Software-defined vehicle (SDV)
A vehicle whose features and value are primarily delivered and updated through software, on centralized computing hardware designed for change.
A software-defined vehicle (SDV) is a vehicle whose functions, features and customer value are primarily delivered through software rather than fixed at the factory by hardware. In an SDV, capabilities can be added, improved or removed after the vehicle is sold, typically through over-the-air updates.
The term describes a shift in engineering approach, not a single technology. Traditional vehicles distribute functions across dozens of fixed-purpose electronic control units (ECUs). SDVs consolidate computing into a small number of powerful computers running a vehicle OS, separate software from hardware through middleware, and treat the vehicle as a platform that evolves over its lifetime.
The consequences reach beyond engineering: revenue models (features on demand, subscriptions), organizational structure (software teams at the center of product development), regulation (UNECE R156 governs software updates), and the supplier landscape all change when the vehicle becomes a software product.
Related: Central compute / HPC · OTA update · Vehicle OS · Zonal architecture