Illustration of an engineer interacting with a digital twin of a car displaying vehicle diagnostics and technical data in an automotive lab environment.

SDV Series Episode 4: Driving the SDV Revolution with Keysight

In the previous blog posts we explored the architecture, business requirements, and challenges of the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) transition. Now, it’s time to zoom in and look at how we, as Keysight, are helping shape this future by delivering the technologies, insights, and tools that enable our customers and partners to move forward with confidence.

The SDV journey is not just about adapting to change; it’s about leading it. And that requires a deep understanding of the technological domains that are evolving rapidly. From electrification to perception, from connectivity to cloud and cybersecurity, SDVs are built on a complex, interconnected technology stack. Keysight provides comprehensive, scalable, and integrated solutions that deliver actionable insights across the entire development workflow.

Where We Help Drive the SDV Transition

We empower our customers across six technological domains that are essential for the success of software-defined vehicles (SDVs). In the sections that follow, we’ll explore each domain in detail and highlight how Keysight’s expertise and solutions can drive innovation and performance in every area.

E/E Platform: Enabling intelligent and electrified architectures

E/E Platform description for SDV including Electrification, ECUs and sensing capabilities. Image of electric car charging

SDVs rely on a powerful and interconnected electrical/electronic (E/E) architecture that supports everything from electrification to advanced perception. This domain forms the technological foundation of the SDV, enabling intelligent decision-making, seamless sensor integration, and efficient energy management. As vehicles become more software-centric, the E/E platform must evolve to support high-speed data exchange, real-time control, and scalable electrified systems. This includes electric vehicle (EV) components, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interfaces, and sophisticated electronic control and sensing technologies such as battery management systems, radar, lidar, and cameras. Keysight empowers this transformation by providing high-precision test and validation solutions that span the entire E/E ecosystem. Our tools help engineers simulate, measure, and optimize everything from battery performance to sensor accuracy, enabling faster development cycles, improved system reliability, and future-ready vehicle architectures. Our solutions include:

Power semiconductor characterization Accurate modeling and testing of power semiconductors are essential for optimizing energy efficiency and thermal performance in EV powertrains and onboard electronics. Keysight provides advanced tools for characterizing wide-bandgap devices such as SiC and GaN, enabling reliable and high-performance designs.
EV Test Solutions
Comprehensive test capabilities for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, including:
- Charging Test Solutions for EV and EVSE, covering interoperability, protocol compliance, and power quality.
- Battery Test Solutions for cell, module, and pack-level validation, including aging, thermal behavior, and performance under dynamic load conditions.
- AC and Grid Emulation to simulate real-world grid conditions and V2G scenarios for robust system integration. Learn more about Keysight EV Test Solutions here.
Radar and Lidar Sensor Test & Validation
High-fidelity simulation and measurement tools for validating sensor performance under diverse environmental and operational conditions. This includes target simulation, signal integrity analysis, and interference testing to ensure the reliability of perception systems.
SerDes Design Test & Validation
Signal integrity and compliance testing for high-speed serial links (e.g. SerDes, MIPI) used in zonal architectures and centralized computing platforms. Keysight enables precise jitter, eye diagram, and BER analysis to ensure robust data communication.
In-Circuit Test for Board-Level Validation
Scalable in-circuit test solutions to verify component placement, connectivity, and functionality that are critical for achieving high board test coverage and reducing manufacturing defects in complex automotive electronics.

Computing & In-Vehicle Networks: Powering Intelligence and Data Flow

Computing description for SDV including HPC, Wireline comms and zonal gateways. Image of touch screen dashboard.

At the heart of every SDV lies a high-performance computing (HPC) environment and a robust in-vehicle network architecture. These systems enable real-time data processing, seamless communication between electronic control units (ECUs), and support for advanced features like digital cockpits, autonomous driving, and zonal architectures. SDVs require scalable computing platforms and wireline communication technologies such as Ethernet, MIPI, SerDes (etc.), that ensure high data integrity and low latency under automotive conditions.

Keysight supports this domain with a comprehensive suite of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, covering simulation, verification, and compliance. These solutions feature built-in design templates, extensive component libraries, and robust electromagnetic and thermal modeling capabilities, accelerating the development of reliable, high-performance systems. For automotive wireline networks, Keysight offers comprehensive test solutions that span protocol analysis, signal integrity testing, and compliance validation across all major standards, such as Automotive Ethernet and SerDes.
Solutions like Novus Network Testing enable compact, scalable network validation for automotive and industrial IoT applications, supporting realistic traffic emulation, performance benchmarking, and stress testing across complex topologies such as 10Base-T1S.

