Connect with us

Tech

Regulatory pressures, development bottlenecks stall UK SDV progress | Computer Weekly

Published

on

Regulatory pressures, development bottlenecks stall UK SDV progress | Computer Weekly


As electrification in the automotive industry becomes standard and the roll-out of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) gains extra mileage, technology complexity is becoming a key issue for the industry, with compliance complexity, long development cycles and artificial intelligence (AI) hype emerging as key barriers to progress, according to a study of UK automotive software developers.

The Under the hood: The SDV developer report from the QNX division of BlackBerry comes as automakers are having to navigate change, accelerate innovation, and deliver safer and smarter vehicles as SDVs become more complex.

The study comes on the back of the UK government’s £2.5bn Drive35 programme, launched in July 2025 to accelerate zero-emission vehicle production, R&D, and supply chain transformation.

The topline findings of the report reveal that UK automotive software developers are grappling with complex regulatory demands, adapting to AI-driven transformation and seeking new ways to bridge the gap between consumer expectations and delivery timelines. In addition, the research highlighted the strain of long development cycles and integration complexity, while pointing to opportunities for original equipment manufacturers to rethink software strategies.

In particular, the UK’s regulatory landscape was flagged as being increasingly complex for UK automotive software developers. It noted that in 2024, over 500 new regulations and legislative proposals were introduced globally affecting in-car technology, and that it was “unsurprising” that 43% of respondents cited regulatory compliance as the biggest challenge in the software development process.

QNX believes that such complexity has left UK automotive software developers divided on the impact of new laws, with 39% saying regulations have accelerated timelines and an equal 39% reporting delays. Of those regulations, UK respondents ranked cyber security regulations, such as the Cyber Resilience Act, UNECE WP.29 and ISO/SAE 21434 (47%), software update and OTA compliance (44%), and data privacy regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (37%), as the most challenging for their teams.

Further compounding the impact of regulation on timelines and development processes were recent software recalls, and failures that were creating bottlenecks and forcing change.

The survey found that over half (57%) of UK automotive software developers said their teams’ approaches to software development had changed as a result of recalls, with 40% reporting “major” changes. Those delays are further complicated by development bottlenecks with respondents citing long cycles (41%), debugging and testing (39%), and integration complexity (39%) as significant pain points.

Cyber security was poised to have increasing influence on the UK automotive sector and the roll-out of SDVs. More than two-thirds (68%) of the firms surveyed picked cyber security capability as the most critical skill for automotive software developers in the near term. The date also pointed to high demand for skills in functional safety (50%), AI/ML integration (50%) and real-time systems (47%).

Strengthening these skills will be critical to overcoming the main barriers to SDV success, QNX stressed, with UK respondents pointing to cyber security vulnerabilities (55%), regulatory uncertainty (45%) and consumer trust (38%) as the issues most likely to derail roll-out efforts.

The survey also highlighted a number of overhyped features and unrealistic expectations currently at work in the SDV market. It said that while a “sizeable chunk” of UK respondents believes full vehicle autonomy (49%) and AI-driven personalisation (48%) will shape SDVs by the end of the decade, they also view these features as receiving more attention than is warranted at this stage. UK automotive software developers also observed that such unrealistic expectations (51%) were creating a disconnect between consumers and software delivery timelines.

QNX said the findings suggest that industry priorities may be skewed towards advanced features at the expense of addressing fundamental development challenges. Notably, 82% of UK developers believe a deliberately minimalist, lower-tech vehicle could achieve commercial success – highlighting demand for differentiated offerings that value simplicity. Despite the perception that AI features are currently overhyped, the research also revealed that developers are optimistic about the role of AI in automotive software, with 93% expecting it to play a transformational or significant role in the next three to five years.

“These findings confirm the challenges that UK automakers face, with regulatory pressures, cyber security skills shortages and rising consumer expectations all combining to stall progress,” said Thomas Cardon, QNX director of EMEA automotive sales.

“AI will be part of the solution, but it’s no quick fix,” he said. “The manufacturers leading the way in the UK are the ones using automation to ease bottlenecks, embedding compliance into their processes, and focusing engineering talent on innovation that delivers safer, more secure and more reliable vehicles.”



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

The Best Cyber Monday Streaming Deals With a Convenient Roommate’s Email Address

Published

on

The Best Cyber Monday Streaming Deals With a Convenient Roommate’s Email Address


HBO knows you’re bored and cold. It wants you to Max and chill with Noah Wyle in scrubs. The company offers some of the best Cyber Monday streaming deals with a ridiculously low-priced $3/month offer for basic HBO Max (it’s the version with ads and 2K streaming, but still, super-cheap). Disney Plus and Hulu deals are bundled up for $5/month. Apple TV wants back in your life for $6.

Of course, this deal is only meant for new customers. Not boring ol’ existing customers. If you already have basic HBO Max, you’re already paying $11 for the same service, and HBO would like you to keep doing that. Streaming apps are banking on you being complacent and happy in your streaming life. Maybe they’re even taking you for granted.

Sometimes you can get the current deal just by threatening to cancel, or actually canceling, your account. Suddenly, you’re an exciting new customer again! Another method is by using an alternate email account (perhaps your spouse’s or roommate’s?) and alternate payment information as a new customer. If you do use a burner email (you did not hear this from me), check in on your favorite app’s terms of service to make sure you’re not in violation by re-enrolling with different emails. I’ll also issue the caveat that you lose all your viewing data and tailored suggestions if you sign up anew.

But times and wallets are tight! And $3 HBO Max sounds pretty good. After all, every middle-aged American man needs to rewatch The Wire once every five years or so—assuming he’s not the kind of middle-aged man who rewatches The Sopranos instead. Here are the current best streaming deals for Cyber Monday 2025.


