QNX Report Highlights Challenges in Automotive Software Development

QNX, a division of BlackBerry Limited, has released its second annual Under the Hood: SDV Developer Report. The study surveyed 1,100 automotive software developers globally, revealing that 35% of their time is spent on foundational software tasks, hindering innovation in software-defined vehicles (SDVs). A lack of a common software foundation slows development, with 75% of responders highlighting this as a key issue.

The report identifies debugging and testing as major challenges, cited by 44% of developers, surpassing integration complexity and long development cycles. Additionally, security has emerged as a primary concern, with nearly half of developers viewing cyber threats as a significant risk.

Developers express a desire to focus more on application-layer innovation, the area increasingly defining brand identity, though these ambitions are tempered by the time spent on foundational work.