Simulating Reality, Shaping India’s Autonomous Tomorrow:

As India slowly but surely embraces the software-defined vehicle revolution, Hexagon D&E is bringing its global simulation and software validation expertise to empower OEMs and suppliers in India to drive the country’s SDV mission. Hexagon D&E is helping the ecosystem accelerate development cycles, ensure safety, and shape the future of autonomous, intelligent mobility.
Hexagon Design & Engineering (D&E), a division of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, empowers innovators to redefine products and experiences through world-leading simulation, systems engineering, and next-generation CAE software. By enabling fully-integrated simulation across structural, thermal, acoustic, dynamics, and software domains, Hexagon D&E makes it possible to create, test, and refine revolutionary products—virtually—before they exist in the physical world. Now, with the rise of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), Hexagon D&E is at the vanguard—fusing deep software validation capabilities with its established CAE strength to support automotive OEMs and suppliers both at home and on a global scale. 
Sridhar Dharmarajan, EVP & MD – Hexagon D&E India, tells AEM’s Senior Editor Sarada Vishnubhatla about how Hexagon is turning India’s SDV ambition into an engineering reality.

written by Sarada Vishnubhatla_sarada@autoelectronics.co.kr

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How is software transforming modern products, especially in the automotive sector?
Dharmarajan        Software is fundamentally reshaping how we experience products—across all industries. Whether it's a smartphone, a robotic surgery tool, or a car, the user experience today is defined less by hardware and more by software. In the automotive world, this transformation has been massive.
Historically, vehicles were 100% mechanical—everything from the drivetrain to the steering to the engine operated through mechanical linkages. Over time, we added electronics, and vehicles became electromechanical. As a result, simulation had to evolve - from analyzing structural integrity and crashworthiness to including thermal management, acoustics, and multi-physics interactions.
Today, we’re entering a new phase where cars are essentially “software on wheels.” This shift brings both opportunities and challenges. While the driver's workload is reduced and safety features are enhanced, complete reliance on software also raises new questions - how safe is ‘safe’ when a machine is driving instead of a human? Society is far less forgiving of a machine-caused fatality than a human error. Still, software needs to be extremely reliable. 



Executive Vice President Sridhar Dharmarajan emphasized that software safety today goes beyond technical standards—it has become an ethical and societal issue. People expect software not only to make accurate decisions, but also to “fail gracefully” in unexpected situations—that is, to respond appropriately and recover effectively when things go wrong.


 


Can you explain this further? 
Dharmarajan        See, we need to look at the software safety aspect from a couple of perspectives. From a societal and end-user point of view, safety isn’t only about how well a system performs under ideal conditions or in synthetic edge cases, but it is also about trust. Average consumers don’t interact with the simulation backend or validation frameworks. They rely on tangible indicators of reliability, transparency, and accountability. Their concerns linger over issues like:
      •     Software failures in unpredictable real-world conditions such as human unpredictability or certain weather patterns
      •     Biases in AI decision-making that may disproportionately affect certain demographics
      •     Data privacy and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, especially as vehicles become hyper-connected
In this context, the question of software safety is as much an ethical and societal parameter as it is technical. People need to feel confident that the software controlling an SDV can not only make accurate decisions but also handle failure gracefully, and that someone is ultimately accountable when it doesn’t.
And, this is where government regulations become essential. Regulators act as the bridge between public interest and industry innovation. In recent years, governments across the globe have begun to formalize safety assessment frameworks. These frameworks compel OEMs and software providers to not only test in simulation environments like VTD, but also to document assumptions, audit decision logs, and demonstrate traceability from virtual validation to real-world behaviour. Also, regulators are increasingly calling for third-party validation, standardized scenario libraries, and even publicly accessible testing datasets to democratize the scrutiny of SDV software.
So, though tools like Vires VTD by Hexagon are indispensable in stress-testing SDV software across complex, repeatable scenarios, they are but only one piece of a broader ecosystem. Ultimately, public trust in software safety hinges on transparent industry practices, robust, and enforceable regulations, and demonstrable commitment to ethical responsibility.


What role is simulation playing in this evolution from mechanical to software-defined vehicles (SDVs)?
Dharmarajan        Simulation is the backbone of automotive product development through every stage of this transformation.
In the mechanical era, simulation was used to assess structural durability, fatigue life, and crash behaviour. Then, as electronics were integrated, simulations expanded to include thermal behaviour, and eventually to acoustics.
Now, with software-defined vehicles, the simulation landscape has expanded further. We not only simulate physical components but also can see how software behaves under various operating conditions. For example, what happens if a software system receives conflicting sensor inputs? How does it respond if the brake system fails?
Simulation is no longer just about the physics of the product. It is now about performance, perception, behaviour, and even software debugging. And it plays a critical role in enabling faster development cycles, higher product quality, and safer vehicles.


