World premiere
embedded world 2026 – Nuremberg
SECOR SDV LAB
The new development board for Software-Defined Vehicles.
Hardware and software. Developed together right from the start. Not just brought together in the prototype. Software integration check per sprint (e.g. every 14 days). Fewer errors. Faster time-to-market. Update-capable over the entire life cycle.
The challenge
Why does vehicle development still cost too much and take too long?
The error does not occur during testing.
It occurs when hardware and software meet too late.
Today, components with ECUs are put out to tender. Software and hardware come from different suppliers and only meet for the first time at the prototype stage. Then the most expensive part of development begins: integration. Error lists. Iterations. Delays. Queries.
You know this:
- 150 ECUs (incl. software) are developed separately and must later be laboriously brought together
- Integration problems only arise in the prototype when changes are expensive
- Error lists grow with each iteration cycle
What it costs:
than with an integrated hardware-software process
Longer development cycles
Source: AUTOMOBIL ELEKTRONIK
The explanatory video
SECOR SDV LAB in a Nutshell -
explained clearly in 2:30 min.
What is the SECOR SDV LAB?
A real development environment - not another concept.
With the help of the SECOR SDV LAB, SECOR is turning the development model around. Tier 1s can now separate hardware and software as early as the tendering phase and develop both in a single, integrated process. The result: fewer integration problems, shorter development cycles and lower costs.
The SECOR SDV LAB is a physical hardware and software platform that maps the entire development and integration process for software-defined vehicles in a single environment. Tier 1s work directly with OEMs and other Tier 1s from the first step of component splitting to SoP release to optimize software integration early in the product development process.
The SDV LAB contains
- Two ZCU (Zonal Control Unit): zonal control unit on which the software modules of the Tier 1s run
- A CCU (Central Control Unit): central computing unit for the vehicle architecture
- SECOR.connect: standardized interface modules for sensors and actuators
- Message Broker: Communication layer between all components
- Direct connection to the SECOR SDV AppStore for over-the-air software updates
Tier-1s USE CASES
- Separate existing components with ECU into hardware components and software modules
- Develop, test and iterate software modules without waiting for the OEM prototype
- Process OEM error lists directly in LAB and upload corrected versions immediately
- OEM regularly simulates the entire integration process locally before the software is tested in the technology carrier/prototype
The SECOR SDV LAB – the physical development environment for software-defined vehicles. Real hardware, ready for immediate use.
The SECOR SDV LAB is available as a compact board (65 x 85 cm) and can be expanded on the existing development infrastructure of Tier 1, without system breaks or proprietary lock-ins. The entry barrier is deliberately kept low: A Tier-1 that starts today with a single vehicle function can gradually expand the SECOR SDV LAB to the entire vehicle project.
How the process works - step by step
SECOR SDV LAB: Development errors
are prevented, not repaired.
The SECOR SDV LAB enables Tier 1s to cleanly separate old components with ECUs into hardware components and software modules. In future, OEMs will tender for both separately. Software and hardware run in parallel from the outset and are developed jointly, iteratively and quickly.
approx. 36 months before SoP
Instead of a complete component with ECU, the OEM will in future tender for two services: the hardware component (without ECU) and the associated software module, which later runs on the Zonal Control Unit (ZCU). The SECOR SDV LAB supports Tier 1s in carrying out this separation in a precise and standardized manner.
approx. 24 months before SoP
The OEM builds its test vehicle/prototype and loads all software directly via OTA from the SECOR SDV AppStore. Weekly function and system checks, structured error lists for each Tier 1 module, corrections directly at the LAB – an iterative process that eliminates errors before they become expensive.
14-day function and system checks, structured error lists for each Tier 1 module, corrections directly on the LAB. An iterative process that eliminates errors before they become expensive.
from SoP
With the pay-per-use model of the SECOR SDV AppStore, the Tier 1 has an economic incentive to maintain and further develop its software over the entire vehicle life cycle. New features via OTA. Bug fixes without a recall. The vehicle remains permanently up to date.
The software of the predecessor model can be reused, the Tier 1s integrate their software at an early stage for new vehicle projects in the OEM’s Master SDV LAB, so that the SOP can be achieved together more safely and efficiently.
Benefits at a glance
What you gain - concrete and measurable.
Lower development costs
Through early separation of hardware and software, parallel development and standardized APIs
Updateable over the life cycle
Standardized SDV software library, compatible with Eclipse SDV open source standards
Presented for the first time at the IAA Mobility 2025 – recognized as a “game changer” by market observers
Why SECOR
No concept. No promise.
A functioning system.
The SECOR SDV CONCEPT is patent-pending and was presented for the first time at the IAA Mobility 2025. Industry observers and the trade press have rated it as a ‘game changer’ for vehicle development.
Technological basis
- Patent-pending SDV concept
- Standardized software library
- Pin-compatible chips for flexible integration
- Compatible with Eclipse SDV open source standards
- Zonal E/E architecture with central computer
External recognition
- IAA Mobility 2025: First presentation of the SECOR SDV CONCEPT
- Proven methodology
- Rated as a "game changer" by the trade press and analysts
Process overview
How the SECOR SDV LAB process works -
at a glance.
Invitation to tender
HW (without ECU) + SW module separately. Tier-1 separates old components with SECOR SDV LAB.
Test vehicle & prototype:
Software directly via OTA from AppStore. 14-day iterations. Detect errors early, keep costs low.
Series production
Pay-per-use for software, OTA updates, permanently updatable vehicle platform.
Next step
Ready to structurally eliminate errors in development earlier?
The SECOR SDV LAB is now available. In an initial meeting, we will show you how the new development process fits into your existing supplier structure, without major changes and with measurable results.
Find out more about the SECOR SDV CONCEPT, which E/E experts are already calling a “game changer”.
Secure your access early and be part of the next stage of development right from the start.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.