Software Defined Vehicle Value Chains
The SDV value chain spans hardware, software (on-board and off-board), integration, and the lifecycle operations required to support continuous improvement beyond SOP. SDV shifts the product model from a one-off release, with refresh cycles, toward a platform which is continuously updated, monitored and refined.
This report provides the automotive industry with a definition of a software-defined vehicle (SDV), the key levels and components, and details the industrial shift into this new technology.
The new DRIVE35 scope introduces key elements of an SDV as a fundable area of technology development.
Published: 16/07/2026
Software Defined Vehicle Value Chains
This report sets out how the SDV transition is reshaping the automotive value chain, where value is likely to move, and which capabilities become strategically important. It focuses on the hardware, software, cloud, data, and integration layers that underpin SDV development, before considering where the UK may have an opportunity to build competitive advantage.
Published: 16/07/2026
Software Defined Vehicle Value Chains
This report sets out how the SDV transition is reshaping the automotive value chain, where value is likely to move, and which capabilities become strategically important. It focuses on the hardware, software, cloud, data, and integration layers that underpin SDV development, before considering where the UK may have an opportunity to build competitive advantage.