Schaeffler and Qorix Enter into Strategic Partnership for Software-Defined Vehicles and Machines

2026-10-12 | Regensburg / Munich

• Schaeffler and Qorix combine their expertise to jointly develop and market software-based platform solutions
• The aim is to reduce development times and integration effort and bring new scalable solutions into series production more quickly
• The partnership initially targets the automotive industry and is planned to be expanded to robotics and industrial automation in the future
• Eclipse S-CORE forms the common foundation for faster-developed and reusable vehicle software

Schaeffler and Qorix have entered into a strategic partnership for the joint development, integration, and marketing of software-based platform solutions for future vehicle architectures and intelligent machines. Together, the companies aim to advance integrated hardware and software solutions for central vehicle computers and software-defined architectures. The collaboration combines Schaeffler’s in-depth expertise in system integration and safety-critical driving and comfort functions with Qorix’s production-ready middleware technologies, their integration into central computing platforms, and Qorix’s active involvement in the Eclipse S-CORE open-source ecosystem.

“With our platform and integration expertise, Schaeffler is laying the foundation for central software-defined vehicle architectures. Qorix complements this foundation with production-ready middleware and a strong open-source approach, enabling us to bring scalable solutions to market faster and more efficiently,” says Thomas Stierle, CEO E-Mobility at Schaeffler AG.

New requirements for vehicle architectures
The shift from distributed electronic control unit architectures to central high-performance computing platforms presents the automotive industry with new requirements. Reliable middleware and software platforms that are standardized, scalable, secure, and production-ready are crucial.

Schaeffler contributes hardware platforms, cross-domain controller solutions, and many years of experience in system integration. Qorix complements these strengths with Qorix Performance for deterministic communication, end-to-end management throughout the entire product lifecycle, and functional safety in accordance with ISO 26262. Together, the partners reduce integration efforts, shorten development times, and accelerate the industrialization of software-defined vehicle architectures.

Open source as a technological basis
Both companies are involved in the open-source project Eclipse S-CORE, a software framework for software-defined vehicles. This joint commitment forms the basis for faster and more coherent development, reduced integration efforts, and the reuse of software across vehicle generations and customer programs.

“With Schaeffler as a strategic partner, we are accelerating exactly what drives us: bringing production-ready, open-source-based software platforms to market faster. Qorix Performance combined with Schaeffler’s system integration and compute expertise creates a compelling offering for automotive manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers that want to actively shape the transition to software-defined architectures,” says Markus Schupfner, CEO of Qorix.

Collaboration beyond automotive
The partnership deliberately extends beyond traditional automotive applications. Schaeffler’s strategic focus on robotics and industrial automation meets Qorix’s scalable platform strategy.
Going forward, both companies intend to apply their expertise to applications in robotics and industrial automation and support software-defined system architectures in these areas.
The first joint solutions are set to be deployed in customer projects and further accelerate the introduction of software-defined architectures.