How does Hexagon D&E specifically support OEMs in their SDV journey?
Dharmarajan        Hexagon Design & Engineering supports the entire product development lifecycle—from ideation and simulation to validation and deployment. We've long been involved in performance simulation across mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and electronic domains.
But what sets us apart in the SDV era is that we also simulate software quality. That includes debugging software logic, understanding failure scenarios, and optimizing response times for safety-critical systems.
For example, if a vehicle is approaching a high speed-breaker, today's systems might let a driver manually raise the suspension. In a software-defined system, our simulation tools would help test whether sensors can detect the speed breaker, whether the software can interpret that data correctly, and whether the action - raising suspension - is executed in time.
We also contribute software development insights such as scenario-based testing and Agile methods which are essential to SDV workflows. Since we build simulation tools ourselves, we know how to test software, and we apply the same expertise to in-vehicle software.



Volkswagen: Simulating Cooperative Driver Assistance
Volkswagen has adopted Hexagon’s Virtual Test Drive (VTD) as a core platform for the development and validation of autonomous driving functions. VTD enables high-fidelity simulation of complex urban driving scenarios and is used for generating repeatable datasets and debugging. As a strategic asset, it integrates seamlessly with various tools, including HiL and SiL environments, to enhance testing efficiency and ensure the reliability of AI-driven functions.
The image illustrates Volkswagen’s simulation framework for Cooperative Driver Assistance Systems (CDAS). Within the Group, VW uses the ADTF (Automotive Data and Time-Triggered Framework) for application prototyping, Hexagon’s VTD simulation toolchain, and the open-source network simulator OMNet++ to establish a comprehensive environment for experimentation, testing, and validation of CDAS features.  



BMW: Automating Simulation with LiDAR Validation
BMW has built a fully automated, data-driven simulation workflow based on Hexagon’s VTD, covering the entire lifecycle from scenario creation to test execution and results analysis. The image shows LiDAR sensor modeling and validation conducted in a high-fidelity simulation environment. In this process, real-world driving data is compared with virtual simulation data to evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of sensor performance.  



What advantage does India have in this SDV transformation? 
Dharmarajan        India has a massive advantage since we are a global software powerhouse. Indian engineers understand Agile development, iterative testing, DevOps, and large-scale software integration - all of which are now entering the automotive world.
Earlier, designing a new automotive platform took five years. That came down to three, then 18 months. Now, with software-defined architecture and simulation-led workflows, vehicle development can be completed in under 12 months.
If India applies its software strengths to automotive product development, especially SDVs, it can take the global lead—not just follow trends. Combining frugal engineering with cutting-edge software makes India uniquely positioned. And, Hexagon D&E is hands-on to drive this trend.


Can Indian OEMs truly compete globally in SDVs, like China has in EVs?  
Dharmarajan        Yes, and they must. Major Indian OEMs already have global ambitions and are building platforms not just for India but for export markets.
Take China’s example. It transformed from a low-cost supplier to becoming a leading global player in electric mobility. The perception of Chinese quality has changed dramatically. There’s no reason India can’t achieve the same with SDVs. In fact, given our software talent, we might even surpass them in certain aspects.
Moreover, new global expectations like sustainability, feature-rich vehicles, over-the-air updates, predictive maintenance play to India’s strengths in technology. The cost advantage, combined with software capabilities, is a powerful combination.


Are Indian suppliers prepared for this shift to SDVs?  
Dharmarajan        I would say Indian suppliers are not only ready but ahead. There are indigenous companies that are supplying components and systems globally. In many cases, they’re more agile than the OEMs they supply. Why? Because suppliers work B2B with global OEMs. These OEMs demand the latest technology like ADAS, over-the-air update readiness, software-integrated systems. These have a positive influence on our suppliers to stay ahead of the curve. Suppliers are also investing heavily in R&D, and many are already embracing digital twin, simulation, and validation tools.


What is Hexagon’s strategy in helping Indian OEMs adopt SDV technologies?
Dharmarajan        Hexagon’s approach is simple: we are ready when the OEMs are ready. Our solutions cover the entire gamut – from design, simulation, to validation and these are already being used by global OEMs. Now, Indian OEMs are catching up. It won’t be long before we see more action.
One significant trend is that Indian automotive companies are hiring CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs from non-automotive backgrounds, like software and semiconductors. This signals a shift toward software-first thinking. Our job is to support that shift with tools, training, and integration frameworks so that their transitions are smooth and successful.


Is the perception that SDVs will be more expensive true?  
Dharmarajan        It's a misunderstanding. SDVs don’t have to be more expensive. Software doesn't add significant recurring costs if designed smartly. The key is to embed cost considerations into the early design stages — a practice Indian OEMs are already following. At least one major Indian car OEM is applying frugal engineering powered by intelligent simulation and design optimization.
Customers don’t want fewer features. They want value. If OEMs design to a price point with software and simulation in mind, SDVs can be both affordable and profitable.


