IAR Expands Automotive Software Tools for SDV Development

Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) are increasing the complexity of automotive software development, requiring toolchains that support multiple processor architectures, long product lifecycles, and scalable workflows across distributed development teams. Integrated development environments and validated software bundles are increasingly used to simplify integration and shorten development cycles. In this context, IAR announced expanded automotive ecosystem capabilities in collaboration with Infineon Technologies, including support for Infineon’s DRIVECORE software bundles and upcoming debugging capabilities for the AURIX™ RISC-V family, to be demonstrated at Embedded World 2026 (March 11–13, Nuremberg, Germany).

Pre-integrated software bundles for automotive development
Automotive software projects often require coordination across operating systems, toolchains, middleware, and hardware platforms. Infineon’s DRIVECORE portfolio addresses this challenge by providing pre-integrated software bundles designed for evaluation and early-stage development on TRAVEO™ and PSOC™ automotive platforms.

Within these bundles, IAR contributes professional development tools and validated workflows that integrate with the broader DRIVECORE ecosystem. The approach enables development teams to start from a tested reference configuration instead of assembling toolchains from multiple sources.

Several evaluation bundles illustrate how the concept is applied in practice. The TRAVEO™ T2G DRIVECORE Visualization bundle, developed with Infineon, Qt Group, and IAR, supports graphics development for digital cockpit systems, instrument clusters, and infotainment displays. By providing integrated tools and software components, the bundle allows teams to begin application development without extensive environment setup.

For smaller embedded automotive systems, the PSOC™ DRIVECORE Smart End Point bundles target compact electronic control units (ECUs). These bundles integrate technologies from partners including Vector, Elektrobit, and IAR, supporting development for peripheral ECUs and edge controllers with limited hardware resources.

By starting from validated configurations, development teams can reduce onboarding time and simplify integration steps that are typically required when building custom development environments.

Expanding RISC-V support in automotive platforms
In parallel with the DRIVECORE collaboration, IAR is extending support for RISC-V architectures used in emerging automotive platforms. The company plans to preview new debugging capabilities for Infineon’s AURIX™ RISC-V microcontroller family during Embedded World 2026.

The new functionality builds on existing compiler support for RISC-V within the IAR platform. By adding debugging capabilities, the toolchain supports early platform bring-up, system validation, and initial software development on RISC-V-based automotive controllers.

Maintaining consistent workflows across Arm and RISC-V architectures is particularly relevant as automotive electronic architectures evolve toward heterogeneous computing platforms. Development environments capable of supporting multiple processor architectures allow engineering teams to reuse toolchains and processes across vehicle platforms and product generations.

Development workflows for software-defined vehicles
The shift toward software-defined vehicles is increasing the scale and complexity of automotive software. Vehicle functions such as digital cockpits, connectivity systems, and advanced driver assistance increasingly rely on integrated software stacks and long-term maintainability.

Pre-integrated ecosystems such as DRIVECORE aim to reduce the time required to assemble development environments while maintaining compatibility with established automotive development processes.

Through its collaboration with Infineon, IAR’s toolchain becomes part of a broader development workflow that combines hardware platforms, middleware, and validated software components. This approach allows automotive software teams to focus on application development and system validation rather than low-level toolchain integration.

Demonstrations of the DRIVECORE ecosystem and the preview of AURIX™ RISC-V debugging capabilities are scheduled to take place at Embedded World 2026 in Nuremberg, where the companies will present development workflows designed for next-generation automotive software platforms.

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