Tag Archive for: Requirements & Requirements Management
2025 Expert Predictions for the AEC Industry: How Technology, Emerging Trends, and Innovation Will Shape the Industry in 2025 and Beyond
As we look toward the next five years in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, emerging technologies are set to revolutionize how buildings are designed, constructed, and maintained. From the rise of digital twins to the growing integration of AI and machine learning, the tools and strategies transforming the industry promise to boost efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration. As companies prepare for these advancements, understanding how these technologies will shape the landscape and adopting the right tools will be critical.
In part five of our annual predictions series, Joe Gould, Senior Account Executive at Jama Software, shares his insights on the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of AEC.
Question 1: What emerging technologies or digital tools do you believe will most significantly reshape the AEC industry in the next five years, and how can companies prepare to integrate these advancements effectively?
Joe Gould:
Digital Twins – The use of digital twins to create real-time, virtual representations of physical assets is set to revolutionize operations and maintenance. This technology provides actionable insights, predictive maintenance, and enhanced asset performance management. Implement IoT sensors and connect data streams to develop digital twin capabilities. Start with pilot projects to showcase value and gradually expand their use.
AI and Machine Learning – AI-driven tools will enhance project planning, risk management, and resource optimization. Machine learning models can analyze historical data to predict delays, optimize schedules, and reduce costs. Integrate AI into existing workflows, such as predictive analytics for scheduling or automated quality control checks, to reduce manual errors and inefficiencies.
Modular and Prefabrication Technologies – Offsite construction and prefabrication are becoming more efficient with advancements in design automation and digital manufacturing tools. Adopt software platforms that integrate modular construction workflows with design and scheduling tools. Establish partnerships with prefabrication facilities.
Sustainability Focused Tools – These are tools for energy modeling, lifecycle analysis, and carbon tracking will drive environmentally responsible design and construction. Embed sustainability metrics into project KPIs and adopt tools that facilitate compliance with green building certifications like LEED or BREEAM.
Question 2: As sustainability goals become increasingly prioritized, what role do you see software and product development playing in achieving more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient designs within the AEC sector?
Gould: Software and product development play a pivotal role in advancing sustainability and energy efficiency within the AEC sector by enabling more data-driven, holistic, and collaborative approaches to design and construction. Tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), energy simulation software, and lifecycle assessment platforms allow architects and engineers to optimize designs for energy performance, material efficiency, and reduced carbon footprints from the earliest project stages. Digital twins extend this capability by facilitating real-time monitoring and optimization of building performance throughout its lifecycle, ensuring long-term energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. By leveraging these technologies, companies can not only meet regulatory demands but also position themselves as leaders in creating environmentally responsible and energy-efficient designs that contribute to a sustainable future.
Question 3: With remote and hybrid work now a permanent reality for many industries, how do you anticipate these work models impacting collaboration and innovation in the AEC space, especially regarding software and project management tools?
Gould: With remote and hybrid work becoming the norm, the AEC industry is seeing some interesting shifts in how teams collaborate and innovate. While it used to be all about in-person meetings and site visits, now software and project management tools are stepping up to bridge the gap. Cloud-based platforms make it easier than ever for teams to share updates, track progress, and stay connected no matter where they’re working from. This new way of working is also pushing companies to adopt more streamlined workflows and better communication practices, which can actually spark innovation!
Question 4: How do you foresee AI and machine learning influencing decision-making and risk management in AEC projects? What are some challenges or limitations the industry might face in adopting these technologies?
Gould: AI and machine learning are definitely shaking things up in the AEC industry, especially when it comes to decision-making and risk management! These technologies can analyze massive amounts of data — like project schedules, historical performance, and even weather patterns — to predict potential delays, budget overruns, or safety risks before they happen. It’s like having an early warning system that helps teams make smarter, faster decisions. On top of that, AI can optimize workflows, improve resource allocation, and even suggest more efficient designs.
Question 5: As a follow up question: Do you have any concerns or anticipate any negative impacts as it pertains to AI & ML.
Gould: I believe there are some challenges to getting these tools up and running. One big hurdle is the quality of data — if your data isn’t clean or consistent, the AI’s predictions won’t be reliable. There’s also a learning curve; not everyone in the industry is ready to fully embrace these new tools, so training and change management are crucial. Plus, while AI is great for identifying trends, it still relies on human expertise for context and final decisions. So, while the potential is huge, there’s still some work to do in terms of adoption and integration in my opinion.
Question 6: Given the current emphasis on data-driven project management and predictive analytics, what strategies would you recommend for AEC firms to better leverage data for optimizing project outcomes and resource allocation?
Gould: If AEC firms want to get more out of data-driven project management, it starts with organizing their data. Centralizing everything — budgets, schedules, progress updates —into tools like BIM or Procore makes it easier to analyze and act on insights. Predictive analytics can then help spot issues early, like delays or resource shortages, so teams can adjust before problems escalate. The key is to train people to use the data effectively and start with small pilot projects to build confidence. When everyone’s on the same page and using the same data, decisions get smarter, and projects run smoother.
Question 7: Are there any additional insights you have regarding predictions, events, or trends you anticipate happening in 2025 and beyond?
Gould: Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, I think we’ll see a bigger push for sustainability in AEC, with more focus on net-zero buildings and carbon tracking tools. AI and automation will likely play an even larger role in design and project management, making workflows faster and more efficient. Plus, digital twins and smart buildings will continue to grow, especially as IoT tech gets better. The challenge will be adapting quickly while balancing innovation with practicality, but the opportunities for transformation are huge!
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2025/01/2025-01-16-AEC.png5121024Joe Gould/media/jama-logo-primary.svgJoe Gould2025-01-16 03:00:532025-01-16 09:00:372025 Expert Predictions for the AEC Industry: How Technology, Emerging Trends, and Innovation Will Shape the Industry in 2025 and Beyond
FDA Issues Comprehensive Draft Guidance for Developers of Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Medical Devices
Guidance Shares Strategies to Address Transparency and Bias, while Providing Key Considerations and Recommendations on Product Design, Development and Documentation
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance that includes recommendations to support development and marketing of safe and effective AI-enabled devices throughout the device’s Total Product Life Cycle. The guidance, if finalized, would be the first guidance to provide comprehensive recommendations for AI-enabled devices throughout the total product lifecycle, providing developers an accessible set of considerations that tie together design, development, maintenance and documentation recommendations to help ensure safety and effectiveness of AI-enabled devices. This guidance complements the recently issued final guidance on predetermined change control plans for AI-enabled devices, which provides recommendations on how to proactively plan for device updates once the product is on the market.
“The FDA has authorized more than 1,000 AI-enabled devices through established premarket pathways. As we continue to see exciting developments in this field, it’s important to recognize that there are specific considerations unique to AI-enabled devices,” said Troy Tazbaz, director of the Digital Health Center of Excellence within the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “Today’s draft guidance brings together relevant information for developers, shares learnings from authorized AI-enabled devices and provides a first point-of-reference for specific recommendations that apply to these devices, from the earliest stages of development through the device’s entire life cycle.”
The draft guidance includes recommendations for how and when, in marketing submissions, sponsors should describe the postmarket performance monitoring and management of their AI-enabled devices. The proposed recommendations reflect a comprehensive approach to the management of risk throughout the device total product life cycle. The FDA encourages sponsors to engage with the agency early and often, and to use this guidance, once finalized, to guide their activities throughout the life cycle of the device, including during planning, development, testing and ongoing monitoring.
Importantly, this draft guidance also includes the FDA’s current thinking on strategies to address transparency and bias throughout the life cycle of AI-enabled devices. The draft guidance describes specific recommendations intended to help a sponsor demonstrate they have addressed risks associated with bias and provides suggestions for the thoughtful design and evaluation of AI-enabled devices.
Notably, this announcement is specific to AI-enabled devices. Today, the FDA also published draft guidance with recommendations regarding the use of AI to support development of drug and biological products. The publication of these guidances, among other actions, continues to demonstrate the agency’s efforts to provide transparency and to help ensure product safety and effectiveness while supporting innovation in this rapidly growing field.
