TLDR: Schaeffler AG is significantly accelerating its automotive software development processes by adopting the AWS Virtual Engineering Workbench (VEW) framework, which integrates generative AI. This strategic move has drastically cut down setup times for development environments and tools, enabled automated validation through virtual targets, and optimized developer connectivity, leading to enhanced efficiency and faster time-to-market for Software-Defined Vehicles.
Schaeffler AG, a leading motion technology company, is making significant strides in accelerating its automotive software development by leveraging the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Virtual Engineering Workbench (VEW) framework. This innovative approach, detailed in a January 2025 AWS blog post, incorporates generative AI to streamline various stages of the software lifecycle, particularly for pre-series development projects.
The automotive industry faces immense pressure to innovate rapidly, especially with the rise of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). Traditional development cycles, often spanning multiple years and heavily reliant on physical hardware testing, lead to extended time-to-market and inefficiencies. Schaeffler’s adoption of VEW directly addresses these challenges by providing a cloud-based, self-service portal that integrates developer tools and virtual/physical targets.
A key benefit of this implementation is the dramatic reduction in setup times. Schaeffler has successfully decreased the time required to set up new virtualized development environments from 30 minutes to just 6 minutes. Similarly, the setup time for new tools in pre-development environments has been slashed from two days to a mere 45 minutes. These improvements allow developers to spin up hundreds of test environments in parallel and rapidly test their code changes.
Furthermore, the VEW framework enables automated validation by seamlessly integrating virtual targets, which are virtual versions of Electronic Control Units (ECUs), into the Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. This integration ensures consistent, reliable, and high-performing development, build, and test environments, fostering faster feedback cycles and improving overall developer efficiency. Developer connections to virtual systems have also been optimized, achieving an average latency of just 15 milliseconds.
The strategic integration of generative AI into VEW is pivotal. This advanced technology enhances the workbench’s capabilities, specifically assisting with requirement analysis and testing. This not only automates validation but also ensures higher quality and reliability across complex systems.
Also Read:
- Accenture Accelerates Generative AI Project Delivery by Up to 50% with Azure AI Foundry
- Bosch Pioneers Agentic AI for Industrial Transformation with Multi-Billion Euro Investment
The implementation of the VEW project was a collaborative effort between AWS and Schaeffler, taking approximately 12 weeks. This partnership has empowered Schaeffler engineers to develop, build, and test software for AUTOSAR Adaptive in innovation projects on demand, utilizing pre-configured, licensed, and versioned workbenches for ease of use and consistency. Schaeffler’s commitment to ‘pioneering motion‘ is clearly demonstrated through this embrace of cutting-edge cloud and AI technologies to drive the future of automotive software.
