A new study by Berylls by AlixPartners, Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation, and Knobloch & Gröhn highlights Eclipse OpenSOVD as an open source foundation for vehicle diagnostics as the automotive industry moves towards software-defined architectures.
Titled “Diagnostics as a key enabler: how OEMs, suppliers, and third parties are rebuilding the vehicle software backbone”, the study explores how diagnostics is evolving from fault detection after failure towards continuous monitoring, predictive maintenance, issue prevention, and remote repair. It estimates that the global diagnostics software market will grow from approximately €14 billion in 2025 to €34 billion by 2035, representing annual growth of around 9%.
A central theme is the emergence of Service-Oriented Vehicle Diagnostics (SOVD) as a bridge between legacy diagnostic systems and modern, service-oriented vehicle architectures. According to the study, SOVD’s REST-based diagnostic API addresses structural limitations of the Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) approach at the scale required for software-defined vehicles.
Open source as a shared foundation: Eclipse OpenSOVD as an example
The study identifies three implementation approaches:
- Traditional OEM and vendor partnerships,
- OEM in-house development, and
- Open source adoption.
It presents open source as a foundation that typically complements either of the first two approaches. Throughout the report, Eclipse OpenSOVD is highlighted as an example of this shared approach. The authors describe an ecosystem progressing from a reference implementation towards a production-relevant foundation that OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are integrating into their SDV platform programs.
The report also highlights Eclipse OpenSOVD’s integration with Eclipse S-CORE, connecting diagnostic capabilities with the broader vehicle software architecture. This provides a basis for developers and manufacturers to build standards-aligned diagnostic stacks without starting from scratch.
Reducing fragmentation across the industry
The study also examines differences between international standards-based approaches and the proprietary diagnostic platforms developed by leading Chinese OEMs. It identifies export-market requirements as a near-term driver of greater convergence.
Against this backdrop, the authors see a growing role for open source initiatives within the Eclipse SDV community. Shared, vendor-neutral implementations such as Eclipse OpenSOVD can lower barriers to adoption and reduce fragmentation, giving manufacturers, suppliers, and tool vendors a common foundation to build on.
Download the study: https://www.berylls.com/insights/automotive-diagnostics-vehicle-software/
Learn more about Eclipse OpenSOVD and get involved: https://github.com/eclipse-opensovd/opensovd