The FDA is requesting public comment on this draft guidance by April 7, 2025. In addition to general comments, the FDA is specifically requesting public comment on the draft guidance’s alignment with the AI lifecycle; the adequacy of the recommendations to address concerns that may be raised by emerging technology such as generative AI; the approach to performance monitoring (including use of a performance monitoring plan as a means of risk mitigation for AI-enabled devices); the type of information about AI-enabled devices that should be conveyed to users and the most appropriate approach to deliver that information. The FDA will also hold a webinar on February 18, 2025, to discuss the draft guidance.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2025/01/FDA-AI-Guidance.jpg5121024Jama Software/media/jama-logo-primary.svgJama Software2025-01-15 03:00:052025-01-13 12:27:06FDA Issues Comprehensive Draft Guidance for Developers of Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Medical Devices
In this blog, we’ll recap a section of our recent Expert Perspectives video, “Integrating Safety of Intended Functionality (SOTIF) Into the Automotive Requirements Engineering Process” – Click HERE to watch it in it entirety.
Expert Perspectives: Integrating Safety of Intended Functionality (SOTIF) Into the Automotive Requirements Engineering Process
Welcome to our Expert Perspectives Series, where we showcase insights from leading experts in complex product, systems, and software development. Covering industries from medical devices to aerospace and defense, we feature thought leaders who are shaping the future of their fields.
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram on the topic of Integrating Safety of Intended Functionality (SOTIF) Into the Automotive Requirements Engineering Process.
Watch this video to learn more about:
The differences between SOTIF and functional safety
How to define and manage safety requirements addressing system limitations and edge cases
How to conduct a hazard analysis and risk assessment to cover intended functionality
Below is a preview of our interview. Click HERE to watch it in its entirety.
Kenzie Ingram: Welcome to Our Expert Perspective series where we showcase insights from leading experts in complex product systems and software development, covering industries from medical devices to aerospace and defense, we feature thought leaders who are shaping the future in their fields. I’m Kenzie Ingram, your host.
And today I’m excited to welcome Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram, an entrepreneur, computer scientist, book author, and CEO of engineering service company Matrickz based in Munich, Germany. With more than 17 years of experience in the automotive industry and working for two of the major German automotive OEMs, Dr. Akram brings a wealth of knowledge to this conversation. Today, we’re excited to showcase a discussion between Matt Mickle, Jama Software’s Director of Automotive Solutions, and Dr. Akram, on integrating safety of intended functionality, also known as SOTIF into the automotive requirements engineering process. Without further ado, I’d like to welcome Dr. Akram and Matt Mickle.
Matt Mickle: Thanks everyone for joining us today. My name is Matt Mickle. I’m the Director of Solutions for Automotive and Semiconductor at Jama Software. And I’m joined here today by Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram. Thanks very much for joining us today and answering some questions around integrating SOTIF into the automotive requirements engineering process. Dr. Akram, maybe we could start by just you telling us a little bit about yourself and your history with SOTIF and other industry standards and just a little bit about your background.
Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Matt, for having me here. It’s amazing that we are having this conversation because this is very relevant today.
So my background in automotive started way back in 2005. So I was still a student, but I really wanted to go for a start-up. And back then, I landed a project with Continental. It was a braking system calculation project, and that’s how I got into automotive. And kept doing automotive stuff ever since.
And then, when I started my safety journey, I actually had no clue. So the first encounter to safety was a long time ago when I was actually working at a [inaudible 00:02:30] OEM as an external consultant. I was more responsible for the software. And during the lunch break, the functional safety colleague of that OEM, and in German, we call it FuSi, Funktionale Sicherheit, we used to call it FuSi. So I asked him, “What FuSi, the thing that you’re doing all the time? What is it about?” And quite condescendingly, he said, “We assume that whatever you guys are doing over there, every line of code, everything that you will do will go wrong.”
Akram: That was kind of like a light bulb moment for me. “Wow, that’s interesting. What happens when everything goes wrong? What do we do?” That was really my genesis of the functional safety journey. And SOTIF didn’t exist back then, was doing ISO 26262. And during my PhD, I was specialized in automotive cybersecurity, so cybersecurity and functional safety, I really wanted to bring them together.
And then, we realized, the automotive industry realized that, hey, there is something missing. Because with traditional safety, the definition of traditional safety is all about malfunction, if something goes wrong. Even when we’re doing security, it’s beyond malfunction, it’s all about attack now.Now comes autonomous vehicle, kind of like ADAS’s features, active distance control, automated emergency brake, active cruise control, and different levels of autonomy, Level 1, Level 2. The definitions came much later, but the idea of SOTIF was, hey, there’s something inherently required, there’s something required, something missing, inherently missing in the current standard because there can be hazards beyond malfunction.
It’s all about intention and this is where SOTIF was created, that we will talk about safety of the intended functionality. And my involvement, like you wanted to ask, my involvement with all these standards, I was following these standards before from the very ideas because the community is very, very close community. All the safety people in my podcast, I had Hans-Leo Ross, I had people who are the… Hans-Leo Ross even showed the birth certificate of ISO 26262 because he literally wrote the first lines and everything of ISO 26262. And I was privileged to be around these people who are actually shaping the future of these standards and how the engineering work will be done in the autonomous vehicle sphere and safety will be defined. So yeah.
Mickle: Nice. Well, that must’ve been quite enthralling at the time. So you mentioned that there was this gap sort of missing for functional safety and that SOTIF sort of filled that gap. Could you describe some of the key differences that are there between the standards?
Akram: Absolutely. So the key difference is, like I said, there was a gap. The gap was pretty evident, we’re talking about malfunction. If there is a fault, that fault would lead to a hazard, that’s ISO 26262, that’s traditional functional safety.
Now, what happens if there is nothing wrong in the vehicle, no malfunction, and we still have a hazard? So let me give you a metaphor. Imagine that you have a knife and you bought the knife. Your intention is to chop vegetables. So it’s a very sharp knife. The functionality is great, you’re chopping the vegetable, there is no malfunction, you’re chopping the vegetable. Now, by mistake, unintentionally, you cut your finger with it, it’s a hazard. Now, there is no malfunction still in the knife, the knife is 100 percent functional, it’s your intention that was to chop vegetables, but somehow, unintentionally, you cut your finger. And that’s where the safety of the intended functionality came in.
The famous example of such hazard is this high profile Tesla incident that happened, I don’t know, five, six years ago, where in a junction, because of the lighting condition, Tesla’s ADAS system could not recognize a truck that was passing the junction. And the driver happened to be watching Harry Potter and he didn’t pay attention. And this was fatal, I mean, the driver died. This was such a fatal accident. And there was nothing wrong in Tesla’s ADAS functionality, it’s just that this certain condition, there was no malfunction, this certain condition was not trained, and the ADAS system was not able to detect under certain lighting condition.
And that was the reason, but when we entered, when we started with this, it turned out vastly complex, the whole sphere of SOTIF, when you’re talking about the environment. I’ve just given you one example. So the environment is theoretically infinite. There can be infinite situations and there can be situations that we don’t know about. And the fact of the matter is, we don’t know what we don’t know. When you know something, you can take measure, that’s traditional ISO 26262. Now, we have this unknown unknown. You don’t even know what you don’t know. So that makes it extremely challenging and that’s why the whole process of autonomous vehicle development is going to be a continuous development process, we’ll have to continuously learn and incorporate safety and all those.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2025/01/SOTIF-2.jpg10801920Matt Mickle/media/jama-logo-primary.svgMatt Mickle2025-01-14 03:00:482025-01-07 15:18:15Expert Perspectives: Integrating Safety of Intended Functionality (SOTIF) Into the Automotive Requirements Engineering Process
Jama Connect Features in Five: Live Trace Explorer
Learn how you can supercharge your systems development process! In this blog series, we’re pulling back the curtains to give you a look at a few of Jama Connect’s powerful features… in under five minutes.
In this Features in Five video, Francis Trudeau, Product Manager at Jama Software, will introduce viewers to Jama Connect’s Live Trace Explorer, which auto-detects risk by bringing comprehensive and detailed insights into your complex development processes.
Please note that Live Trace Explorer is currently in beta and available for all Jama Connect Cloud customers to try.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Francis Trudeau: Hello and welcome to the segment of Features in Five. My name is Francis Trudeau, and I’m a Product Manager at Jama Software. This video is an overview of Jama Connect’s Live Trace Explorer feature. Note that Live Trace Explorer is currently in beta and available for all Cloud customers to try.
