Continental gets 10,000 developers to create smart software for cars of the future, scouts for an additional 1,500

April 18: International automotive supplier Continental is continuing to focus on high-quality and innovative software development teams at its almost 80 development locations spanning over 23 countries.

“304 million product deliveries in 2011 in the Interior Division alone are testament to Continental’s outstanding productivity. And the relevance of software for our products is increasing year by year. It is the key to safe, energy-saving, comfortable and cost-efficient vehicles worldwide,” explained Helmut Matschi, member of the Continental AG Executive Board and head of the Interior Division, at CeBIT 2012 in Hanover.

“Today, we already have more than 10,000 software developers working on new algorithms to find a solution to the complex requirements in modern vehicle systems.” The overall size of the development team is constantly being expanded: “In view of the changing requirements with regard to the level of networking in automotive systems, we are again strongly increasing the number of software developers at the company over the next few years,” said Helmut Matschi and underlined the need for new qualified employees at locations in Germany and abroad, who are enthusiastic about innovations in the automotive industry.

In Continental’s view, the potential for qualified software developers is far from being fully exploited. “Requirements are becoming greater, but opportunities for specialists and also for all-rounders with team spirit are also becoming more promising,” stated Helmut Matschi. This is also and especially true of an automotive future in which standardised functions and architecture such as AUTOSAR mean that software is afforded increased importance.

Continental is a member of various committees with the aim of driving forward quality assurance and software standardisation in the automotive industry. Its activities range from projects to standardise development processes to quality enhancement, communication protocols, and also include projects in the areas of software functionalities and architecture. This is done not only to make software as efficient as possible in cars of the future, but also to ensure they keep affordable: “We want to standardise everything relating to software and hardware that has no relevance for vehicle and brand differentiation. But in all those areas where the vehicle manufacturer can set itself apart considerably from its competitors, we will of course design products specifically for each manufacturer,” stressed Helmut Matschi.

The significance of software is also increasing dramatically in the field of human-machine interfaces. The displays in instrument clusters and in the centre stack as well are becoming increasingly larger and offer greater flexibility in terms of display options. In Helmut Matschi’s eyes, the relevance of software is also evident in this field: “The ergonomics of modern instruments are largely determined by software. Our software developers are ensuring that drivers of future-generation vehicles will still have all the information they need at a glance in a direct and easy-to-read format – and that their passengers are well entertained too.”

Continental expects that the importance of software will keep increasing over the next few years. Its engineers are therefore constantly working either on further improving existing in-car functions, enabling new functions through intelligent networking of existing systems, or creating entirely new systems – for new requirements in terms of electromobility for example. “Software will play an increasingly significant role for the industry in meeting future challenges and will therefore also be important to Continental,” is a fact for Matschi. This is why the company is scouting for new employees worldwide: “Over the next few years, we want to hire an additional 1,500 software developers around the world to meet these future demands.”