COVESA’s Hidden Gem: The vSomeIP Project

While the Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS) project arguably gets the most attention among open projects in COVESA, another highly dynamic initiative – the vSomeIP project – stands out as a “hidden gem” with hundreds of GitHub forks. Equally active and uniquely complementary to VSS, this project plays a vital role within COVESA.

vSomeIP and VSS complement each other by providing a unified, common communication framework for exchanging data in connected vehicles. VSS serves as the common data model (or “language”) that defines how vehicle data is organized, while vSomeIP establishes a standardized communication protocol for exchanging structured data. Together, they simplify integration and interoperability across different systems and services in the connected vehicle.

“Together, vSomeIP and COVESA exemplify the power of open collaboration in driving forward the development of connected vehicle technologies, paving the way for a more integrated, efficient, and software-defined automotive future.”

– The SOME/IP Protocol whitepaper, Critical Software, December 2024.

Based on AUTOSAR’s Some/IP (Scalable Service-Oriented Middleware of IP) standard, the BMW Group initially contributed the vSomeIP code. Since the GENIVI days (pre-2021), COVESA has hosted the project along with the serialization tools (Common API and Tools). In recent years, Critical Software joined the BMW Group in maintaining and advancing the project.

One example of vSomeIP’s application is in the infotainment system, which needs to exchange information with the driving assistance system. vSomeIP provides a standardized communication mechanism, ensuring seamless data exchange. As vehicle components grow in complexity and communications demands increase, vSomeIP scales accordingly. It works equally well in compact vehicles with basic features, luxury cars with advanced capabilities, and heavy-duty trucks with unique communication requirements.

vSomeIP and related projects have been broadly adopted by the BMW Group and other OEMs and deployed in millions of cars worldwide. As vehicles evolve, so must the protocols and middleware that support them. This is why the vSomeIP project is still evolving and welcomes active contributions and open discussions (e.g. monthly public meetings, open Slack channel, etc.).

The vSomeIP project is hosted on the COVESA GitHub repository and follows standard open-source procedures (e.g., pull requests). COVESA invites you to visit the project, engage with the community, and contribute to improving this essential technology that ensures reliable communication within vehicles.

Questions about SOME/IP and the vSomeIP implementation can be answered by reviewing the vSomeIP user guide or by downloading here the whitepaper released by Critical Software.