The Live Trace Explorer is like a real-time map of the V-model, helping you check coverage completeness and validity across your project. It actively tracks metrics to spot gaps and risks between engineering teams so you can address issues early. This leads to a smoother development process, higher quality products, and faster time to market. This capability is a significant step in our vision to provide metrics for managing the development process through data.
To enable the Live Trace Explorer, go to the Admin tab, navigate to the Details section, find the Live Trace Explorer line, click Configure, check the box, and save. Once enabled, the feature appears in Admin Project settings and is available for Organization and Project Admins.
Trudeau: If permission is granted by their admins, users with a creator license can fully utilize the feature to load and configure existing diagrams. Once enabled, the Live Trace Explorer can be launched by right-clicking a project component or set to create a focused diagram for the selected node or right-clicking the project route to generate a comprehensive diagram showing all components and sets in sequence from top to bottom.
The resulting diagram visually represents the V-model with stakeholder needs, system requirements, designs, and components on the left, and their associated verifications and validations on the right. Each tile represents a component or set connected by trace paths. These paths are gray if there are no relationships between items and adjacent tiles, or they turn green and red to indicate the number of healthy or suspect relationships between them.
On the right side, the Verifications and Validation branch shows the number of Test Cases linked to items within the container on the left, no matter where they appear in the project. At the bottom of each tile, you’ll find a metric representing the ratio of these Test Cases included in a Test Plan. On the requirements side, the top part of each tile displays stats, including the number of items by type and any open conversations.
Trudeau: In the bottom half, you’ll find coverage metrics, essentially the ratio of active relationships to expected ones as defined by the traceability information model. For example, the model indicates that each high-level requirement should have two relationships downstream. Out of my four high-level requirements, three are covered by validations, giving me 75% coverage. Two are related to mid-level requirements, resulting in a score of 50%. In the Actions menu, you can access configuration settings to customize what’s displayed and measured. You can globally turn off item types, exclude specific relationships from consideration, or you can configure each tile separately.
A common use case consists of configuring your diagram for disabling relationships you are not expected to have at an early stage of your project. Then you may want to disable lower-level requirement items and relationships pointing downstream to them. Once applied, the coverage and total score will update automatically. Make sure to save your diagram once you have configured it to your liking. Live Trace Explorer updates in real-time, so any changes to project data instantly affect the metrics. For example, I can address a gap by clicking on the incomplete coverage. This will open Trace View where I can then establish a relationship to a mid-level requirement. Back in Live Trace Explorer, the metrics and total score summarizing all coverage will be updated after a refresh. You can keep a record and share these metrics by exporting a diagram as a PDF from the Actions menu at the top.
If you’d like to learn more about how Jama Connect can optimize your product, software, and systems development processes, please visit our website at jamasoftware.com.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2024/12/Live-Trace-Explorer-FIF-2.jpg10801920Francis Trudeau/media/jama-logo-primary.svgFrancis Trudeau2025-01-03 03:00:562024-12-19 09:59:37Jama Connect® Features in Five: Live Trace Explorer™
2025 Expert Predictions for Aerospace and Defense: AI, Sustainability, and the Next Frontier
Aerospace and defense are at the cusp of revolutionary changes, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, sustainable technologies, and digital transformation.
In part four of our annual predictions series, Vance Hilderman, CEO at AFuzion and Jama Software’s industry experts Cary Bryczek , Director of Solutions & Consulting; Karl Mulcahy, Global Sales Manager of Aerospace & Defense and Matt Macias, General Manager of Aerospace & Defense share their insights on the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of aerospace and defense.
From the integration of AI in autonomous systems to the adoption of digital twins for operational efficiency and the pursuit of sustainable practices, these insights offer a glimpse into the opportunities and disruptions that lie ahead. Whether it’s navigating cybersecurity challenges or adapting to shifting geopolitical conditions, this year’s predictions provide a roadmap for industry leaders to thrive in 2025 and beyond.
We like to stay on top of trends in other industries as well. Read our predictions for Industrial & Consumer Electronics (ICE) HERE, Automotive HERE, and Semiconductor HERE – Plus, stay tuned for future topics, including Medical Device & Life Sciences, and AECO.
Editor’s Note: Responses reflect a mix of British and American English, depending on the respondent.
Question 1 – With the rising integration of AI, machine learning (ML), and autonomous systems, how do you foresee these technologies reshaping aerospace and defense operations? What are the most promising applications and potential challenges?
Vance Hilderman: AI & ML are already used for ground planning, flight plan optimization, flight deck monitoring, and assists. Militaries are using AI onboard UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and fighter aircraft but real-time AI on commercial aircraft is not yet allowed for safety-related operations.
Cary Bryczek: We will see an explosion in systems engineering utilizing AI. AI will not only be used to write requirements but decompose the requirements into lower-level requirements, create architecture models and establish traceability throughout. It’s beginning to happen right now! AI assistants for systems engineers will create enormous time savings so the actual engineering can be performed.
Karl Mulcahy: AI/ML I’m sure is of interest to these companies to make internal development practices more efficient, but also to enhance their offerings e.g., AI monitoring for better insights/decision making on a battlefield.
However, with ongoing security aspects a constant concern for sensitive projects within the defence world particularly, it may require more maturity and capabilities within customer environments for internal efficiency gains.
Matt Macias: The aviation industry is already demonstrating prototypes leveraging AI and autonomous operation with a large number of new and existing companies developing transformational vehicles to provide new ways for people and goods to utilize airborne mobility’s advantages. There is a strong desire to bring the consumer faster, safer and more cost-effective ways to travel. We see many new startups and innovative ideas in the work, which is very exciting. We also see a great rise in the pursuit of novel, innovative cyber-system approaches and new vehicle designs, propulsion and operations.
In the defense world we see AI/Autonomous systems enabling disruptive changes in the systems and total architectures utilized for security. These new technologies are enabling breakthroughs in new missions and exposing unexpected vulnerabilities. We saw this clearly in Ukraine with the successful use of inexpensive, modified consumer drones defeating far more expensive systems. We also see this in the changes and cancelations of some larger DOD systems programs, where there appears to be a shift in focus to very different, lower-cost systems. For example, drones that operate in a “constellation” of unique, adaptable, or “swarms” of “expendable” or essentially single-use systems that can potentially overwhelm more traditional manned or legacy systems. This is not only changing the approaches to military strategy, but it is revolutionizing the development of tomorrow’s military systems, leading (as in commercial aviation) to an explosion of new ideas and new programs. We also see a rapid growth of disruptive companies taking market share from traditional defense contractors.
All in all, this is a very exciting time for anyone who is interested in aviation, space and defense innovation.
Question 2 – As a follow-up question: Do you have any concerns or anticipate any negative impacts as it pertains to AI & ML?
Hilderman: When used on the flight deck for real-time flight controls, it needs to be certified which is not yet possible for commercial aviation. We’re working on this.
Bryczek: I would say none to be honest. The technology is there to protect intellectual property. Perhaps the only concern I have is do we have the energy infrastructure ready to drive some of the computing power behind it all.
Macias: Currently, the most immediate negative impacts of AI & ML is the disruption of well-established commercial markets and in the case of defense, the unexpected vulnerability of military systems that we have invested heavily into ensure our security.
We don’t know yet how advanced air mobility systems might change the flow of people and goods around our cities, but it is likely that not likely in 2025. In the mid-term future, we will see disruptions as we seek new norms, such as increased noise, safety challenges, privacy challenges, etc. We can also see that the major militaries of the world are very concerned about countering the asymmetric threats autonomous systems pose to our larger defense platforms, likely to accelerate as AI is applied in the future.
Question 3 – As global demand for sustainable practices intensifies, what innovations in product design, materials, or manufacturing processes do you think will most significantly impact sustainability efforts in aerospace and defense?
Hilderman: eVTOL. [Editor’s note: Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft are a type of VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) vehicle that use electric power for vertical takeoff, landing, and hovering. Unlike traditional VTOLs, eVTOLs rely solely on electric propulsion.]
Bryczek: We are going to continue to see more research and development efforts into alternative geological materials to mitigate the need to use rare earth elements. Systems will need to be redesigned, or new systems built altogether that utilize different materials. It’s not just global political unrest that is driving this but also socio-environmental resistance to the mining/extraction process that ruin the environment.
