Eclipse Foundation and VDA Expand Open-Source Collaboration for Software-Defined Vehicles

Global Automotive Leaders Scale Open Software Ecosystem Through Eclipse SDV

(IN BRIEF) The Eclipse Foundation and the Association of the Automotive Industry have expanded their automotive open-source collaboration to include more than 30 global companies, forming one of the largest ecosystems focused on software-defined vehicles. Operating through the Eclipse SDV Working Group, the initiative aims to reduce development effort by up to 40 percent and accelerate time to market by up to 30 percent through shared, automotive-grade software components. At the core is Eclipse S-CORE, an open-source reference stack designed to support certifiable, production-ready vehicle software.

(PRESS RELEASE) BERLIN, 8-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Eclipse Foundation and the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) have announced a major expansion of their collaboration to advance an open, automotive-grade software ecosystem for software-defined vehicles. The initiative brings together more than 30 leading automotive and technology companies, creating one of the most comprehensive global collaborations focused on next-generation vehicle software.

Originally launched in June 2025 with 11 participants, the Memorandum of Understanding has now grown to include 32 companies spanning vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, software developers, semiconductor providers, and cloud technology firms. The collaboration operates within the Eclipse SDV Working Group, reflecting broad industry alignment around open, interoperable, and certifiable software foundations for future mobility.

Mike Milinkovich, Executive Director of the Eclipse Foundation, said the rapid growth of the initiative signals a clear shift in how the automotive sector approaches innovation. He noted that trusted open-source platforms are increasingly recognised as essential to delivering safe, intelligent, and connected vehicles at scale.

Aligning around shared software foundations

The expanded collaboration is designed to address common industry challenges through vendor-neutral governance and shared development of non-differentiating software components. By working from a common open-source foundation, participants aim to reduce fragmentation, improve interoperability across vehicle platforms, and lower the overall cost and complexity of developing safety-critical software.

According to the partners, this approach can deliver up to 40 percent reductions in development, integration, and maintenance effort, while enabling up to 30 percent faster time to market. The model also supports long-term sustainability by improving software maintainability and reuse across multiple vehicle generations.

Dr. Marcus Bollig, Managing Director of the VDA, said that collaborative development allows manufacturers and suppliers to redirect engineering resources toward innovation and customer-focused differentiation, rather than duplicating foundational software work.

A global ecosystem for next-generation mobility

With the latest expansion, the MoU group now represents one of the largest open-source ecosystems dedicated to software-defined mobility. The collaboration spans the full automotive value chain and supports a code-first approach to building production-ready vehicle software.

At the centre of this effort is Eclipse S-CORE, an open-source reference software stack developed within the Eclipse SDV Working Group. S-CORE integrates multiple SDV projects into a unified architecture and tooling environment designed to support certification and deployment in series production vehicles.

In November 2025, Eclipse S-CORE reached its first public milestone release, demonstrating tangible progress from shared vision to working software. A full release is planned for 2026, aligned with vehicle programmes expected to enter the market by the end of the decade.

Establishing a new model for automotive software development

Through open collaboration, the Eclipse Foundation, VDA, and participating companies aim to establish a sustainable, transparent, and globally coordinated model for automotive software innovation. By building shared foundations in the open, the initiative seeks to enhance safety, reduce redundancy, and accelerate the delivery of software-defined mobility solutions worldwide.

About the VDA

The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) represents the interests of the German automotive industry. Its members include manufacturers of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trailers, and suppliers. The VDA promotes innovation, safety, and sustainability in mobility.

About Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle

Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle (SDV), a working group within the Eclipse Foundation, supports the open source development of cutting-edge automotive technologies that power the programmable vehicles of the future where software defines features, functionality, and operations. With over 50 members, including leading automotive manufacturers, global cloud providers, technology innovators, and key supply chain partners, the initiative has strong industry backing. The working group’s mission is to provide a collaborative forum for developing and promoting open source solutions tailored to the global automotive industry. Adopting a “code first” approach, Eclipse SDV focuses on building the industry’s first open source software stacks and associated tools that will support the core functionalities of next-generation vehicles.

About the Eclipse Foundation

The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organisations with a business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. We host the Eclipse IDE, Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, Open VSX, and over 400 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, registries, specifications, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, open processor designs, and many others. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 300 members. To learn more, follow us on social media @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn, or visit eclipse.org.

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Media Contact:

Simon Schütz
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simon.schuetz@vda.de
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SOURCE: VDA