projects. The SDV Accelerator was born to address exactly that by simplifying the process of integrating location intelligence into next-generation automotive platforms.

HERE SDV Accelerator

First announced at CES 2025 and later showcased at IAA Mobility in Munich, the SDV Accelerator is a collaborative ecosystem designed to make it easier for OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and partners to co-develop and test software for digital cockpits, ADAS, and other connected vehicle systems.

HERE provides the location backbone – delivering maps, SDKs, and APIs, while AWS serves as the “force multiplier,” offering the cloud infrastructure, reference architectures, and marketplace that connects partners and developers. OEMs can quickly combine components from trusted industry leaders similar to “fitting puzzle pieces together” and create customized, software-driven vehicle experiences for their digital cockpits.

Collaboration at the Core

The SDV Accelerator is intentionally open and collaborative. HERE and AWS are the founding members, but the platform is designed to welcome new partners as OEMs’ needs and requirements evolve.

Examples of current contributors include:

• QNX which provides a real-time operating system that can now run natively in the cloud, enabling realistic ECU simulations on AWS infrastructure.

• Panasonic offers its virtual digital cockpit (vSkipGen) as a ready-to-test, reference environment.

• Elektrobit – delivering AUTOSAR software and development tools that run natively on AWS to enable continuous integration and development (CI/CD) of software.

These are not niche players but are established automotive technology leaders, reinforcing that the SDV Accelerator is built for mainstream, production-ready innovation.

Accelerating Time to Market and Beyond

HERE’s strategy behind the SDV Accelerator revolves around two key goals:

1. Accelerating Time-to-Market: Traditional automotive development cycles often stretch to five or more years and no longer align with the pace of software innovation. The Accelerator helps OEMs modernize their development, testing, and validation workflows, compressing timelines and reducing costs.
2. Extending Development Post-SOP: HERE also envisions software development continuing beyond Start of Production (SOP). Features, maps, and AI capabilities can evolve and improve throughout a vehicle’s lifecycle. The SDV Accelerator enables this continuous evolution, making updates and feature rollouts seamless through virtual test and validation before roll-out.

The emphasis is on focusing on outcomes over technology, reducing pre-integration overhead, and freeing developers to innovate rather than simply assemble components.

Helping Legacy OEMs Transition to the SDV Era

While newer automotive entrants, particularly in China are already agile, outcome-driven, and tech-native, legacy OEMs often face structural challenges. Many are still bound by siloed departments and fragmented systems.

Some key steps legacy OEMs can take to progress on the SDV journey:

• Start Small: Pick targeted use cases, such as map customization or EV routing, to begin the transition.

• Unify Data: Adopt a unified map stack to power navigation, ADAS, and other location-based features and reduce fragmentation of using multiple, disconnected maps and systems, which lead to duplication, validation issues, and slower innovation.

By embracing incremental steps and leveraging HERE’s pre-integrated ecosystem, OEMs can accelerate their SDV journey while focusing on differentiation and customer experience.

Analyst Takeaways

• HERE’s SDV Accelerator is a timely move in the ongoing industry transition from hardware-defined to software-defined vehicles. Its focus on location intelligence, an often overlooked but critical component, makes it a powerful differentiator.

• The open, collaborative model (with partners) positions HERE not just as a map provider but as a central ecosystem orchestrator for software innovation in the automotive space.

• Accelerating time-to-market is a crucial challenge for OEMs. The Accelerator’s pre-integration and testing capabilities can significantly reduce development cycles while improving quality and reliability.

• Post-SOP development support addresses a major gap in traditional automotive processes, aligning vehicle software evolution with modern continuous integration and deployment practices.

• Overall, HERE’s initiative demonstrates how location data, cloud scalability, and open collaboration can converge to reshape the software-defined automotive landscape.