Mulcahy: Better collaboration across teams using tools to capture outcomes, integrate data sets, and ensure better decision-making/more efficient ways of incorporating science and research into the manufacture of products.
Macias: Aerospace and Defense is an industry that has struggled greatly with achieving solutions for sustainability. A significant innovation focus is being applied to this ongoing challenge. We can see major positive impacts already in more efficient structures (increased use of carbon fiber composites and advanced designs) and advancement in the efficiency of traditional propulsion systems. In work and over the horizon there is a strong desire to harness advanced, model-based design approaches (including AI, generative design, MDO, MBSE), and advanced manufacturing automations (3D printing, advanced robotics, etc.) to enable dramatic innovations that will increase the efficiency of flight and other operations.
However, what the industry most dearly seeks is a sustainable power source for A&D systems. This will have great value as these systems consume a great deal of energy and in the case of defense systems, the cost of getting fuel to the point of need is extremely high. The challenges of electrification, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), hydrogen propulsion, etc. continue to be a major focus of the A&D industry but also continue to present very significant challenges of affordability, reliability, power density/weight, and the logistics of fuel delivery.
Question 4 – Cybersecurity remains a top priority in aerospace and defense. What proactive steps do you believe the industry should take to strengthen security measures, particularly in software development and data management for connected and autonomous systems?
Hilderman: Mandate formal usage of DO-326A and ED-202A for cybersecurity within Avionics.
Bryczek: We already have terrific security policies and guidelines as Vance has pointed out that both the US and Europe have crafted. Developers need to be held accountable to follow security by design and to leverage zero-trust architecture. Still too often do I see security performed as an afterthought.
Macias: Security assurance is critical as we advance our use of autonomous systems and integrated data networks. This is and will remain a subject of constant focus, priority and challenge. The application of careful and advanced cybersecurity approaches must be a primary focus of all parts of the A&D system lifecycle including IP protection and security in operational data. As our systems become more intelligent and as the leverage is greater and greater computing power, this will only increase.
Question 5 – Given the shift toward digital transformation, what role do you see digital twins and simulation technologies playing in enhancing operational efficiency, project accuracy, and training in aerospace and defense?
Hilderman: Aircrafts are increasingly automated meaning less pilot involvement which means less onboard “practice;” this means simulation-based training is even more important.
Mulcahy: With more complex products being designed and worked across companies to deliver a larger product/initiative, going digital will be important to ensure alignment.
It will be important to ensure ways to share data seamlessly across tools to understand wider impacts, relationships and identify risks at an earlier stage.
Macias: The A&D industry is seeking the total usage of comprehensive digital twins that harness simulations in near real-time to instruct all aspects of a system’s lifecycle. Simulation driven, model-based development when harmonized into a comprehensive digital twin will enable dramatic breakthroughs in program efficiency, quality, and innovative capabilities. Because of the dramatic increase in ability of the engineering teams to cycle through massive numbers of virtual design and operational scenarios leading companies are enabling dramatic improvements in optimization and deep insights into the function of the designed systems early and throughout ongoing design changes.
This will extend to every aspect of the lifecycle, first into manufacturing and sustainment/service, mission development and operations health monitoring. We can envision a future where every operation of a system/vehicle is both simulated before it happens and after to assess the most efficient operation and the overall health of the system, safety of its occupants/environment. This can also have a significant impact on sustainability if the digital twin is harnessed to optimize operations for minimum energy consumption and maximize life of the system.
Question 6 – How do you anticipate changing geopolitical conditions and regulatory demands influencing the development of next-generation aerospace and defense products? What strategies should industry leaders consider to remain agile and compliant?
Hilderman: Defense demands will only grow; Europe will need to greatly increase spending, and USA will need to counter increased China spending.
Bryczek: In the defense industry, meeting the mission requirements and providing capabilities quickly to the warfighter trumps regulatory safety compliance requirements. Since there is no “certification” activity as in civilian aerospace systems, there is less burden on development practices. I see very little regulatory changes that will greatly impact defense. On the civilian side, regulations continue to evolve still very slowly. Leaders need to remain agile with their business strategy and align with what the political conditions offer. If there is a way to morph your product to a different market; then be bold and make it happen.
Mulcahy: With the rise of more worldwide conflicts, especially in Europe and the Middle East, more countries are spending more of their GDP on defence spending.
In today’s world, defense now goes more than just weapons, but also into space, cyber security and of course ensuring systems are secure and reliable.
New threats require new solutions to help mitigate these threats. That’s where more companies will develop more solutions and start-ups will emerge.
We often hear of a grey area in the UAV world in terms of regulations, but with more focus on the SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) / SAIL (Safety Assessment Integrity Level,) it will be interesting to see what standards emerge with more civilian/military uses for UAVs for both attack and defence purposes.
Macias: As the broader world adjusts to an accelerated rate of change, we will need to introduce innovative solutions faster and leverage solutions from global partners. This will demand secure, virtual collaboration methods, new ways of joint development while protecting IP and data security, and new standards for safety, communication, and joint operations. Industry leaders should continue to seek secure, virtual collaboration methods that can bring global/multi-disciplinary teams together and ensure harmonized efforts.
Question 7 – Are there any additional insights you have regarding predictions, events, or trends you anticipate happening in 2025 and beyond?
Hilderman: Demand for engineers is greater than supply and this will only worsen.
Mulcahy: More innovation in the UAV / Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) markets, but also more focus on the security of these solutions and the supporting infrastructure and regulations. It will be interesting to see how this combines with AI to develop fully autonomous and intelligent UAVs for civilian/military use cases. The need for larger companies to become more digital, deliver faster, and streamline operations will continue to be a focus.
Macias: The recent past has shown that innovative concepts are accelearating at such a high pace that we are continuously being surprised and amazed at new possibliities and impacts. The industry as a whole must seek faster awareness, greater agility and increase creativity to respond, leverage, and compete in the face of such dynamic times for Aerospace and Defense systems.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2024/12/2024-12-18-predictions-ad-2025-1-1.png5121024Jama Software/media/jama-logo-primary.svgJama Software2025-01-02 03:00:122024-12-20 15:37:192025 Expert Predictions for Aerospace and Defense: AI, Sustainability, and the Next Frontier
In this blog, we recap our webinar, “The New ARP4754B: Tips for Engineers & Quality Teams” – Click HERE to watch it in it’s entirety.
Navigating the updates to ARP4754B can be challenging.
Understanding new safety analysis methods, validation and verification flexibility, and strategies to mitigate unintended behaviors is crucial for advancing aerospace development and ensuring compliance.
Join us as Cary Bryczek, Director of Aerospace and Defense Solutions at Jama Software, shares practical tips for engineers and quality teams to navigate the most impactful changes in ARP4754B.
Gain Insights On:
Changes from ARP4754A to ARP4754B
Model-Based Safety Analysis (MBSA) and Cascading effects Analysis (CEA)
Identifying and mitigating unintended system behaviors
Tying your safety analyses to requirements in Jama Connect
The updates to verification and validation methods
Below is an abbreviated transcript and a recording of our webinar.
The video above is a preview of this webinar – Click HERE to watch it in its entirety!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
The New ARP4754B: Tips for Engineers & Quality Teams
Cary Bryczek: We’re going to have fun talking about the changes from ARP4754B revision A to revision B. We’ll spend some time a little bit more deeply on its emphasis on model-based design and safety. I’ll talk about enhanced integration of safety and requirements management and some of the changes to validation and verification. At the end, we’ll have some time for Q&A.
A quick refresher on what ARP4754B is. Its title is Guidelines for Development of Civil Aircraft. It’s an industry guideline developed by SAE International that provides recommended practices for the development of complex civil aircraft and systems. It outlines a structured systems engineering process for the integrating of hardware, software, and human factors to ensure safety, reliability, and performance across the system lifecycle. The document emphasizes traceability, verification, and validation from initial concept through to certification with a strong focus on meeting regulatory safety and design assurance standards.
ARP4754B also aligns and is used in conjunction with other key aerospace standards like DO-178C and DO-254 offering detailed guidance on how to meet safety and certification requirements in the context of modern integrated aircraft systems. ARP4754 revision B is meant to expedite consistency with ARP4761 revision A, the safety assessment process, which was it was released on the same day in December of 2023.
