Under The Hood: SDV Developer Report 2026

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QNX Research Finds Software Integration is Slowing SDV Innovation

The Under the Hood: Software-Defined Vehicle Developer Report 2026 examines how automotive software development is evolving as competitive pressure grows and software-defined vehicles move from ambition to execution. Based on a survey of 1,100 embedded software developers across eight major automotive markets, the research reveals where development teams spend their time, the technical and regulatory challenges slowing progress, and growing concerns around cybersecurity, AI, and the future of SDV development.

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Key Findings from the Report:

  • Developers spend an average of 35% of their time on foundational software integration, rather than building differentiating vehicle features. Nearly one in five spend at least half their time on integration.
  • 76% of developers believe automakers should prioritize application-layer innovation over software infrastructure to create more differentiated customer experiences.
  • 75% say the lack of a common, reusable software foundation is slowing software-defined vehicle development.
  • Security is developers’ leading concern for the future of automotive software, cited by 48%. In addition, 83% expect software-defined vehicles to become a major cyberattack target within three years.
  • Developers are taking a more practical view of AI. 25% expect AI to be transformational, down from 36%, while 62% expect it to become a significant part of development workflows.
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The industry is facing a complexity management challenge. Automotive software developers are trying to solve the same integration, software development and safety problems time and time again, and when a third of engineering effort goes into rebuilding software below the application layer, that is a third of the effort not going into the differentiating features drivers actually notice.
Justin Moon
Vice President, Core Product Engineering at QNX
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Explore the Report

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Blog
Under the Hood 2026: Why SDV Innovation Starts Below the Application Layer
Insights from 1, 100 automotive software developers reveal what is holding back application-layer innovation.
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Podcast
What 1,100 Developers Told QNX About the Future of SDVs
QNX's 2026 Under the Hood SDV Developer Report reveals that automotive software developers spend 35% of their time on foundational software integration instead of building differentiated features. Maitê Bezerra, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia, joins QNX to explore findings from a survey of 1,100 developers across eight countries.
Podcast: How Physical AI Is Reshaping Real-World Robotics
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