Meanwhile, Bit Error Ratio Test (BERT) tools offer in-depth protocol debugging and analysis capabilities, enabling engineers to identify signal integrity issues, validate link robustness, and optimize performance across high-speed digital interfaces. Keysight’s BERT systems deliver industry-leading accuracy in physical-layer design verification, supporting multi-gigabit standards critical to SDV computing and communication architectures.)

Communication: Ensuring connectivity, always and everywhere

Communication description for SDV including V2X, NGecall, 4G/5G, UWB and NTN. Image of cars in cityscape connected wirelessly.

SDVs rely on a diverse set of communication technologies to connect with infrastructure, other vehicles, the cloud, and users. From cellular to satellite and short-range protocols, these systems are foundational in enabling advanced features, ensuring safety, and delivering seamless user experiences. Keysight supports this domain with a comprehensive portfolio of test solutions that help validate, optimize, and future-proof communication systems to ensure robust performance, low latency, and compliance with global standards across technologies, including 4G, 5G, and emerging 6G networks.

Cellular Communication

NG eCall Conformance Test Solutionsperform end-to-end functional and standards-compliant testing for next-generation emergency call systems.
C-V2X Test Solutions enable vehicle-to-everything communication for both infrastructure and on-board units, supporting critical safety applications and traffic efficiency. WaveBee V2X test tools and SA8700A C-V2X Test Solution to learn more.

Short-Range Communication

Ultra-Wideband (UWB)supports precise localization and secure access for advanced vehicle features.
Wi-Fi enables high-speed data exchange both within the vehicle and with external networks.

Satellite Connectivity

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) solutions help reduce development risk and accelerate satellite system validation. Keysight enables antenna design interference detection, RF emission monitoring, and ground-based testing to ensure optimal performance in orbit.

By helping customers test, validate, and optimize these technologies, Keysight ensures that SDVs deliver reliable, secure, and high-performance connectivity. Whether enabling critical safety features, enhancing user experiences, or supporting future-proof architectures, our tools and expertise make seamless, always-on communication a reality.

Perception: Empowering Vehicles to See, Sense, and Interact

Perception description for SDV including UI/UX, ADAS, sensor fusion and AI-based testing. Visula of radar from the car.

Perception systems are central to enabling intelligent driving functions and services in SDVs. These systems allow vehicles to interpret their surroundings and make real-time decisions through a fusion of technologies such as radar, lidar, and cameras. They support critical applications including ADAS, autonomous driving (AD), digital cockpits, and connected services like V2X (vehicle-to-everything), V2G (vehicle- to-grid), and V2H (vehicle-to-home).

Keysight provides advanced solutions for validating perception technologies across multiple layers, from sensor signal fidelity to system-level behavior. Our tools support sensor fusion testing by integrating data from radar, lidar, and cameras to ensure accurate environmental modeling. Scenario-based testing, including radar scene emulation, enables validation of ADAS and autonomous driving systems under dynamic conditions. The Radar Scene Emulatorreplicates real-world scenarios by varying speed, distance, and target count across a continuous field of view, allowing radar sensors and backend software to be tested against complex driving environment, reducing development risk and accelerating deployment of next-generation vehicle autonomy.

To ensure seamless integration between perception and connectivity, Keysight’s C-V2X Autonomous Drive Emulation platform validates both communication performance and user interface (UI)/ user experience (UX) behavior, evaluating how V2X data is presented to drivers and how users interact with safety alerts and navigation features. This supports realistic interaction modeling and enhances system responsiveness in connected environments.

As AI and machine learning become integral to SDV perception and decision-making, Keysight provides tools for testing and validating AI/ML and Generative AI models, focusing on performance, robustness, and regulatory compliance. Solutions include AI-based test automation, Human-in-the-Loop modeling, and user experience testing, supporting generative AI requirement-based testing, realistic interaction scenarios, and accelerating validation of intelligent vehicle systems.

By enabling precise, scenario-based validation of perception systems, Keysight helps customers build vehicles that are not only aware of their environment but also capable of interacting with it intelligently, safely, and in compliance with global regulations.

