Siemens Doubles Down on Automotive Simulation

　　Siemens announced plans to buy for an undisclosed sum Tass International (Helmond, The Netherlands), an established simulation software company in the global automotive industry for 25 years.

　　For skeptics wondering what motivated Siemens to acquire EDA vendor Mentor Graphics (in a deal that closed earlier this year), Siemens’ acquisition of Tass International closes the circle, making clear that “automotive” was a key thread connecting Siemens, Siemens PLM Software and Mentor.

　　The Siemens-Tass deal adds automated driving solutions to Siemens’ portfolio, providing a shot in the arm for Siemens PLM Software, which now owns Mentor.

　　Siemens said Tass' “simulation software and engineering and test services” will strengthen the automotive wing of Siemens’ PLM Software. The plan is to combine Tass’ software with Mentor’s EDA solutions “to frontload the verification and validation of ADAS and autonomous driving systems,” according to Siemens.

　　Phil Magney, founder and principal advisor for Vision Systems Intelligence (VSI), told us, “This is pretty important acquisition for Siemens because simulation is such as important element of automated vehicle solutions.” He believes that the Tass portfolio “helps companies at various phases in the development of automated vehicle functions.”

　　Siemens is convinced that connected and autonomous vehicles will set a high bar for the automotive industry in meeting requirements for virtual and physical validation and verification. “The increased complexity of the involved mechatronic systems, the interaction with the environment, and the increased liability risks due to a shift of responsibility from driver to system require an integrated product development approach,” a Siemens PLM Software spokeswoman told us. For that, Tass' offerings are critical.

　　Physics-based simulator

　　So, what’s Tass' claim-to-fame in automotive?

　　The Dutch company, on its website, cites its “unique development methodology, offering a set of advanced simulation software tools, tailor-made engineering solutions and state-of-the-art testing and certification facilities and services.”

　　The Siemens PLM Software spokeswoman added, “Tass also broadens our current engineering and testing services offerings into homologations [the process of certifying a vehicle to indicate that it meets regulatory standards and specifications], cooperative mobility, crash testing, tyre testing, vehicle hardware-in-the-loop and integrated vehicle safety.”

　　VSI’s Magney sees the value of Tass offerings in “a real physics-based simulator.”

　　“From early-level algorithm development to functional validation of software components, Tass provides a simulator where the developers can design their own scenarios and model various sensor configurations at an early stage,” Magney noted.

　　VSI, which tracks the building blocks of automated vehicles by putting together its own autonomous cars, uses Tass simulation software. Magney said, “Earlier this year, VSI was able to develop and test its own algorithms in a virtual world before we ported them to our vehicle.”

　　He noted, “Since Tass offers a true physics engine (vs. a gaming engine), we were able to fine tune the behavior of our control algorithms long before we deployed them on a test vehicle!”

　　Indeed, simulation is becoming a hotly sought-after field with vital importance for automated vehicle development. “For example, simulation allows you to test for infinite scenarios and/or combinations of parameters,” said Magney, calling it “something you cannot do in the real world.”

　　He added, “Simulation also plays a role in developing AI based algorithms because you can use environment simulation to train the algorithms rather than collecting and annotating your own data sets. And since simulated data contains ground truth and actual physics models, the data is well suited for algorithm training.”

　　Roadmap

　　Asked about the integration roadmap, the Siemens PLM Software spokeswoman explained Tass' simulation software will combine with her company's “Simcenter” portfolio and the Mentor Graphics portfolio, “for a fully integrated solution for design exploration and frontloaded verification and validation of ADAS and Autonomous Driving systems.”

　　“Simcenter” is a software developed by Siemens PLM Software. It “combines system simulation, 3D Computer Aided Engineering and test to help you predict performance across all critical attributes earlier and throughout the entire product lifecycle,” according to the company. “By combining physics-based simulations with insights gained from data analytics, Simcenter helps you optimize design and deliver innovations faster and with greater confidence.”

　　Siemens will acquire 100 percent of the share capital of Tass and integrate the business into its PLM Software business unit. Tass, with about 200 employees, has annual revenue of around 27 million euros ($32.3 million).

　　The deal is expected to close in early September.