Microchip Technology and Elektrobit announced a partnership on October 15 to simplify software development for automakers and suppliers building on Microchip’s automotive chip platforms.
The collaboration pairs Elektrobit’s AUTOSAR software expertise with Microchip’s semiconductor hardware to give vehicle engineering teams pre-integrated tools, according to the companies’ joint announcement.
What the companies are building
Elektrobit, a German automotive software specialist, and Microchip, an Arizona based chipmaker, said the deal focuses on AUTOSAR, the standardized software framework automakers rely on to run electronic control units across modern vehicles.
The collaboration provides customers with access to pre-integrated AUTOSAR Microcontroller Abstraction Layer (MCAL) software based on Elektrobit’s market-proven EB tresos portfolio, helping development teams get started more quickly while reducing software integration complexity and project risk. Elektrobit has successfully enabled EB tresos AutoCore OS and EB tresos AutoCore Generic modules on Microchip’s SAMA5 series of microprocessors, making the solution available for immediate customer adoption, with support for additional platforms expected to follow as the collaboration evolves , according to the companies’ announcement.
The companies did not specify a financial value for the arrangement.
The announcement was made from ERLANGEN, Germany and CHANDLER, Arizona, US , where Elektrobit and Microchip are based, respectively.
Why chip and software pairing matters now
Vehicles increasingly run on dozens of electronic control units, each requiring qualified software that automakers must certify before it reaches production lines.
As the automotive industry moves toward software-defined vehicles (SDV), OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are under increasing pressure to shorten development cycles while maintaining safety, quality and flexibility. By combining Microchip’s automotive hardware platforms with Elektrobit’s AUTOSAR software, tooling and automation capabilities, the two companies are enabling customers to establish a production-ready software foundation faster and more efficiently.
The move comes as automakers continue to consolidate and simplify vehicle electronics architecture. Many manufacturers have been replacing sprawling networks of separate control modules with fewer, more centralized zone computers, a shift that cuts wiring weight and complexity but raises the stakes for getting software and chip compatibility right from the start.
Initial focus on Asia, two-wheelers
The companies plan to focus initial market activities on high-growth automotive segments in Asia, including the rapidly evolving two-wheeler market, while also supporting broader automotive opportunities across Asia and North America.
Automakers and tier one suppliers have increasingly sought closer, pre-vetted partnerships between software developers and chip manufacturers as vehicles require more chips per unit for driver assistance features and electrified powertrains, a dynamic that has also put automakers in competition with other industries for the same chip capacity, a pressure that has squeezed suppliers across the sector as demand grows from sectors well beyond the auto industry.
What comes next
Neither company detailed a full rollout timeline across all platforms, though support for Microchip’s SAMA5 series is already available.
Microchip and Elektrobit said the collaboration targets next-generation automotive platforms broadly, suggesting the tools are intended for use across multiple vehicle programs rather than a single automaker.
As part of the automation-first approach, Elektrobit uses integration-as-code to convert repeatable Classic AUTOSAR integration tasks into reusable, executable logic, an approach intended to improve development efficiency and scalability while laying the groundwork for future AI-assisted software configuration and development.
For automakers managing increasingly complex vehicle electronics while watching chip costs and lead times closely, tighter supplier partnerships like this one are becoming a more common part of how new vehicle platforms get built.
