Automotive Software + Hardware Development Tools

100M+ Lines of Code

That’s What It Takes to Build a Single Passenger Car.

Not to mention the fact that embedded software is usually developed independently of the hardware it will eventually run on.

That's a lot of moving parts.

So, development teams face a unique set of challenges. They need to collaborate. And they need strong integration between tools to ensure quality and regulatory compliance during the automotive software development process.

Development tools from Perforce help solve these challenges.

Safety & Security

Coding Standards

Traceability

IP Reuse

Single Source of Truth

Collaboration

Start With the Right Toolset

Developing safe, secure, and reliable automotive software and hardware is difficult. But using the right development tools makes it easy.

Static Code Analysis

Helix QAC and Klocwork are static code analyzers. Use either to analyze all of your code (and/or recently added code) to achieve and maintain compliance — with ISO 26262 and coding standards. It also helps you find defects early and often.

Try STATIC ANALYSIS

IP Lifecycle Management

Methodics IPLM is a unique IP lifecycle management platform. You can use Methodics IPLM to collaborate on worldwide semiconductor design and establish design verification traceability for compliance with ISO 26262.

Talk to an IP Expert

Version Control

Helix Core is version control software. You can use Helix Core to maintain a single source of truth for all digital assets —from designs to code. It’s fast for remote teams. And because Helix Core tracks every change ever made, you have full traceability for compliance.

Try Helix Core

Requirements Traceability

Helix ALM is an end-to-end ALM tool with modules for managing requirements, tests, and issues. You can use Helix ALM to make sure your requirements are fulfilled. Plus, Helix ALM makes it easy to create a requirements traceability matrix for compliance.

Try Helix ALM

Code in Compliance With Automotive Standards

Using a coding standard is required for ISO 26262 compliance.

The most commonly used coding standard is MISRA®. But AUTOSAR coding guidelines are growing in popularity.

Using the right tools make it easier to comply with coding standards — and write error-free code.

MISRA

AUTOSAR

Compliance
Traceability
Quality
Security
ALM
IP Management

Compliance

Compliance is critical for automotive developers. This can include ISO 26262, as well as coding standards.

Perforce automotive solutions make compliance easy.

Helix QAC automatically checks your code against a C or C++ coding standard — such as MISRA or AUTOSAR. This makes it easier to demonstrate compliance as well as comply with design requirements in ISO 26262. Plus, Helix QAC is certified by SGS-TÜV SAAR.

Helix ALM helps you create a traceability matrix, which is critical for proving you’ve met compliance requirements. You can also use this ALM tool to calculate ASILs for systems components and keep stakeholders up-to-date.

Methodics IPLM establishes design verification traceability and creates documentation for ISO 26262 compliance. This IPLM platform also simplifies the functional safety process for an ISO 26262 compliant flow for semiconductors.

Learn more about Perforce and ISO 26262 compliance.

Perforce + ISO 26262 Compliance

Traceability

Traceability is required in automotive development by standards like ISO 26262.

Perforce automotive solutions help you provide end-to-end traceability.

Helix ALM creates traceability across requirements, tests, bugs, and code. You can even create a traceability matrix automatically.

Methodics IPLM establishes traceability from requirements through design to verification. Every verification is collated and visible on the IPs and IP versions — so everyone can find it. And you can integrate Methodics IPLM with Helix ALM through an API.

Helix Core completes the traceability by linking source code and binary files to Helix ALM requirements and Methodics IPLM IP. You’ll get a complete change history across your digital assets. And you’ll have a full audit trail for compliance.

Quality

Embedded software development accounts for a large proportion of the development costs of a new vehicle. And, this is likely to surge as vehicles are equipped with self-driving capabilities.

Vehicles today have millions of lines of code that control key functions, including braking, engine management, and central locking.

Using Helix QAC or Klocwork improves code quality by automatically enforcing coding standards. And using Methodics IPLM improves semiconductor IP quality by requiring qualification before design teams can start using IP.

Security

Perforce helps you secure automotive development.

Use Helix QAC or Klocwork to:

Eliminate security vulnerabilities in code.
Comply with secure coding standards.

Use Helix Core to:

Control user access down to the repository, branch, directory, or even individual file.
Implement custom IP authentication protocols, including MFA, external trigger support, and direct integration with LDAP/Active Directory.

Use Methodics IPLM to:

Understand IP attack surfaces.
Keep track of changes to IP.
Identify IP and design assets impacted by a security vulnerability.

Use Helix ALM to:

Identify and mitigate risk, including risk scoring and analysis.

ALM

Automotive development is increasingly complex. Managing everything — requirements, tests, and issues — can be a challenge when multiple teams are involved.

Helix ALM provides centralized application lifecycle management. You can manage requirements, test cases, issues, and other development artifacts in one spot.

This makes it easier to manage your entire development process.

IP Management

Perforce automotive solutions help you manage and protect your IP.

Methodics IPLM helps you manage the complete IP lifecycle. It enables high-performance hierarchical analog/mixed signal, digital, software, embedded software, and SoC design collaboration across multisite and multi-geographic design teams for automotive development.

This solution mitigates complexity through automation and centralization of SoC development flows.

Methodics IPLM also integrates with Helix Core, so you can manage all of your files in one repository — binary files, design assets, code, etc.

This includes digital assets. Automotive electronics and software developers rely on computer-aided design software and simulations. The digital assets these programs create need to be versioned and securely managed too.

The quality and consistency of our code skyrocketed...

“Since we began using the Helix QAC and the MISRA compliance module, the quality and consistency of our first generation code has skyrocketed. Our final products have been virtually error-free.”

Stuart Jobbins, Head of Software Development at Delphi Diesel

Using Helix QAC with MISRA is the defacto benchmark for quality.

"Using Helix QAC with MISRA is the defacto benchmark for quality. It's been adopted throughout the Japanese automotive industry, spanning the complete supply chain from the OEMs right down to the silicon level."

Socionext

Helix ALM supports cross-location coordination of the development process so that we have one central piece.

Helix ALM's approach, especially for requirements management, really helps our product management — it's not too formal, like with other tools, and that's the approach we like."

Thomas Rummel, Head of R&D at Softing

Helix Core is a comprehensive and powerful versioning solution

that serves as the foundation across our entire organization. We practice Agile and Continuous Delivery, and Helix is at the heart of our delivery process."

Lennart Kjellén, Configuration Manager at Scania