The guideline describes generic aircraft system development process, which establishes a framework for discussing the process. ARP4754B doesn’t imply a preferred method or process, nor does it imply a specific organizational structure. At its simplest, it emphasizes the flow down of intended aircraft function through the system requirements management process and allocation of function to systems, subsystems, and hardware and software items.
Integral processes in the context of 4754B refer to key processes that are interwoven throughout the entire development lifecycle of aerospace systems from concept to design, integration, verification, and certification. Now, these processes ensure that various engineering disciplines, your systems engineering teams, your hardware and software engineering safety are fully integrated, aligned, and contribute to the overall success of the project.
Bryczek: This diagram from 4754B outlines the key stages of the aircraft system development process and provides a framework for understanding how safety is integrated into each stage. The safety are the ones that are in the lightest white or gray. The standard approach ensures that the safety risks are identified, analyzed, and mitigated early in the design process, and are continuously assessed throughout the system lifecycle.
I want to point out that lifecycle phases really are iterative and independent. 4754B emphasizes that the phases of system development aren’t strictly linear. For example, design and development may loop back to earlier phases such as the requirement’s definition. If issues are found during those later stages, sort of this iterative approach ensures that safety concerns can be identified and corrected throughout the lifecycle.
You’ll also notice that safety and hazard analysis is integrated throughout the development phases. Safety assessments are continuous activities throughout the development process. Safety considerations such as your functional hazard assessments, your fault tree analysis to your cascading effects analysis are embedded within multiple phases, particularly the design, development, and verification phases.
Let’s get to the meat of what has changed. So ARP4754B builds on the foundation laid by 4754A but offers a much more structured, detailed, and modern approach to developing complex aerospace systems. This is in response to the increasing complexity of our modern aircraft, tighter safety requirements, and evolving certification processes, particularly the need for rigorous system integration, traceability, and safety assessment practices. It provides greater clarity around the development assurance levels and how they relate to the overall system and safety requirements.
Bryczek: While A provided a basic framework, B refines the application of DALs throughout the system lifecycle. B expands the understanding of development assurance levels in the context of aircraft and system development, and it places a greater emphasis on safety, traceability, and integration across the lifecycle stages. The updated standard provides a more comprehensive guidance on managing the DALs and aligning the safety assessments with the system requirements, and it ensures that development processes are rigorous enough to meet the increasing complexity of the modern aircraft systems.
With the increased use of model-based techniques, 4754B highlights the benefits of using models to perform safety assessments. It recognizes that simulation-based safety analysis can help engineers assess the safety of complex integrated systems much more efficiently by modeling different failure scenarios and responses, so the standard supports using simulation tools to model those failure scenarios and validate the robustness of safety-critical systems. And this all just improves the accuracy of safety analysis, and it helps identify the potential issues earlier in the design process.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2024/12/The-New-ARP4754B-Tips-for-Engineers-Quality-Teams.png9001600Cary Bryczek/media/jama-logo-primary.svgCary Bryczek2024-12-30 03:00:462024-12-19 11:27:49[Webinar Recap] The New ARP4754B: Tips for Engineers & Quality Teams
2025 Expert Predictions for the Semiconductor Industry: Innovations, Sustainability, and Globalization
The semiconductor industry is navigating a transformative era, marked by groundbreaking innovations and pressing challenges. As AI and machine learning demand faster, more efficient chips, semiconductor design and manufacturing are evolving at an unprecedented pace.
In part three of our annual predictions series, Michael Luciano, Senior Account Executive at Jama Software, explores the key trends shaping the industry. From advancements in silicon photonics and memory technologies to innovations in cooling systems and power delivery, these developments are poised to revolutionize chip performance while addressing critical energy efficiency needs.
Michael also addresses growing concerns about the environmental impact of chip production. With the immense power demands of AI-driven data centers and the continued use of harmful chemicals in manufacturing, the industry is turning to nuclear energy, novel materials, and refined processes as potential solutions. Emerging markets like India and China also play a pivotal role in future growth, highlighting the importance of global collaboration and infrastructure investment.
We like to stay on top of trends in other industries as well. Read our predictions for Industrial & Consumer Electronics (ICE) HERE, and Automotive HERE – Plus, stay tuned for future topics, including Aerospace & Defense, Medical Device & Life Sciences, and AECO.
With AI and machine learning driving demand for faster, more efficient chips, what key innovations in semiconductor design do you predict will transform these technologies, and how can companies balance performance with energy efficiency?
Michael Luciano: This is a great question. Key innovations in semiconductor design coming from increased demand with AI and machine learning (ML) will likely be on-chip optical communication using silicon photonics, continued memory innovation (i.e. HBM and GDDR7), backside or alternative power delivery, liquid cooling systems for Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) server clusters and superclusters.
Do you have any concerns or anticipate any negative impacts as it pertains to AI & ML?
Luciano: It’s understandable that people have concerns. Like every other tool that man has created, it’s important to create safeguards to prevent misuse and abuse. Agreeing on the exact safeguards and corresponding regulations is a highly contested and complex topic with wildly ranging global opinions. It’s undeniable that as AI systems and tools continue to evolve, these systems will replace some people’s jobs. This is already starting to happen. I am cautiously optimistic. As AI technologies become more advanced, with every negative impact I believe there will be an equal or greater level of positive impact for society and mankind elsewhere. Artificial superintelligence (ASI) is a hypothetical AI system with an intellectual scope beyond human intelligence. Mankind needs to see eye-to-eye before ASI comes to fruition or we are all in trouble. But don’t worry, we still have some time.
As chip production faces increased scrutiny for environmental impact, what role do you see for sustainable materials and manufacturing practices in the semiconductor industry, and how can software contribute to optimizing these efforts?
Luciano: In the context of the AI boom – the power required to operate gigawatt+ data centers is immense. Nuclear power is likely the most environmentally friendly way to go about it. Amazon and Google are currently investing heavily and recently formalized several key partnerships in this space. In the context of individual chip/device manufacturing – modern fabs also require a lot of energy/power. Nuclear powered systems will be the long-term answer. There are also a lot of nasty chemicals and gases that are used in chip production. I don’t see a clear way to fix this now, but as academia continues to study alternatives and companies continue to invest heavily in Research and Development (R&D) there is a possibility individual process steps can be adjusted/refined to incorporate novel materials or find other ways to help mitigate detrimental environmental impacts.
As the semiconductor industry becomes increasingly globalized, what emerging markets or regions do you see as pivotal to future growth, and how can companies foster effective cross-border partnerships and innovation?
Luciano: I identify Asia-Pacific (APAC) as the largest emerging market – specifically India and China, due to their populations. Companies can foster effective cross-border partnerships and innovation through significant investment in key infrastructure in those markets.
Are there any additional insights you have regarding predictions, events, or trends you anticipate happening in 2025 and beyond?
Luciano: AI Agents will mature and become widely used. This will significantly change how companies operate and go-to-market (GTM.)
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2024/12/2024-12-19-predictions-Semiconductor-2025.png5121024Jama Software/media/jama-logo-primary.svgJama Software2024-12-19 03:00:232024-12-20 12:30:022025 Expert Predictions for the Semiconductor Industry: Innovations, Sustainability, and Globalization
In this blog, author Vincent Balgos discusses the 2024 MedTech Conference, which took place in Toronto, CAN, from October 15 – 17, 2024.
Shaping the Future of MedTech: Insights from Industry Leaders on AI, Innovation, and Regulatory Challenges
Jama Software made its debut appearance at 2024 MedTech Conference in Toronto, CAN recently, and it was an inspiring experience. In addition to meeting passionate medical technology developers, learning the latest innovation trends, and establishing networking connections, I had the opportunity to attend a few panels/talks that wanted to share some insights.
Keynote: Medtech in Motion: Shaping the Future of Health Care Innovation
Attendees (left to right) Peter Arduini – President & CEO at GE Healthcare; Mike Mahoney – Chairman & CEO at Boston Scientific; Roy Jakobs – CEO at Philips; and Joanne Wuensch – Moderator.
With the keynote introduction and brief overview of med tech evolution provided by by AdvaMed’s President, the main event was a panel of Chief Executive Officers from GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific, and Philips discussed key factors that are forging the path of industry innovation.
Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) continual emergence in the conversation of innovation with application for both internal and external purposes. On the external side, AI’s predictive approach is a dominant talking point, supporting medical professionals on complex data analytics by identifying trends, correlations, etc., to help inform clinical decisions at scale. On the internal application, generative AI technology was mentioned as a potential factor to streamline efficiencies with improved internal processes and workflows within the organization. This is a topic that both AdvaMed President and GE Healthcare CEO have previously posted about, highlighting AI’s benefit on both the external and internal fronts that is already reaching patients’ bedsides and company’s processes (respectively) now. These tech-enabled efficiencies are proving to be a potential game changer in the way medical devices operate and develop products. An interesting un-answered question is the integration of AI into an ecosystem of tools, processes, and products, and its impact on the overall value.
The CEO panel unanimously agreed that removing bottlenecks, reducing inefficiencies, and leveraging automation are key for continual innovation in the med industry. With resources becoming limited and the complexity of technology increasing, there’s a continual search for innovative ways to develop safe and effective products faster. To paraphrase, any efforts to allow the development team to focus more on development activities and automate the routine, mundane tasks such as documentation provide teams more time to do the more challenging tasks.
Looking forward five years from now, the discussion turned to how to balance the fast innovation trend seen in emerging/non-traditional markets and the safety and effectiveness performance expectations of the medical industry.
Is there a way to harmonize both to develop safe products, but at accelerated velocity?
Also, how will regulations keep up with the pace of innovation, especially AI?
While FDA proactiveness is helping guide the industry, there are still a lot of unknowns that need to be discovered, derisked, and regulated appropriately.
On the second bullet, Jama Software can support the acceleration of development processes by streamlining the requirements, verification/validation, and risk management all within a single tool. By leveraging the out-of-the-box solutions, traceability to quality best practices becomes an automated byproduct, where can easily create technical documentation at the push of a button. By making routine documentation activities routine, developers can then focus on the more challenging aspects of product development, thereby increasing the velocity and efficiency of innovation. To learn more, please contact us.
Attendees (from left to right) Janet Trunzo – Moderator; Dr. Michelle Tarver – FDA Office of the Center Acting Director; Dr. Jeffrey Shuren – FDA Office of the Center Director; Dr Daniel Canos – Director, Office of Clinical Evidence and Analysis; Dr Owen Faris – Director, Office of Product Evaluation and Quality; and Troy Tazbaz. – Director, Digital Health Center.
Pictured (from left to right) Dr. Michelle Tarver – FDA Office of the Center Acting Director; Dr. Jeffrey Shuren – FDA Office of the Center Director.
What better way to start the last conference day than having breakfast while listening to the FDA Center of Radiological Health (CDRH) panel sharing some of their leading thoughts on trending topics within the industry. With introductions by Terumo CEO and announcing the upcoming retirement of Dr. Jeff Shuren (Director). Next was the introduction of Dr. Michelle Tarver as the incoming Director, where Dr. Tarver gave an introductory speech, highlighting her focus on a patient-first approach, providing access and equity to safe and effective medical devices to general population, and her visions for continuing and evolving FDA’s path for regulatory guidance for industry, including the Home as a Health Care Hub initiative.
After the panel introduction, the audience was encouraged to ask questions. Some (paraphrased) questions and responses are below:
[Editor’s Note: These responses are paraphrased from the FDA and not actual FDA statements. Please also note that Jama Software is not a regulatory consultant. These are observations only.]
How is FDA providing medical care access to more underserved patient population, particularly the women population?
Response: One of the key strategic priorities for CDRH in 2022-2025 is advancing heath equity for all patients and evaluations that take into account is the diverse population for which they are intended.
Jama Software: After the conference, an online search resulted in an Executive Summary for more information. Referencing the introductory speech, Home as a Health Care Hub seems to be a key factor in broadening all patients’ access to healthcare.
How does industry streamline their submissions processes and success rate to the FDA? It is very costly to the organization for each resubmit & re-address cycle.
Response: Before formal submission, it is highly recommended to consider pre-submissions as part of the regulatory strategy. This allows early interactions between FDA and the organization to help answer questions, identify gaps in the submission, and provide general guidance for a successful pathway.
Jama Software: Based on my experience, pre-submissions are standard of practice to help derisk many unknowns and help successfully navigate through the complicated submission process, especially with novel technologies or indications of use scenarios. I’d consider FDA as more of a partner than “overlord” as they have the shared goal of providing safe and effective medical to US patient population. If done correctly, pre-submissions save organizations time and money, since many of the questions / issues are proactively addressed.
While the FDA has been proactive in providing regulatory guidance on Artificial Intelligence development and applications, there are still many open questions, especially in generative AI and post market scenarios. What are some key areas that are in discussion (e.g., validation of generative AI)?
Response: Generally acknowledged that there is a lot to still discuss since it is an evolving technology. The 2023 draft guidance on “Marketing Submission Recommendations for a Predetermined Change Control Plan fo Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) – Enabled Device Software Functions” provides some considerations in how to manage change, especially in the post-launch scenarios. Since GenAI is continually learning and adapting to new data, there will be focus on post-market topics and how to handle AI’s dynamic state. This includes validation strategy and some general guidance. In addition, some general questions for organization to consider during AI development are:
What are the general problem statements that AI is trying to solve?
What are the large language models (LLM) being used for the device? Does the LLM support the devices intended use case(s)? Or is it the rationalization part of AI that is assessing data?
Would a separate AI be needed to monitor / manage the device’s AI?
Defining these approaches may help understand the associated benefits and risks with these new devices.
Jama Software: Previous FDA documents (1, 2) also shed some light on what the regulatory framework could look like in the future, so encourage research and comprehensive documentation of AI’s software requirements, testing, and associated risks.
Overall, breakfast with FDA was an insightful experience to understand what the regulatory body is thinking around current topics. When it comes to complex medical device development, Jama Software can support regulatory and quality compliances to key standards (Design Controls, ISO 13485) to allow teams to streamline their work efficiencies, reduce rework, and accelerate product launches to market.
To go faster, what tools and processes can be used to automate the more mundane tasks?
Digital Health Coverage is Limited
The regulators and industry are still trying to catch up. This is why hospitals are getting attacked, breeches, etc. Software is becoming more and more prominent, plus the software with connections introduces a huge vulnerability for bad actors. We’re still trying to wrap our heads around this. Final guidance on cybersecurity was released in 2023. There must be a cybersecurity plan included in your final submission.
Faster is Not Always Better
Unlike consumer electronics or social media, medical device & life sciences industry likes innovation, but having the latest innovation is not always great – the tradeoff is reliability, safety, and effectiveness. Just because you CAN go faster with innovation and development time, doesn’t mean you should. Because we deal with patients, we have to keep quality in check. We need to take a more thoughtful, steady, and proactive approach. If we don’t understand the software, we are putting a lot of our patients at risk.
Longitudinal Thinking and Applications
The CEO of GE and Philipps mentioned this twice in their speech. In this area, they want to have longitudinal traceability OUTSIDE of the device – worrying about the infrastructure, the users, the medical records, and other aspects of the product or the organizations. The impact isn’t on my device, there’s a broad impact.
In your submissions, in terms of cybersecurity, you must have good documentation. Define your problem, what are your indications of use, what is your environment of use (is this a connected device, where are the digital connections and vulnerabilities). What the FDA is looking for is a story to take a more risk-based approach to developing and approving products.
In medical device development, we used to have this thought: If you’re not sure of something, go back to the documentation. Trust it but verify it.
The new thinking is that you should never trust it and always verify. Documentation is becoming more complex, and teams sometimes aren’t documenting in the way that they should.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2024/12/2024-11-08-shaping-future-of-medtech-conference-recap-1.jpg5121024Vincent Balgos/media/jama-logo-primary.svgVincent Balgos2024-12-17 03:00:222024-12-17 09:36:22Shaping the Future of MedTech: Insights from Industry Leaders on AI, Innovation, and Regulatory Challenges
2025 Expert Predictions for the Automotive Industry: AI, Sustainability, and the Road Ahead
The automotive industry is undergoing a seismic transformation, driven by advancements in AI, machine learning, electric vehicles, and sustainability initiatives.
In part two of our annual predictions series, Jama Software’s industry experts — Neil Stroud, General Manager of Automotive & Semiconductor; Stefan Stange, Managing Director; Matt Mickle, Director of Solutions and Consulting; and Ádám Gősi, Account Executive — share their insights on the most pressing challenges and groundbreaking innovations shaping the future of automotive.
