{"id":3368,"date":"2026-01-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kunden.weissblaumedia.de\/microconsult\/2021\/09\/29\/ip_sw-entwicklung-neu-gedacht_1\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T21:01:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T20:01:31","slug":"ip_sw-development-reimagined_1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/ip_sw-entwicklung-neu-gedacht_1\/","title":{"rendered":"Software development reimagined \u2013 Part 1: How multicore, safety and security aspects are changing today's software projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Embedded software development today still mostly takes place in single-core environments. However, software is increasingly controlling complex processes that only function in multi-core environments. This presents new challenges for development.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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To achieve a high standard of software quality, different models for the individual development phases of a project are helpful. The usual approaches to the software development process typically rely on the V-model and the model for agile development methods.<\/p>\n

The V-model (XT) prescribes the following steps:<\/p>\n

\"Development<\/p>\n

Figure 1: Project development phases in the V-model<\/em><\/p>\n

These steps are mandatory when developing systems in agile projects:<\/p>\n

\"Agile<\/p>\n

Figure 2: Development phases in agile projects<\/em><\/p>\n

However, software today has to control increasingly complex processes. This presents new challenges for software development, for example, in meeting the stringent requirements of safety and security.<\/p>\n

Multicore technology allows for better use of battery capacity.<\/h4>\n

A brief look back: With the introduction of laptops and the mobile availability of computing power, the limits of achievable computing power per watt, expressed in millions of instructions per second (MIPS), were quickly reached. The greater the computing power, the greater the strain on the battery. The same process occurred with mobile phones.<\/p>\n

Salvation came not only in the form of enormous battery packs (which were also available if you wanted to carry them), but with the development of multicore processors, which could process more software packages in parallel without placing a greater burden on the processor. This meant that the batteries of mobile devices lasted longer and the devices became more powerful without consuming significantly more electricity.<\/p>\n

In the PC world, the transition from single-core to multi-core processors took place at the beginning of the millennium. Back then, the first multi-core notebooks were quite expensive. And this was despite the fact that the available PC software \u2013 developed for single-core architectures \u2013 was not yet equipped to handle this challenge.<\/p>\n

New challenges cannot be met without multicore environments.<\/h4>\n

We find ourselves at a similar point today in the embedded world:<\/p>\n

\"Multicore<\/p>\n

Figure 3: Multicore, Safety and Security and new challenges<\/em><\/p>\n

While the majority of embedded software continues to be developed for single-core microcontrollers, new challenges are already on the horizon: driver assistance systems, autonomous driving, intelligent charging concepts for car batteries and solar panels, secure mobile communication and much more require efficient software.<\/p>\n

Without Multicore environments<\/strong> These new challenges cannot be overcome. Two aspects are particularly important here, and manufacturers bear a great deal of responsibility for them:<\/p>\n