Report
Lessons from the 2026 Perforce Automotive Software Development Survey
Executive Summary
Automotive companies and suppliers enter 2026 facing an uncertain market. The results from the Perforce State of Automotive Software Development Survey show that worldwide conflict, global economies, outsourced talent, and supply chains are the top macro issues impacting how companies strategize.
The desire to mitigate these external uncertainties while maintaining or improving quality in the face of increased technological complexity has shifted organizational focus inwards. Companies are scaling back expansion efforts in favor of:
- Shoring up internal resources
- Modernizing tool chains
- Improving traceability for compliance
- Ensuring secure and efficient collaboration
- Safely implementing AI and new chip designs
Bottom Line
Companies don’t want more people or more sites. They’re looking for faster, clearer, more governed workflows where evidence and provenance are captured as a byproduct of daily work.
To respond to these challenges, Perforce provides a suite of DevOps tools that accelerate safe, secure, and fully traceable software development. The tools in focus for this report—all ISO 26262-certified for functional safety—include:
Perforce P4 – Secure data management built to scale without compromising performance.
Perforce ALM – Comprehensive traceability solution from requirements to release.
Perforce IPLM – IP lifecycle management that tracks silicon to system for cross-domain visibility.
In this abridged version of the 2026 Perforce Automotive Software Development Report, we dive into the key trends that OEMs, suppliers, and other automotive industry leaders are most concerned about. Based on our data, we’ll explore how organizations can respond to these challenges through scalable DevOps solutions that set a strategic foundation for future success.