Security: Embedding Cybersecurity by Design

Security description for SDV including SecOps, Zero trust, Pre-silicon, silicon and CCC digital key. Image of ECU with built in security.

As SDVs grow in software complexity and connectivity, cybersecurity becomes a foundational design requirement. Protecting vehicle systems, data, and user privacy requires a proactive, multi-layered approach that spans hardware, software, and network domains. Keysight helps customers embed security by design, supporting every stage of the development lifecycle with scalable, integrated solutions.

The Automotive Cybersecurity Test Platformenables validation of security mechanisms at ECU/TCU, subcomponent, and vehicle level—simulating real-world cyberattacks to assess system resilience.
Pre-silicon and code-level vulnerability testingto identify and remediate issues early in the development process, reducing downstream risk.
SecOps and Zero Trust validation to ensure secure operations, access control, and policy enforcement in dynamic, distributed environments.
- With CyPerf, lightweight test agents are deployed across physical, cloud, and edge environments to validate Zero Trust architectures and network security environments
- The Threat simulato r continuously emulates breach and attack scenarios, providing actionable insights into the effectiveness of security controls.
CCC Digital Keys support contactless and secure vehicle access and authentication via smartphones and vehicles.
With CloudLens, Keysight extends visibility into hybrid cloud environments, enabling packet capture, filtering, and analysis down to the edge, providing dynamic network intelligence essential for monitoring and securing SDV cloud-based services.

By integrating security into every layer of the SDV architecture, Keysight empowers customers to build vehicles that are not only intelligent and connected, but also secure, trusted, and future-proof.

Cloud & Backend: Enabling Scalable Services and Intelligent Operations

Cloud backend description for SDV including mobility, OEM, data analyics services. Image of ECU connected to the cloud.

The cloud backend is the digital foundation of SDVs, powering mobility services, OEM platforms, data analytics, and over-the-air (OTA) updates. As vehicles become increasingly connected and software-driven, cloud infrastructure must support secure, scalable, and low-latency operations across a wide range of services, from infotainment and diagnostics to energy management and autonomous driving.

Mobility Services & Application Ecosystems
Keysight enables validation of mobility platforms and OEM services, including web-based automotive applications and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystems. Our solutions support OTA firmware and app store testing, ensuring secure and reliable software delivery, updates, and lifecycle management across SDV fleets.

Cloud Performance & Security Validation
To ensure robust and secure cloud operations, Keysight offers tools like CyPerf, which performs scalable application and security testing across distributed cloud environments. CloudPeak validates the functionality and benchmarks the performance of virtualized network infrastructures. IxLoad VE emulates real-world traffic, such as web, video, voice, storage, VPN, and security protocols, to assess backend responsiveness and scalability under realistic load conditions.

Energy & Edge Services Integration
Keysight supports the development and validation of V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) and EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment)systems through advanced emulation and conformance testing solutions. These tools enable bidirectional energy exchange testing, protocol validation, and in-field debugging to ensure interoperability and compliance with global charging standards. In parallel, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) plays a critical role in delivering low-latency, real-time services such as ADAS, V2X communication, and predictive maintenance. While Keysight does not directly implement MEC platforms, it provides performance MEC such as CyPerf and CloudPeak , to test edge infrastructure under realistic traffic and threat conditions, ensuring reliable operation of latency-sensitive SDV applications.

By helping customers test, secure, and optimize cloud-based SDV architectures, Keysight ensures that vehicles can deliver intelligent, personalized, and continuously evolving experiences, securely and at scale.

Conclusion: Let’s Build the Future Together

What sets Keysight apart is our ability to deliver insights across the entire SDV workflow, from early design to validation, from lab to road. Our tools are built to scale, integrate seamlessly, and empower teams to make decisions faster and with greater confidence.

Image of poster with 6 pillars describing Keysight SDV test solutions.

Figure 2. Keysight’s solutions are driving SDV innovation. Download here.

We help our customers:

Accelerate innovation and development cycles and enabling shift-left testing
Improve test coverage, automation and continuous testing
Ensure compliance and security from code to chipset to system to operation

The SDV transformation is complex, but with the right partner, it becomes an opportunity. At Keysight, we’re proud to support the pioneers of this new era of mobility. Whether you're building the next-gen EV platform, validating AI-based perception systems, or securing your cloud-connected vehicle architecture, we’re here to help.

Let’s shape the future of mobility. Together.