Already a worldwide IT hub, India is well-placed to partner with the global auto industry to create world-class software for ADAS/AD readiness.

According to a recent study by Triton Market Research, the global advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) market is set to grow to $80.97 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 19.46%.

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)/ Autonomous Driving (AD) are a group of software-enabled systems within the vehicle that replicate the working of the human mind. Across five levels, ADAS/AD systems automate the driving function to increasingly higher degrees. Vehicles in the highest band L5 are completely autonomous (AD) and require no human supervision.

L1/L2 vehicles have been available in the United States, European Union and Japan for some time now. Currently, market growth is driven by L2 and L3 vehicles with automakers working on making L3 solutions commercially available. Driverless L4/L5 vehicles are also being piloted in some markets.

With advanced software with sensor capabilities, neural network led AI and big data processing forming the backbone of ADAS/AD features, global automakers need an ecosystem that offers a mix of scale and very specialized, international talent to meet this demand. Here we explore how India offers these precise benefits and more, as it has earlier traversed the same path in other technology domains:

• Talent ecosystem: Software development for ADAS requires deep math and engineering capabilities, along with world-class training and upskilling programs.
  Set to produce more than 800.000 engineers in computer science alone every year, India has the largest talent pool in place for advanced software development.
  Taking this a step further, the country’s world-beating IT sector employs around 75% of global digital talent. With 1000 global delivery centres across 80 countries with practices that encompass cutting-edge technologies such as AI, ML, and DL, it offers a robust pipeline of experienced candidates for ADAS software development in India and know-how of working with remote, distributed teams. Large auto majors who have development centres in India and a thriving culture of innovation in newer spaces such as gaming and fintech also contribute to this skill ecosystem.
• Government policy: The Government of India has put together policies that will ensure India’s continued standing as a global software development hub. In education, the recently announced National Education Policy (NEP) recommends instruction in coding from grade 6. For industry, the government offers tax breaks for software parks, SEZs and start-ups. The National Policy on Software Products 2019 simplifies the setting up of software companies and serving global clients. It also provides funding and initiatives to nurture both talent and start-ups.
• Bleeding-edge companies: With a host of positive drivers, it is not surprising that India has a steadily increasing number[A1] of firms that have ably leveraged the country’s strengths such as greater value per dollar invested and talent availability to build attractive business and delivery models that develop and deploy ADAS/AD software for global auto majors. India’s technical and networking infrastructure that meets global standards allows these companies to carry out intensive operations like virtual validation and simulation, and continuous integrations crucial to ADAS/AD software development. Also experienced talent and proven delivery practices have stood the test of COVID19 times when complex technology work has been delivered seamlessly from employee homes.

  As one such firm, KPIT has consistently grown in strength in the areas of ADAS/AD software development over the last decade. It has helped clients accelerate their journey from prototype to production in the autonomous driving domain. With a team of 2000+ engineers, located across Germany, US, UK, China, Japan, and India, the firm helps develop autonomous driving solutions for global clients including BMW. With 10+ years of experience across 30+ production programs, more than 20 global OEMs and Tier 1s rely on KPIT to help develop ADAS/AD solutions.

  Working with specialist teams across the globe, India can bring deep expertise and scale to ADAS/AD software development as it has in other software domains. It is an opportunity waiting to be seized.