General Motors: Scalable Validation with Realism
General Motors leverages Hexagon’s VTD to perform large-scale parallel validation of its autonomous driving stack across a wide range of scenarios. The company uses VTD to rigorously test system safety and functionality through realistic scene reconstruction, edge-case handling, and evaluation of diverse road and traffic conditions. By enabling reproducibility and traceability, VTD reduces reliance on physical testing and significantly accelerates development cycles. 



What is Hexagon’s approach to autonomous vehicle simulation, especially for Indian road conditions? 
Dharmarajan        Hexagon is unique in providing end-to-end autonomous vehicle simulation. We are equipped to scan real-world environments to simulate vehicles using digital twins. We use LiDAR, cameras, and other sensors to scan environments like roads, signals, buildings, and schools. These scans are used to build virtual environments where we simulate how a vehicle would behave. We then run millions of digital kilometers, and train AI models to react to blind spots, heavy rain, bad lighting, sensor errors and various other such situations. This simulation feeds into decision-making software, which can eventually be packaged into a box and embedded in any vehicle, which turns a regular car into an autonomous one.
Interestingly, this is not a distant future. We're already working with major OEMs to simulate autonomous trucks from India for global deployment.


What challenges does SDV validation bring? 
Dharmarajan        The biggest challenge is ensuring that software replaces human intelligence in a reliable manner. Today, humans decide when to brake or steer. In SDVs, software makes those decisions. We must simulate every scenario like aggressive merging, or unpredictable pedestrians, and test whether the software responds correctly.
We also simulate sensor errors say for example smudged cameras in rain and environmental extremes. Validation must prove that software performs consistently and safely, even in edge cases. This is system-level validation that includes software, hardware, and human interaction.




What Lies Beyond SDVs? What comes after the software-defined vehicle (SDV)? According to Sridhar Dharmarajan, Executive Vice President at Hexagon D&E, the next frontier includes 3D-printed components with minimal material waste, fully recyclable circular-economy vehicles, and seamlessly integrated intermodal mobility systems where air taxis, drones, cars, and bicycles coexist in one intelligent transportation ecosystem.


 


How far ahead is Hexagon D&E from the market in terms of technology readiness? 
Dharmarajan        We’re working on platforms and technologies that may only reach the market in the next three or five years from now. Our R&D team of 300 in India alone is building capabilities in different areas such as full autonomy, 3D-printed cars, and simulation for next-gen lightweight structures and green materials to name a few. A case in point for this would be that we're working with a startup that has built end-to-end software-hardware production system for industrial digital manufacturing to build a 3D-printed chassis. 


What’s the vision for SDVs and future mobility as per your understanding?
Dharmarajan        The ultimate vision has to be zero human involvement in going from point A to B, under any condition. Whether it’s highways, city streets, or remote areas, vehicles should drive themselves safely, efficiently, and comfortably.
It’s like flying on autopilot. In airplanes, the pilot is only needed for take-off and landing. In future road travel, even that won’t be necessary. The SDV will handle all scenarios while you work, relax, or sleep. And this shift is not just about automation but also about recreating the same experience you have at home or in the office inside the car. That is what today’s users want – a seamless, immersive, and hassle-free travel.


How does Hexagon handle Human-Machine Interface (HMI) development?
Dharmarajan        Hexagon D&E focuses on simulation and validation, and our tools help ensure the systems behind the HMI features work reliably. We help ensure that a car responds correctly when software triggers physical actions like the AC, lights, or doors.


What lies beyond SDVs? What’s the next horizon? 
Dharmarajan        The next frontier includes 3D-printed components with minimal waste, circular economy vehicles that are fully recyclable and Intermodal mobility where air taxis, drones, cars, and bikes integrate seamlessly. Take for example cities like Paris have already reduced pollution by 50% through policies favouring sustainable mobility. So, the future is not just about offering cleaner mobility, but fundamentally reimagining urban movement.


Lastly, is there anything you’d like to add? 
Dharmarajan        In a nutshell, Hexagon Design & Engineering may not build cars, but it’s helping reshape how they’re made. As the automotive industry moves steadily into the software-defined era, Hexagon’s capabilities in simulation, software validation, and system integration have become essential tools for the companies designing tomorrow’s mobility solutions.
From digitally recreating real-world environments to simulating millions of kilometers in virtual test drives, Hexagon provides the infrastructure needed to accelerate innovation—safely, efficiently, and at scale. In India, where deep software talent meets cost-effective engineering, the company’s presence is even more strategic. It’s here that Hexagon is enabling OEMs and suppliers to test faster, validate smarter, and bring globally competitive vehicles to life.

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