Suzuki, Tata Elxsi opens Cloud HIL Center in India for faster ECU development

MANILA: Tata Elxsi, a technology partner of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has announced the opening of a new Cloud hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) Center in India. The aforementioned Suzuki-Tata Elxsi Cloud HIL Center will provide the Japanese marque with “virtual development” capabilities for the faster rollout of vehicle electronic control units (ECU) and vehicle software. 

The said facility, built by Tata Elxsi, was borne out of Suzuki’s desire to implement virtual development in software-defined vehicles (SDV). The Japanese brand is also poised to use a remote management system for faster and more efficient vehicle development.

“The Suzuki Elxsi Cloud HIL Center is a new base that leverages Tata Elxsi’s expertise and deep experience to build an advanced and efficient development system,” Director and Executive Vice President of Suzuki Katsuhiro Kato said. 

“We hope that Suzuki will promote virtualization to realize minimization of energy and contribute to the development of next-generation mobility significantly,” Kato added. 

Per Suzuki, the entire process falls under the umbrella of its “SDV right” technology strategy. Currently, the said system utilizes real-world data gathered from vehicles fitted with Suzuki Connect. The said data are then used for a mix of wired and over-the-air software updates. 

The task to be handled by the Suzuki Tata Elxsi Cloud HIL Center will kick in in 2026. Specifically, it will involve artificial intelligence (AI) hosted by a separate center to manage an “evaluation platform.” The data it will crunch will be stored in the Cloud HIL.

As foreseen by Suzuki, 2035 will mark the time when the entire process will be done entirely in the Cloud HIL Center, which again, is touted by the brand to be a cost-effective and highly efficient way to create the appropriate software and hardware for its lineup of vehicles. 

As disclosed by Tata Elxsi on its website, the new Suzuki Tata Elxsi Cloud HIL Center will be capable of automotive verification and validation, test automation, and simulation. The company views this as a revolutionary step to improve vehicle software development, and it will significantly reduce Suzuki’s reliance on “physical prototypes.” 

Suzuki’s tech-forward stance

While known by most consumers as “the small car specialist,” Suzuki has always been at the forefront of automotive technology. 

Back in September, the car brand expanded its biogas initiative with a new plant in Pakistan. Earlier still, the brand also professed its intention to invest as much as ¥2 trillion (around P700 billion) in research and development covering electrification, biogas, and autonomous mobility. 

Back in 2024, the Japanese carmaker announced its development of lean-battery electric vehicles (EV). The aforementioned means pairing small but highly efficient EV batteries with its lightweight and safe “HEARTECT” vehicle platforms. 

In the Philippine market, the Suzuki Philippines Incorporated currently has a line of hybrid rides, which include the following: 

• Ertiga Hybrid
• XL7 Hybrid
• Dzire Hybrid

Also read:

PH customers can reserve an all-new Suzuki Fronx starting tomorrow

Is it high time for Suzuki Wagon R to enter PH?

Suzuki Fronx gets green light from LTO

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