KPIT and ZF join forces to develop cutting-edge automotive middleware stack

Above (L-R): Kishor Patil, CEO of KPIT Technologies, and Dirk Walliser, SVP, R&D at ZF. KPIT and ZF will transfer their middleware activities from the joint development cooperation to the independent software company Qorix.

KPIT Technologies, the Pune-based leading independent software development and integration partner to the automotive and mobility industry, and Germany’s ZF Group, a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology, have agreed to promote an independent company named Qorix to develop and distribute open and scalable middleware products and solutions for the mobility ecosystem.

Qorix is currently a subsidiary of KPIT, fully focused on middleware solution development. ZF will invest 50% towards equity in Qorix subject to regulatory approvals. It will build on the expertise and relevant IPs of KPIT and ZF to develop open and scalable automotive middleware platforms and solutions for the mobility ecosystem. Hence, both partners will bring cash and assets/IP towards their contribution. This builds on sustained investment by KPIT and ZF in this area. Active engagement has already started with select OEM clients and other Tier 1 suppliers and technology companies.

This independent company will address the significant gap in the availability of a mature, modular, integrated middleware solution that allows mobility OEMs to manage the ever-increasing software complexity while retaining complete control of the architecture. The lack of such a solution can delay the start of vehicle production and drive-up technology spending.

“At this juncture, we feel the mobility industry needs an independent middleware solution, and there is a significant value in that,” said Kishor Patil, CEO of KPIT Technologies. “We are very excited to establish Qorix, which will benefit the industry at large. The middleware solution development from Qorix will draw upon KPIT’s experience in several production programs, expertise in architecture consulting and software integration, and its strengths in cloud-based connected services.”

“The combined portfolio of standardised vehicle base software from KPIT and ZF will be one of the world’s leading offerings for the automotive industry,” said Dr. Dirk Walliser, Senior Vice-President, Research and Development at ZF Group. “Qorix will be open to other technology companies and will be able to offer the non-competitive differentiating parts of the vehicle software independently of shareholders and with high economies of scale. ZF will thus focus its own offering more on differentiating software functions and develop integrated solutions from hardware and software vehicle systems for vehicle manufacturers.”

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