From the rise of software-defined vehicles to overcoming supply chain disruptions and achieving ambitious sustainability goals, this year’s predictions offer a compelling roadmap for manufacturers looking to stay competitive and thrive in the years ahead.
We like to stay on top of trends in other industries as well. Read our predictions for Industrial & Consumer Electronics (ICE) HERE and stay tuned for future topics, including Aerospace & Defense, Medical Device & Life Sciences, Energy, and Semiconductor.
Question 1 – With the rising integration of AI, machine learning, and autonomous systems, how do you foresee these technologies reshaping automotive and semiconductor operations? What are the most promising applications and potential challenges?
Neil Stroud: The industry has undergone somewhat of a reset of expectations around autonomy. Solving the challenges related to autonomous vehicles is harder than we all thought. Generally, we are now laser-focused on the software-defined vehicle and developing the related systems that allow mass deployment of L2+ and L3 capable vehicles. This will ultimately lead into autonomy anyway.
It’s great to see robotaxi solutions gaining traction with L4 (ODD limited L5) and humans slowly becoming more open to getting in a vehicle with no driver. This is a massive mindset shift.
AI/ML has a massive role to play in all of these areas.
Stefan Stange: Development complexity and quality expectations will increase exponentially while the development time and cost must decrease, modern tools and processes supported by AI will support to solve these challenges.
Matt Mickle: With automotive, AI is exponentially increasing the development of systems that will enhance safety, enable convenience, and make maintenance more reliable. Overall, this is shifting the perspective of the driving experience entirely. This does come with concerns around risk especially in regards to cybersecurity, and with ethical decision making.
On the semiconductor side AI is helping to optimize design of chip architecture and enhance performance with AI-assisted tooling providing better analytics. Risks here are also in cybersecurity as well as supply chain risks due to things like export controls and potential tariffs.
Ádám Gősi: The challenge I think will define future development is intellectual property and how certain tools and models are handling sensitive data. Besides this, it is important to establish the responsibilities. In safety-critical development there always has to be a human expert to control the result. These factors will determine if it is worth investing in developing a new AI model or maybe adopting an existing one. Customers often don’t have their own definition of what they are expecting of an AI, they expect us to show them our best interpretation so far. This could lead to a trap of over-promising. With my limited knowledge, I see the current era as the “gold rush era” – some AI developers don’t have a clear target just hoping to hit the big prize.
Question 2 – As a follow-up question: Do you have any concerns or anticipate any negative impacts as it pertains to AI & ML?
Stroud: As someone who has worked in functional safety for almost 20 years, I’m still concerned about the industry’s ability to develop systems that have the appropriate levels of safety where AI is involved. As humans, we expect the autonomous world to be a safer world and reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths on our roads. However, there are plenty of high-profile examples where we are falling short.
Stange: Safety and security are a must, not losing the data authority.
Mickle: Definitely many concerns with things like AI being used maliciously in cybersecurity attacks, Energy consumption and waste issues due to the massive amounts of computational energy needed, unpredicted failures or AI hallucinations, etc. but these need to be considered and worked through as progress is inevitable and unavoidable.
Gősi: In safety-critical development there always has to be a human expert to control the result.
Question 3 – With the rapid progression toward electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous driving, what technological advancements do you think will be critical to automotive innovation over the next few years, and how can manufacturers stay competitive?
Stroud: The industry has to keep investing in battery technology to increase the range capabilities of vehicles as well as extending useful battery lifetime. It will be interesting to see how well alternative fuels such as hydrogen become mainstream. I do think there will be new data that comes to light that shows that electrification isn’t necessarily the holy grail that we expect. Building batteries is taking a major toll on the planet so there may well still be a combustion engine resurgence. Also, there is a macroeconomic challenge in that 80% of the world EV batteries come from China.
There is also a significant electrical grid infrastructure challenge to solve that is hugely expensive. As the number of EV’s grows, it will be theoretically possible to intelligently use power stored in unused vehicles to supplement the grid for supply. However, the grid we have today is fundamentally unidirectional (i.e. power station to consumer). Making this bidirectional is a massive and costly challenge.
Over the coming years, there is no doubt the industry will continue to get autonomous operation to a more reliable, safe, and therefore more mass-deployable state. As a result, new car ownership and usage business models will emerge enabled by technological advancements.
Stange: Development complexity and quality expectations will increase exponentially while the development time and cost must decrease. The use of modern and forward-thinking solutions will help.. Defining and following reliable processes and partnerships enabling a collaboration network by using best-in-class solutions with full traceable Agile for the development and manufacturing process should be the goal.
Mickle: AI has been coined as the next major platform shift or technology super cycle and will be the primary change for the upcoming years until we have greater machine intelligence or perhaps “machine consciousness” or Artificial Super Intelligence where AI actually outperforms humans across the board.
Gősi: As release cycles are ever shorter, products and software have to be released before fully developed. Over-the-air updates will be an important factor. Automakers will be able to update less developed rapidly depreciating models. ADAS sensors will become more refined, but incrementally. The current hardware is capable of fully self-driving. Software and regulation/local law are the limiting factors. Battery technology could see an improvement in general with the range increasing. Western Manufacturers will have to bring down the costs and improve on software quality, like Asian EV manufacturers.
Question 4 – Sustainability is a growing focus in the automotive industry. How do you see product design, materials, and manufacturing processes evolving to meet environmental goals and what role will software play in supporting these sustainable initiatives?
Stroud: There are many aspects to this. Making vehicles even more recyclable is fundamental. This impacts not only the materials used within the vehicle but also the design and construction of the vehicle. There is always the tradeoff between the value of recycled materials versus the cost of the effort to break the old car down into distinct recycled parts.
We are already seeing huge effort being put into efficient scalability and reuse when it comes to vehicle chassis platforms and software reuse.
Finally, manufacturing has a key role to play. The continuous march towards the truly smart factory that not only allows for mass-customization but also the ability to manufacture multiple models on the same production line even to the point where a single MaaS line can produce for multiple OEMs. These megafactories will be super-efficient and because there are fewer of them, the environmental impact will be lower.
Stange: The complexity also to guarantee sustainability will increase and must be handled with a professional and scalable software and process.
Also, the market expectation in regard to design, materials, individuality and related manufacturing processes will increase and be a game changer for success.
Mickle: Systems are being designed more with an end of life in mind and with reusability and modularity as a backbone. We’ve seen this shift for many years now with SDVs and it will only grow. Data provided by AI driven software will help drive optimization in the lifespan of all areas of the development process and supply chain, enhancing efficiency to reduce waste and understand better how things can be reused.
Gősi: Sustainability goals are not supporting the real cause in my belief. If EVs are going to continue being the supported trend by governments, and therefore manufacturers, then the battery manufacturing and recycling process needs to be improved to be more sustainable.
Question 5 – As software-defined vehicles become the new standard, what shifts do you anticipate in software development and cybersecurity practices to support seamless updates, driver experience, and vehicle safety?
Stroud: Software is eating the world. The challenges faced by OEMs in the software domain is immense. The modern vehicle contains hundreds of millions of lines of code. More than a modern commercial or military aircraft. This problem is compounded as the software comes from hundreds of third-party vendors and it is the responsibility of the vehicle manufacturer to integrate and test everything for correct operation and ensure it is still safe, secure and performant. This need must drive a mindset shift in the way systems are designed as well as breaking down the barriers between the OEM’s and the suppliers. The ones that will succeed are the ones that foster seamless interfaces between organizations. This will directly impact safety and security in a positive way as well as accelerating innovation.
Stange: A car becomes more and more a computer with wheels with exponential increase of requirements regarding software, updates on weekly basis also considering cybersecurity. Manufacturers have to balance between cost and security and develop cars that allow access to like a iPhone or computer but with higher and better security and safety strategies.
That means, car software platforms have to change and improve dramatically in the next years.
Mickle: Increased automation and traceability throughout the toolchain, using AI to analyze data and improve efficiency by providing that data intelligently to influence rapid change and execution.
Gősi: On the high level over the over-the-air updates and software updates and development need to be improved at the majority of OEMs and suppliers.
Question 6 – How is the automotive industry preparing to address challenges in the supply chain, particularly with semiconductor shortages, and what strategies could help improve resilience and adaptability in the face of future disruptions?
