Synopsys Silver virtual ECUs integrate with RemotiveTopology. The interoperability between toolchains enables automotive developers to collaborate and drive the maturation of individual nodes and entire network systems in simulation. Marin Stanev, Staff Solutions Engineer, Synopsys & Carin Lagerstedt, CMO, RemotiveLabs.
Modern automotive development presents a challenge: teams must validate and integrate individual software components while ensuring seamless operation across the full vehicle network. There is also the wish to do integration testing at an early stage before the target hardware is available to solve many of the integration issues that typically show up late in a project. Achieving this requires toolchains that can flexibly interact, allowing engineers to refine their designs incrementally.
One of the key challenges automotive developers face is the lack of interoperability across tools, which often leads to disconnected organizational silos. This fragmentation makes it difficult to mature software incrementally. A development team may begin with lightweight software mocks, but as testing demands grow, they require higher-fidelity simulations. Without a seamless transition between these stages, collaboration weakens, development slows, dependencies increase, and integration issues arise late in the process.
Volvo Cars Corporation, pioneering users of RemotiveTopology and Synopsys Silver for virtualization, wants a way to integrate more detailed software simulations into the workflow as their project matures. RemotiveTopology provides a system-level starting point with auto-generated mocks from existing protocols and definitions (ARXML or DBC); useful for quickly getting started with integration testing and meeting the expectations of other simulation participants.
For nodes where more accurate behavioral simulation is necessary, functionality and test interactions need to be validated with a higher level of fidelity. Here is where Synopsys Silver virtual ECUs (vECUs) fit as the natural component of a node in the running RemotiveTopology network. Synopsys Silver vECU’s ability to execute production code in a simulated environment (Software-in-the-Loop) allows developers to bridge the gap between initial concept validation and system-level integration, all while maintaining flexibility.
RemotiveTopology’s containerized setup enables developers to integrate early-stage mocks with high-fidelity simulations progressively. By incorporating Synopsys Silver vECUs into the development process, teams can transition from basic validation to advanced system verification without disrupting their workflow. This modular approach allows engineers to:
By integrating Synopsys Silver with RemotiveTopology, automotive teams can refine software development from early functional validation to full system integration, making it easier to iterate, test, and improve vehicle software at every stage and without the need to wait for hardware.
Johannes Foufas, Lead Architect Software at Volvo Cars:
“We are already seeing how impressive this combination can be, as it allows automotive OEMs to simulate all domains of a modern vehicle network together—something few others are doing today.”
By leveraging Synopsys Silver nodes with RemotiveTopology, developers can model their systems in a highly adaptable simulation environment. The integration supports:
Bringing the relevant toolchains together unlocks new possibilities; it all depends on the user’s needs and starting point. With a developer-centric approach and open interfaces, RemotiveTopology and Synopsys Silver create an efficient and flexible simulation framework, empowering engineers to build and validate vehicle software with confidence.
