ETAS drives global collaboration on the Safe Open Vehicle Core – Additional industry leaders sign VDA MoU

Stuttgart/Las Vegas, January 7, 2026 – At the Eclipse Breakfast during CES 2026, several renowned international companies signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) for open and collaborative software development in the automotive sector. The new signatories include Accenture, AVL, Capgemini, Cummins, Infineon, LEAR, LG Electronics, Michelin, Red Hat, Schaeffler, Stellantis, Traton, T-Systems. This further expands the network surrounding the Eclipse open-source project S-CORE and underscores the growing importance of international collaboration for the digital transformation of the automotive industry.

For automotive manufacturers (OEMs), the transition to software-defined vehicles brings a level of complexity that can hardly be managed with traditional development models. The pressure to deliver new features quickly and continuously is steadily increasing. At the same time, OEMs face challenges such as fragmented software architectures, vendor lock-in, and the effort required to comply with strict safety and cybersecurity regulations. Software must not only be innovative—it must also remain safe, reliable, and maintainable over decades. These demands call for a more agile and collaborative approach to software development.

Open-source software (OSS) has established itself as a powerful driver of this collaboration by providing a common foundation that accelerates development and promotes transparency. By moving away from proprietary isolated solutions, OEMs and suppliers can focus their resources on creating real value instead of repeatedly reinventing basic building blocks.

The Eclipse Project S-CORE embodies precisely this philosophy. Its goal is to provide a standardized, open software stack that serves as a shared platform for all stakeholders in the automotive ecosystem. This reduces fragmentation, simplifies integration, and supports compliance with safety and security standards. At the same time, it leaves room for differentiation: companies can focus on developing innovative solutions that directly enhance user experience—on a reliable and well-maintained foundation.

As a founding member of the Eclipse SDV Working Group and a signatory of the VDA MoU, ETAS has been a key driver of this development from the very beginning. As one of the main contributors to the S-CORE project, ETAS brings its extensive experience and expertise to further advance the open software stack.

Looking ahead, ETAS will offer a production-ready distribution based on S-CORE as part of the ETAS Vehicle Platform Suite—tailored to meet the needs of automotive software developers. This includes integrating additional open-source components from the Eclipse SDV ecosystem, supporting industry-standard tools, and aligning with modern CI/CD processes.

“With our commitment to the S-CORE project and as part of an international partner network, we are making a significant contribution to establishing an open, secure, and scalable software foundation for future mobility,” says Dr. Thomas Irawan, CEO of ETAS. “The growing number of international partners demonstrates that openness and collaboration are crucial to driving innovation and safety in the automotive industry.”

ETAS GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, represented in twelve countries in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. ETAS' portfolio includes software development tools, software testing solutions, automotive middleware, data acquisition and processing tools, authoring and diagnostic solutions, automotive cybersecurity solutions, and end-to-end engineering and consulting services for the realization of software-defined vehicles. Our product solutions and services enable vehicle manufacturers and suppliers to develop, operate, and secure differentiating vehicle software with increased efficiency. Further information available at www.about-etas.com