Customer Stories | April 16, 2025

CARIAD puts automated driving to the test

Technologies for automated driving vehicles are advancing fast thanks to sophisticated software that can provide a vehicle with the data it needs to navigate roads safely.  

But as with any system designed for human use, automated driving platforms require rigorous testing to meet specific standards and to make sure they are reliable, secure and safe to use.  

That’s why automakers are using new techniques and technologies that help test these systems under different driving conditions.  

Due to the complexity of automated systems and the sheer number of possible traffic scenarios, ensuring safety and functional correctness of automated driving functions is a crucial challenge.

A smarter approach to autonomous vehicle testing

The development of automated driving functions requires simulations of real-world test cases. These include realistic driving environments and situations that automated driving cars will encounter. 

Engineers from the automotive software company CARIAD and DXC Technology are creating cutting-edge tools that simplify the testing process for automated driving functions in Volkswagen Group vehicles. 

These innovations include a verification and validation framework that makes it easy for engineers to create realistic, virtual scenarios that test how automated systems respond in real-time to determine the functional safety of the automated driving feature across different scenarios, such as traffic, weather and diverse road conditions.

This kind of testing is critical to ensure the technology behaves as expected — not only to meet stringent regulatory standards but also gain end-user trust. 

The new framework makes software validation faster and more collaborative, enabling the CARIAD teams to iterate quickly and improve system reliability.

The best language for the job at hand

The testing framework uses a domain specific language called stiEF that allows users to specify driving scenarios in natural language through an editor. This editor translates natural language inputs such as “stopping at a red light” or “reacting to sudden lane changes” into visual simulations.

This makes it easier for cross-functional teams at CARIAD to collaborate and validate the automated driving systems, ensuring safer, more reliable vehicle performance in a wide range of real-world conditions. In addition, it helps in making regulatory approval processes more efficient.

“With stiEF, we are able to collaborate more efficiently during automated vehicle testing throughout the Volkswagen Group. This solution gives us a much better connection between our colleagues who are developing automated vehicle technology and those who are testing it.”     

Dr. Florian Bock
Product Owner for Scenario Management at Cariad

An AI future for testing

Beyond its work with CARIAD, DXC is exploring other uses of AI in automotive. For example, the DXC team is currently at work on a generative AI automotive software application that allows non-experts to transform scenarios specified in natural language into machine-readable scenarios that simulators can execute.

Instead of teaching deep domain knowledge to hundreds of people, this AI application creates executable scenarios from general descriptions. Once the system is set up and trained, it can provide non-experts with a constant flow of scenario descriptions — while the system continues to keep learning.

CARIAD and DXC pave the way for self-driving cars | DXC Technology Customer Story

 

The big picture

Automated and connected vehicles are the future of the automotive industry. But their widespread adoption will depend greatly on confidence in their safety.

Through cutting-edge technology, deep industry expertise and an innovation-driven approach, DXC Technology is addressing these critical challenges head-on. The goal is to ensure automated driving is more than just technology — but a paradigm for a safer, smarter and more connected world.

Our work with CARIAD is also a great example of DXC Technology excelling at the kind of complex engineering that industries of all shapes and sizes work with. And it’s a testament to how our teams and partners come together to design and implement solutions that meet customer needs and expectations at every turn.

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