2025 SDV Survey: Automotive Industry Is Betting on AI, OTA Updates and Advanced Software, Though Obstacles Remain
Despite a clear momentum towards software-defined vehicles, survey replies identified several obstacles to large-scale adoption. Cost optimization and ensuring ROI topped the list (29%), along with data management and privacy (27%).
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The industry is shifting gears to software
The study reveals a significant shift in perspective: while data management and systems integration dominated last year, AI and software-related capabilities are now at the top of the priority list. Across all regions, respondents cite AI-based automotive functions, OTA updates, continuous software deployment (CI/CD) and automated software recertification as key elements of future mobility.
Another notable finding is the increasing viability of open-source solutions in safety-critical applications. Where proprietary systems previously dominated, Linux-based platforms are now gaining confidence, a shift that reflects a growing need for flexibility and scalability. 83% of respondents are considering Android and Linux in safety systems, compared to 2024, when only 12% considered Linux viable.
AI as a driver of new capabilities
AI is generating a lot of excitement globally, but not only in areas such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving. Notably, four of the five most promising AI use cases — smart diagnostics, dynamic performance calibration, personalized driving comfort optimization, and predictive maintenance — are not yet widely deployed. Routing and navigation, which is increasingly deployed in IVI systems today, was #4 on the list. This suggests a significant untapped opportunity in foundational vehicle functions, not just infotainment or voice interfaces.
OTA Updates are becoming more pervasive
67% of respondents said over-the-air (OTA) updates were already deployed in their vehicles, an acceleration of this shift compared to last year. However, OTA updates are not yet pervasive across all vehicle systems. Only 23% of respondents say OTA are used today for upgrades to vehicle capabilities, though an additional 55% (or 78% cumulative) expect broader deployment by 2026-2027.
A modular and progressive approach to software architecture
Vehicle architectures are evolving to support scalable, software-centric platforms. Overall adoption of hardware and networking technologies will begin with high-speed in-vehicle network backbones with higher prevalence in 2027, followed by consolidated hardware running multiple workloads with abstraction around 2028. Vehicle platform standardization is expected to occur around 2029, with the transition to zonal architecture beginning from 2030 onwards. Variants of zonal architectures are expected to be the majority during that period.
Structural challenges to overcome for a successful transition
Despite a clear momentum towards software-defined vehicles, survey replies identified several obstacles to large-scale adoption. Cost optimization and ensuring ROI topped the list (29%), along with data management and privacy (27%), and legacy systems, operations and mindset (26%). Fortunately the journey is seen as worth the effort, as 82% of respondents believe SDVs will be either very successful or somewhat successful in achieving key industry goals like enhanced in-car experience, increased quality, new revenue streams, and faster product development and innovation.
Sonatus: Accelerating the shift to SDV
To help accelerate the shift to software-defined vehicles with artificial intelligence, Sonatus offers a modular platform of crucial software infrastructure, which is in mass-production in millions of vehicles. For example, Sonatus Collector offers highly configurable dynamic data collection, and Sonatus Updater provides a modern powerful solution for the increasingly complex OTA update requirements of SDVs. To learn more about Sonatus, visit www.sonatus.com.
Survey Results eBook and Podcast
To access the eBook summary of key results, visit https://www.sonatus.com/resources/software-defined-vehicle-survey-2025-ebook. In addition, a recent episode of The Garage podcast by Sonatus featured Maitê Bezerra, Senior Principal Analyst, Software Defined Vehicles, from Wards Intelligence (now part of Omdia) in conversation with Sonatus Chief Marketing Officer John Heinlein, Ph.D., in which they discuss key conclusions of the survey. To access the full dataset from the survey, please contact Wards Intelligence.
This study is based on a sample of 559 automotive industry participants, evenly distributed between China, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and North America (United States and Canada). This distribution ensures both statistical relevance and strong regional representation. 76% of respondents are directly involved in automotive production, while the others are industry suppliers or consultants of various types.
About Sonatus
Sonatus is a vehicle software company that is accelerating the transition towards software-defined vehicles with artificial intelligence. The diverse products comprising the Sonatus Vehicle Platform serve as key building blocks that allow automotive companies and their ecosystem to fast forward to the future of mobility and deliver continuous improvements in costs, capabilities, reliability, and user experience over the vehicle lifespan. Sonatus' award-winning software platform is in mass production in over 4 million vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Sonatus is privately-held and has raised more than USD $110 million with world-class automotive, technology, and venture investors, including Foxconn, Hyundai Motor Group's Kia Corporation, LG Electronics, Marvell, NEC and Translink Orchestrating Future Fund, SAIC Capital, Translink Capital, UMC Capital, and Wanxiang. Sonatus headquarters are in Sunnyvale, CA (Silicon Valley), with offices in Bangalore, Dublin, Detroit, Frankfurt, Kraków, Paris, Pune, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.sonatus.com
About Wards Intelligence
Wards Intelligence is the automotive research arm of Omdia, which is a part of Informa TechTarget, Inc. (Nasdaq: TTGT), a technology research and advisory group. The group's deep knowledge of tech markets combined with their emphasis on actionable insights is designed to empower organizations to make smart growth decisions. For more information, visit https://wardsintelligence.informa.com/.
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