The automotive world is at the brink of a software-led revolution, with emerging trends like autonomous driving, electrification, and connected ecosystems reshaping how we perceive mobility. At the forefront of this transformation is Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW), playing a pivotal role in building smarter, safer, and more sustainable mobility solutions.
In this exclusive interview, Neha Basudkar Ghate sits down with Guru Mallikarjuna, Senior Vice President, Mobility Solutions at BGSW, to delve into Bosch’s strategic approach to Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), the role of AI in next-gen mobility, the transition to clean powertrains, and the evolving cybersecurity landscape. With deep insights into how BGSW is contributing to global innovation from its India operations, Guru Mallikarjuna shares his vision for the future of mobility—and how bold thinking and digital transformation will define the vehicles of tomorrow.
The automotive industry is undergoing a transformation with increasing emphasis on smart, connected, and electric mobility. How is Bosch positioning itself in this evolving landscape?
With its “Invented for Life” ethos, Bosch is committed to shaping the future of mobility—making it safe, sustainable, and exciting for users. The vehicle of the future will be driven by software and will be Personalized, Automated, Connected, and Electrified (PACE). Bosch is focusing on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and integrating AI capabilities to enable seamless connectivity and personalized experiences. We are also driving the transition toward Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) through high-performance vehicle compute and fusion solutions. We believe in Electric Vehicles, and it goes quite well together with connected solutions such as Battery-in-the-Cloud and various smart charging solutions. Collaboration is key—we are partnering across the ecosystem to leverage synergies, share learnings, and develop smarter, more efficient products making lives safer and more convenient with AI-led software. While it is clear that there is a long way to go, we are confident that we’re headed in the right direction.
The shift from hardware-centric vehicles to Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) is reshaping the automotive industry. How is BGSW contributing to this transformation?
Software is becoming the key differentiator in the vehicle of the future; as software gets increasingly abstracted from the hardware and as we move up the value chain, we see clever application functions & data driven services playing a key role in the Mobility of the future. At BGSW—the software powerhouse of Bosch—we contribute across multiple value dimensions: efficient engineering, innovation, local market access while being able to learn from across geographies; it is driven by an entrepreneurial mindset through ventures and value foldback to the market and across the business units. For example, our Fusion Platform integrates ADAS and infotainment domains onto one high-compute – this is a clear enabler for SDVs and is the right step towards the SDV transformation with fusion bringing significant TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) benefits to the OEMs. Vehicles would be updated with just the deployment of software over the air.
We’re also advancing cockpit technologies with solutions around Android-based architectures that allow integrating apps on the fly—complementing solutions like Connected Vehicle Solutions (CVS). Furthermore, software has the capability to improve user experience greatly – a notable example is EVOCO (Emotion Aware Cockpit Companion), an intelligent in-car personal companion that understands user emotions via voice and facial expressions and offers personalized responses bringing human compatibility closer in vehicles. With Vision, voice & text pre-integrated and GenAI backing open conversation, EVOCO goes beyond to model and perform based on behaviour models and helps human digital life to continue seamlessly across the home, office and vehicle journeys – taking personalization to the next level.
In addition, it is important to develop and deploy according to the market speed as the development cycles are shrinking day-by-day. Virtualization & Simulation is a key enabler to stay abreast with the market speed and position ourselves as a strong Regional Player for Bosch.
AI is driving significant disruption in mobility, from autonomous systems to predictive maintenance. What is the most exciting AI-driven advancements in mobility that you foresee?
AI is revolutionizing mobility—from replacing physical sensors with AI models to enhancing sustainability and efficiency. Predictive maintenance of critical components like injectors is one area where AI brings tangible value. AI also plays a crucial role in design simulations, plant operations, and supply chain optimization.
