Interview with Tim Kliefoth, Eclipse OpenSOVD committer
We caught up with Tim Kliefoth, Senior Software Engineer and Architect at Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation, to talk about the origins and goals of the Eclipse OpenSOVD project, which is under the purview of the Eclipse SDV Working Group. From its “wow” moment at launch to its vision for becoming a staple open source project in the industry, Tim’s perspective highlights the power of community-driven innovation in shaping the future of software-defined vehicles.
What prompted the creation of the Eclipse OpenSOVD project, and how does it aim to change the way automotive software and diagnostics are developed and maintained across the industry?
Tim Kliefoth: That’s a great question. I think what really prompted it was the lack of a good open source automotive diagnostic stack and the clear need for one in the industry. We saw this quite clearly within the Eclipse S-CORE project – there was a strong demand for such a solution.
At the same time, there’s been a shift toward SOVD, which is still a relatively new technology compared to older systems based on UDS. So, in a way, it was the right market opportunity at the right time.
Additionally, the SOVD standard is based on an ISO standard, which made it the perfect foundation for an open source project, allowing us to work closely with the standard itself and enrich it. For me, it’s really a synergy between the standard and the implementation.
What was also remarkable was the level of industry interest. When we held the kickoff call for the project with the Eclipse Foundation, we had over 120 participants from more than 60 different companies. That was a real “wow” moment for me.
How is Eclipse OpenSOVD fostering collaboration between OEMs, suppliers, and software developers, and what impact could that collaboration have on innovation and vehicle lifecycle management?
I think it’s really a common problem that everyone in the industry faces, which makes it a great opportunity to come together and see what’s possible when we collaborate on shared challenges. Often, we think about technology in terms of business differentiation, but this is a great example of how companies can successfully collaborate on non-differentiating technologies that bring shared benefits to everyone.
Eclipse OpenSOVD, in particular, really fosters collaboration because the project is structured into different workstreams. We’ve clustered various components of the stack into these workstreams, and each is led by different companies – suppliers and OEMs alike – creating a good mix. For example, Mercedes-Benz is leading the Classic Diagnostic Adapter workstream, BMW is working on the SOVD-to-UDS proxy, and companies like Liebherr and ZF are working on the core part of the SOVD server. Even more companies are contributing across the board and are participating in architecture discussions.
So overall, even in the current turbulent times, it’s really valuable to work together.
How do you see Eclipse OpenSOVD evolving over the next few years?
In general, the ambition of OpenSOVD is to provide an end-to-end diagnostics stack that stands on its own. The idea is that if a company is looking for a diagnostic stack based on SOVD, they can turn to OpenSOVD and find everything they need to build it themselves.
We plan to continue growing and building on the strong foundation we’ve established, especially in collaboration with the Eclipse S-CORE project.
Looking further ahead, my hope is that Eclipse OpenSOVD will become one of the staple open source projects in the automotive industry, like some of the well-known ones that nearly everyone in the field has used at some point. I think it would be great if OpenSOVD reached that level of recognition and impact …
… together with Eclipse S-CORE?
I truly believe that Eclipse S-CORE is the right way to go. I think OpenSOVD may have a bit of an advantage in that it’s standalone – it represents a single module within a larger system. That makes it interesting for companies that are specifically looking for a diagnostics solution while wanting to keep their existing systems. But in the end, time will tell.
You mentioned that Eclipse OpenSOVD emerged out of Eclipse S-CORE because the need was seen there in the project. Are there any other projects that might emerge from S-CORE where you see a need for open source innovation?
I think that will really depend on how things develop over the next half year or so with Eclipse S-CORE. In general, S-CORE provides a good foundation for creating additional projects because its components are modularised and can be used by themselves.
Right now, there’s no specific plan around creating more projects out of S-CORE – mainly because a lot of the benefits from S-CORE come from the ecosystem and cohesive platform it provides. For example, S-CORE aims to provide safety guarantees and releases for the entire stack - making adoption easy.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
I’d just say that if anyone is interested in contributing to OpenSOVD, there’s still plenty of room for more contributors and participants. So definitely take a look and get involved!