Stroud: The recent semiconductor supply constraints were a wakeup call for the industry. Vehicle shipments were being held up because of the lack of availability of the smallest sub-$1 components. As a result, I see two behaviours emerging. Some OEM’s are naturally building strategic partnerships with the semiconductor suppliers and trying to contractually guarantee supply. This gets interesting as the majority of semiconductor companies are ‘fabless’ and rely on companies such as TSMC, Global Foundries and SMIC. The other strategy is to take matters into your own hands and develop your own chips (ASIC) that provide exactly the functions that are needed versus the inevitable compromise that often happens with an off-the-shelf standard product. Companies like JLR are starting down this path. However, it’s not for the faint-hearted. Chip design is not easy and it’s expensive especially if you want to gain the benefits of the latest bleeding edge process nodes. Also, you will still be dependent on the same fab companies that serve the rest of the industry.
Stange: I see OEM collaborating more and more with start up´s in the semiconductor or EV market to assimilate the needed know how, strategies and flexibility reacting fast to the market needs. So, for example VW collaborates with Rivian and announced using their Software platform for the next Audi´s and VW´s and Aston Martin is collaborating with Lucid.
Mickle: Investment in local suppliers as well as diversifying the regions from which supplies are acquired. Also designing for flexibility and modularity such as with chiplets.
Gősi: Shortages don’t seem to be a problem nowadays. The supply chain needs to be more agile and detect risks sooner to avoid the delays caused by the JIT method.
Question 7 – The concept of “mobility as a service” is gaining traction in urban areas. How do you think automotive companies should adapt to this trend, and what new types of partnerships or innovations do you foresee in this area?
Stroud: MaaS will ultimately drive massive change in the way the mobility of the population happens. We already see that the current generation generally has a dramatically different view on driving and vehicle ownership. We’ve already witnessed the disruption that rideshare created. The car OEMs will have to adapt and develop new business models that go beyond the traditional purchase and lease models of today. There will be intermediary companies that emerge (that could be subsidiaries) that provide such services. I also envisage tighter integrations with the insurance companies as the volume of individual vehicle data that’s available will allow for hyper-tailoring of such services.
Stange: From my perspective, we have started mobility as a service already in urban areas with apps like FreeNow or Uber and more will come. Important is, that everything somehow has to be networked with the support of intelligent systems and software.
Also, the infrastructure, for example, intelligent charging points, parking, and availability has to improve. The way of thinking about mobility as a service has already changed for the younger generation, while my older son still likes cars for fun and as a status is my younger son just considering how to get from A to B fast, cheap, and safe.
Gősi: This is a business question between OEMs and local governments. From a product perspective, they would need cheap-to-produce and cheap-to-maintain and easy to drive vehicles that can serve those users. Manufacturers will have to further optimize their platform strategy for this specific application.
Question 8 – Are there any additional insights you have regarding predictions, events, or trends you anticipate happening in 2025 and beyond?
Stroud: I strongly believe that it is not the technology that will limit the deployment of these new technologies but the legislation. Every single country has a different set of rules and that will have a significant impact. We also have to overcome the challenges of dealing with ethical AI. Autonomous crash scenarios will have to be ‘calculated’ differently depending upon geographic location. Naturally, this is a highly sensitive topic but one that must be solved.
Stange: 2025 will be a challenging year for Automotive specially and Europe, unclear EV strategies, Asian competition, high taxes, energy and labor costs, and political struggles – everything will push the auto industry to slimline their way of thinking, developing, and manufacturing. On the other side, there will be a lot of opportunities for the innovators, the startups, and the companies, that reinvent themselves and restructure in a healthy way, these are the ones, we are happy to support.
Gősi: Unless there is a major shift in strategy and execution, the traditional European OEMs will lose their market-leading position. Innovative US and innovative and competitive Asian manufacturers will take over the leading position.
Editor’s Note: Responses reflect a mix of British and American English, depending on the respondent.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2024/12/2024-12-12-predictions-automotive-2025-1.jpg5121024Jama Software/media/jama-logo-primary.svgJama Software2024-12-12 03:00:592024-12-18 14:17:572025 Expert Predictions for the Automotive Industry: AI, Sustainability, and the Road Ahead
Jama Connect® Features in Five: Jama Connect Interchange™ – Universal ReqIF Import
Learn how you can supercharge your systems development process! In this blog series, we’re pulling back the curtains to give you a look at a few of Jama Connect’s powerful features… in under five minutes.
In this Features in Five video, Mario Maldari,Director of Solution Architecture at Jama Software, will introduce viewers to the Jama Connect Interchange universal ReqIF import capabilities. We will review how requirements data from suppliers and stakeholders can easily be imported into Jama Connect, where they can be further elaborated and defined.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Mario Maldari: Hello. My name is Mario Maldari and I’m the Director of Solution Architecture here at Jama Software. Today, we’ll be discussing the Jama Connect Interchange Universal ReqIF import capabilities. We will review how requirements data from suppliers and stakeholders can easily be imported into Jama Connect, where they can be further elaborated and defined. With Jama Connect Interchange’s Universal ReqIF file-based exchanges are simple and streamlined regardless of what requirements management tool is used by the supplier. The tool’s automatic and intelligent field mapping helps to facilitate a smooth import process ensuring all data comes into Jama Connect as expected. This includes field and data mapping as well as maintaining upstream and downstream traceability between various requirements. Let’s explore how this works with Jama Connect Interchange.
We have received a ReqIF export from one of our many suppliers. This particular file contains a mixture of system requirements and subsystem requirements. We have worked with our supplier to define fields and values for the requirements. The system requirements contain tolerance values and due dates that were set in the originating tool. It also has subsystem requirements that contain a Boolean value named Compliance, which is set to true or false. We’ll be using Jama Connect Interchange to create a conversation, map our attribute fields, and import into Jama Connect.
Maldari: The first thing we will do is to create a conversation that will define the context of the import. We will choose a Jama Connect project that we would like to import the ReqIF file into and provide a name for the conversation so that we can refer back to it at any time to perform additional imports or exports. Once completed and saved, we can select on the Import tab. This is where we will upload our ReqIF file and prepare for the import. We can select a location in the Jama Connect project for where we want the requirements data to be imported into. We will create a simple mapping of the requirement types found in the ReqIF file to the desired and corresponding requirement types in the Jama Connect project.
Once this is achieved, we can point and click to map our labels and attributes. First, we’ll map the labels for our system requirements. One of the great things about Jama Connect Interchange is that it automatically detects the type for you during the upload process, so that you can easily perform a corresponding mapping into Jama Connect. This helps save time during your imports. It also takes the guesswork out of manual mapping. In this case, we’ll map four values, name, description, tolerance, and due date. The field mapping can easily be toggled on or off, depending on the data you want to map and import. Next, we will map the labels for our subsystem requirements. In this case, we’ll also map three values, name, description, and compliance.
Finally, we want to ensure that whatever relationships and traceability that existed in the source system are mapped over when imported into Jama Connect. Let’s go ahead and include the relationships, and we can even select the relationship type that we would like the requirements to have when imported. Once our desired mapping is complete, we can click the Initiate Import button to begin the import process. In this case, we’ll create new items. However, if we’re performing a round-trip exchange and we had already imported, we can easily update the items with changes made by our supplier during the import process. All events are logged in Jama Connect Interchange so that it’s easy to check on status and progress. Let’s navigate over to our Jama Connect project to see the imported requirements.
Maldari: As expected, we see both system requirements and subsystem requirements. We can take a look at each and verify that the name, description, and other fields such as tolerance and compliance have also come in populated with data. We can view the relationships in traceability using our trace view to ensure that the traceability from the source system has been maintained. We can easily modify any of the values in these fields and change them according to our working process in normal requirements management activities. We can continue elaborating these requirements in Jama Connect or export them using Jama Connect Interchange to share back with our supplier at any time. Many requirements’ management tools have implemented their own version of ReqIF making interoperability a challenge. Only Jama Connect provides interoperability with universal ReqIF, making imports and exports easy regardless of their originating source.
Thank you for watching this Features In Five session on the Jama Connect Interchange for ReqIF import. If you’re an existing customer and want to learn more, please reach out to your customer success manager or consultant. If you’re not yet a client, please visit our website at Jamasoftware.com to learn more about the platform and how we can help optimize your development process. Thank you.
