BMW Group and Ansys to further partnership for autonomous driving tech

The BMW Group and technology firm Ansys have announced they will be furthering their partnership to develop software for autonomous driving and advanced driver-assistance systems. The companies will be working on a so-called simulation toolchain that “defines test plans, pilots its execution, and gathers and compiles data-critical system information.”

BMW is in the race to pioneer Level 3 autonomous driving, which allows a vehicle to detect nearby hazards and make decisions. These technologies may eventually have the ability to perform tasks such as “establishing and maintaining maps, mimicking human interactions, overcoming weather conditions and design regulations, and managing cyber security.” 

However, the rollout of autonomous driving and advanced driver-assistance systems will likely not be quick, as automakers will need to conduct extensive testing and software tweaks to gain approval from regulators (and consumers).  

BMW Group Vice President Nicolai Martin said that BMW is continuously searching for more comfort, more intelligence, and more convenience to deliver the safest, most pleasurable driving experience for [BMW’s] customers.” He also cited Ansys’s “strong simulation background” and its “engineering know-how” as reasons for the growing partnership. 

Ansys’s Chief Technology Officer, Prith Banerjee, added in this week’s statement that autonomous driving will require “state-of-the-art software solutions that are cloud-native, scalable, fit for massive data, open and extensible.” He added that his company’s simulation toolchain uses real-time data to “improve the accuracy and reliability of AV applications and remove perceived cost barriers to their development.”

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