Elektrobit extends AUTOSAR integration to Microchip processors

Elektrobit and Microchip Technology have agreed to combine automotive processor support with pre-integrated AUTOSAR software, configuration tools and automated development workflows. The collaboration, announced on 15 October, includes an immediately available implementation of specified EB tresos software modules for Microchip’s SAMA5 microprocessor series, with additional hardware platforms expected to receive support as the programme develops.

The arrangement brings together Microchip’s automotive hardware portfolio and Elektrobit’s Classic AUTOSAR development environment. Customers will have access to pre-integrated Microcontroller Abstraction Layer software based on the EB tresos portfolio, alongside reusable configuration and integration capabilities. The companies intend to reduce the amount of foundational software work required before developers can begin building application-specific vehicle functions.

Elektrobit has confirmed that EB tresos AutoCore OS and EB tresos AutoCore Generic modules have been enabled on the SAMA5 series and are available for immediate customer adoption. This is the defined initial deliverable. The announcement does not establish that every AUTOSAR software component, peripheral driver or Microchip automotive processor is covered by the current implementation.

AUTOSAR provides standardised software architectures and interfaces for automotive electronic control systems. Its Classic Platform defines a layered arrangement in which application software interacts with a runtime environment and basic software services, rather than accessing every hardware resource directly. The separation allows suitable application functions to be developed and maintained with less dependence on the internal details of a particular processor implementation.

The degree of portability depends on the capabilities of the software and hardware involved. Automotive controllers can differ in processor architecture, memory configuration, interrupt handling, peripheral interfaces and real-time behaviour. An AUTOSAR-compliant software component does not automatically operate unchanged across every electronic control unit, particularly where hardware-dependent functions or application timing requirements differ.

The Microcontroller Abstraction Layer, commonly known as MCAL, provides defined interfaces between AUTOSAR basic software and the underlying processor hardware. Its modules can support operations involving timers, digital inputs and outputs, serial communications, analogue conversion and other functions, depending on the device and software implementation. Each module must be designed and configured for the hardware resources available on the target platform.

Providing a prepared MCAL implementation can reduce the need for development teams to write and integrate those drivers independently. However, a usable automotive software stack also depends on operating system services, configuration consistency, communications functions and the application itself. Hardware-specific integration work remains necessary where processor resources, peripheral assignments or required software functions differ from the supplied configuration.

EB tresos provides the tools and software foundations used to configure Classic AUTOSAR systems. Within the Microchip collaboration, the platform will support the development of processor-specific implementations and associated software configurations. The arrangement combines the hardware supplier’s knowledge of the device with the automotive software supplier’s established tooling and basic software components.

Automotive software integration often involves maintaining related configurations across multiple development stages. Peripheral assignments, task scheduling, operating system settings and dependencies between software modules must remain consistent as the project evolves. An apparently small change to an interface or timing requirement can require updates to several parts of the software stack and subsequent verification of their combined behaviour.

Elektrobit is applying an integration-as-code approach to make repeatable Classic AUTOSAR integration activities available as executable processes. This allows selected configuration and integration tasks to be reproduced using defined logic rather than being reconstructed manually each time. Its usefulness depends on the quality of the underlying configuration rules and their applicability to the hardware and software versions being combined.

Automation can also improve traceability when changes are introduced during development. Reproducible integration steps provide a basis for checking whether a configuration can be recreated consistently, while differences between successive versions can be reviewed before new software is deployed to a target device. These methods complement testing but do not eliminate the need to assess real-time behaviour, hardware interactions and application safety requirements.

The companies describe the automated workflow as a foundation for future AI-assisted software configuration and development processes. No specific AI-generated AUTOSAR configuration tool is identified as an immediately available element of the SAMA5 release. The confirmed current capabilities are the enabled EB tresos modules and the wider agreement to provide integrated automotive software and hardware support.

Microchip’s SAMA5 family comprises microprocessors used in embedded applications requiring processing capacity and peripheral integration. The devices should not be confused with every microcontroller covered by Microchip’s wider AUTOSAR portfolio. Although the abstraction principles apply across embedded platforms, software support and qualification must be evaluated against the actual processor family and configuration being selected.

Functional safety remains a separate consideration. A pre-integrated software foundation may support the engineering work required for an automotive safety application, but it cannot independently establish the safety integrity of a complete electronic control unit. System developers must still examine failure behaviour, diagnostics, operating conditions, software configuration and the requirements associated with their intended use under the applicable automotive safety processes.

Mark Reiten, senior corporate vice-president responsible for Microchip’s licensing, memory products and intelligent compute business units, identified the collaboration as a way to simplify the transition from processor evaluation towards vehicle software deployment. The companies have not published a measured reduction in integration time or identified a completed production vehicle programme resulting from the new arrangement.

Initial commercial activity will focus on automotive manufacturers and suppliers in Asia, including the two-wheeler market, with wider opportunities across Asia and North America. Those applications span different control requirements, processing capabilities and cost constraints. The available software foundation will therefore need to be evaluated against the particular processor, peripheral configuration and functional requirements of each project.

Further Microchip platform support is planned, although no timetable or complete list of subsequent processor families has been disclosed. The immediate result is a defined SAMA5 implementation alongside a broader agreement on reusable AUTOSAR integration. Its effect on development schedules will depend on how closely the supplied configuration matches customers’ applications and the amount of additional integration and verification still required.