Autonomous driving is real and is here, evolving in various forms. With generative AI, synthetic data can be created to train models across varied scenarios, accelerating development. As vehicles become more connected and personalized, AI-powered digital companions will assist users by planning their day and navigating seamlessly, allowing them to focus on more meaningful tasks. In Product/Software R&D, AI is being integrated throughout the development lifecycle—serving as an expert peer-assistant to our experts & engineers, improving both speed and cost-efficiency. There is no doubt that there will be a significant disruption in the way we look at Mobility and it is quite evident in today’s evolving scenarios.
As global regulations push for lower emissions, automakers are diversifying powertrain technologies. What role does BGSW and Bosch play in this transition?
At Bosch, sustainability is a core value. We are advancing a broad range of powertrain technologies to meet consumer expectations and regulatory mandates. Our focus spans battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), while continuing to improve internal combustion engines (ICEs) with alternate fuels and biofuels.
We believe that technology diversity is key to achieving clean, green, and safe mobility across segments and markets. Using data analytics, predictive maintenance, and vehicle calibration, we help optimize powertrain performance. Market pulls, customer preference, government policies and infrastructure development will ultimately decide actual deployment. For instance, in India, Hydrogen ICEs—especially for heavy-duty vehicles—present a promising path, supported by the National Hydrogen Mission. Bosch is actively collaborating with ecosystem to bring these innovations to life, and is participating in industry forums to shape future standards.
GCCs in India are becoming crucial in automotive R&D and digital transformation. How does BGSW contribute to global mobility innovation through its GCC operations?
As a Global Capability Center (GCC), BGSW is committed to creating value through innovations, topic ownership, regional entrepreneurship, and product leadership – through key levers like local-to-global leadership, alignment to the global strategy, and developing strong talent. The BGSW Value journey can be seen through the lens of the axes of leverage like our engineering prowess, leveraging regional strengths, co-innovation and entrepreneurship by creating a digital edge, building up future talent, exploring co-innovation opportunities, and more.
One of BGSW’s key value propositions is the ability to translate local market insights into global innovation and vice versa, owing to the fact that we work on topics across geographies. This also opens up new growth opportunities in local & emerging markets. BGSW with its Global Delivery Network beyond India, helps stay close to the market and the customer, enabling nearshore operations that serve customers more effectively. An entrepreneurial mindset is central to our approach, helping us push boundaries and shape the industry through digital and engineering excellence.
With software-defined vehicles becoming more connected, cybersecurity threats are a growing concern. How is BGSW/Bosch addressing these challenges?
As vehicles become more connected through technologies like V2X, the number of potential attack surfaces also increases. For Example, features such as Plug-and-Charge demand secure payment mechanisms. Our products are built with cybersecurity in mind. There is no doubt that there is no safety without security.
We address cybersecurity challenges through a multi-layered security approach which encompasses both vehicle hardware and software security through Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), software signing, Secure Onboard Communication, and Over-The-Air (OTA) updates. We also containerize safety-critical software from QM (Quality Management) components to avoid compromise.
BGSW follows a rigorous Security Engineering Process (SEP), including regular assessments such as TARA (Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment) and secure coding & testing practices – with our experts spanning across domains taking care of compliance to product security at Bosch through means of various security building blocks. We provide chip-to-cloud cybersecurity across niche domains where IT, OT, and IoT systems converge. We cover pre-market assessments, concepts, validation, and post-market managed services. We stay ahead of emerging threats through continuous threat intelligence monitoring, ensuring that our products are not only innovative but also resilient and secure.
What excites you the most about the future of mobility, and what is your vision for BGSW’s contribution to this transformation?
The future of mobility is incredibly exciting due to the convergence of several transformative trends. In the age of AI & GenAI, I am excited to see how we can transform the industry. At BGSW, we are building an AI-first culture to drive both innovation and efficiency. We see software as a key differentiator and are poised to lead a paradigm shift in automotive engineering. This transformation demands courage to disrupt the patterns of the past and embrace the future with agility.
Through bold thinking, talent transformation, and entrepreneurial leadership, we’re not just participating in the mobility revolution—we’re actively shaping it.