Devon Maloney; ARCHIVE ID: 546772

Regular price: $80



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

SAP user group chair warns of AI low-hanging fruit risks | Computer Weekly

Published

on

SAP user group chair warns of AI low-hanging fruit risks | Computer Weekly


The UK and Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG) Connect 25 conference has opened in Birmingham with a keynote session recognising the challenges business face.

The user group itself has adapted to changes in the technology market such as the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in business applications and the economic climate that has a profound effect on its members’ ability to deliver value with enterprise technology.

In his keynote presentation, Conor Riordan, chair of UKISUG, said: “As an organisation, we have to change, to position ourselves as we move from the old to the new.”

The user group has a 2030 plan, recognising the shifts in enterprise software. For instance, there is the shift to no-code and low-code tooling, which has implications on the agility of enterprise software development. Riordan noted that the current business climate and geopolitical volatility means that there is a huge pressure to reduce costs, leading to cuts in training budgets and the challenge of delivering more with less, adding: “We need to have process change.”

Moving to a future where organisations are using data to make more dependable decisions, Riordan noted that SAP is moving to a dynamic ecosystem of applications and AI, but the challenge is how quickly businesses can start taking advantage of the AI now available in their business applications. “We see members say SAP AI will help them,” Riordan said.

But many are concerned how the new technology now available will deliver a return on investment (ROI). For Riordan, IT decision-makers need to be wary of tackling the so-called low-hanging fruit, the use cases that the industry sells to the executive team: “It is really complex work, and the low-hanging fruit is not that low hanging. It will take years, not months, to deliver value.”

A poll of delegates at the conference found that 78% of respondents are just getting started with AI, while 29% say their AI initiatives have under-delivered.

“This stuff is not easy,” Riordan said, adding that the challenge is one of process re-engineering and culture change, and that he believes humans need to be at the centre of decision-making. “We ask partners to be reasonable in their productivity claims so we can all succeed together.”

The Value of AI in the UK: Growth, people & data from SAP and Oxford Economics, which was published in October 2025, notes that customers are investing £16m in AI on average this year. The report’s authors predict this will increase by 40% within the next two years. However, the theme coming out of the keynote session at Connect25 is that few companies are really using AI.

Another big topic covered during the keynote is the end of support for SAP products. With SAP’s 2027 maintenance deadline for SAP ECC 6.0 fast approaching, many organisations are now embarking on their migration journey to SAP S/4Hana. More than half (54%) of respondents said that gaining access to SAP’s AI offerings will influence their future deployment of SAP.

Among attendees of Connect25, 49% said they are working towards the 2027 deadline. Riordan called on SAP to help customers to move to the cloud and build a tangible business case.

During her keynote speech, Leila Romane, managing director of SAP UK & Ireland, spoke about the AI opportunity, saying: “We are helping customers unleash new value with business AI.”

SAP’s strategy is to drive business value through the power of AI, data and its enterprise applications, with the SAP Cloud integral in SAP’s strategy to deliver AI-enablement across its enterprise software suite. Romane said SAP recognised that its customers were all at different stages of their cloud journey, adding: “Our commitment is to help you move.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Hong Kong FWA services market set for 9.6% growth | Computer Weekly

Published

on

Hong Kong FWA services market set for 9.6% growth | Computer Weekly


Analysis from GlobalData is forecasting that fixed wireless access (FWA) service revenue in Hong Kong is expected to increase at a “healthy” compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% between 2025 and 2030.

The latest Hong Kong Total Fixed Communications Forecast set out to quantify current and future demand and spending on mobile services for the special administrative region of China. It noted that growth was being driven by Hong Kong’s extensive 5G network coverage and could also be attributed to local operators’ efforts to expand FWA services and position it as an alternative to traditional fibre broadband services for both residential and commercial sectors, meeting growing demand for high-speed connectivity in areas where extending fibre lines is challenging.

“High-density urban and suburban centres of Hong Kong create a strong business case for FWA services due to their cost-effective and rapid deployments without the complex infrastructure and civil work required for extending fibre-optic lines to such locations,” said Neha Misra, senior analyst at GlobalData.

“Competitive, feature-rich plans from the operators will also help drive its adoption over the forecast period. For instance, HKBN’s 5G Home Broadband Plan provides unlimited 5G broadband data (subject to a 300GB with a fair-usage policy) for HKD118 per month on a 24-month contract, along with a seven-day trial guarantee. The plan also includes a waiver of the HKD28 monthly administration fee and complimentary access to the basic HomeShield security plan.”

In addition to HKBN, the study noted that operators such as 3 Hong Kong and HKT are also using their extensive 5G networks to offer home broadband services, particularly in areas with limited fibre infrastructure. It cited HKT as recently having successfully deployed mmWave-based FWA to deliver ultra-high-speed internet to rural areas and outlying islands.

“Growing demand for FWA provides operators a strong revenue opportunity by expanding home and SME broadband without the high capital intensity of fibre roll-out,” Misra added. “By leveraging nationwide 5G coverage, introducing competitively priced service plans and bundling digital home services, operators can unlock higher ARPU [average revenue per user], accelerate market penetration in underserved areas and diversify beyond traditional revenues.”

GlobalData believes the Hong Kong government’s smart city initiatives will also open new opportunities for FWA, especially 5G FWA, which can deliver high-speed internet to power applications such as the digital economy, digital governance and e-health services, while supporting the city’s dense urban environment and digital transformation goals under the Smart City Blueprint 2.0.

The original blueprint was set out in December 2017, outlining 76 initiatives under six smart areas, namely Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Government and Smart Economy. Blueprint 2.0 puts forth more than 130 initiatives that continue to enhance and expand existing city management measures and services. The new initiatives aim to bring benefits and convenience to the public so that residents can better perceive the benefits of smart city innovation and technology.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending