In the News: Aptiv to Acquire Wind River

Aptiv recently announced a definitive agreement to acquire software firm WindRiver, adding significant expertise in cloud-native intelligent edge software. The acquisition, expected to close mid-year 2022, was positively received in the market.

Reuters noted the advantageous timing ofthe acquisition as automakers increase investment in software development to tap into the global multi-billion-dollar market. Reuters' The Auto File daily newsletter said that "the growth potential in automotive is largely in advanced software. Aptiv can combine Wind River's expertise in cybersecurity and edge computing with its 'Smart Vehicle Architecture,' the better to sell automakers a faster route to cars that can do more thinking for themselves."

Automotive News recognized the deal as part of Aptiv's expanding footprint in the automotive software market as "as automakers, suppliers and tech companies spend billions of dollars to create new vehicle software capabilities, enabling more over-the-air updates that the industry hopes will provide consumers with desirable features and boost service revenue."

Automotive media publisher FutureCar concluded, "The acquisition of Wind River will position Aptiv as a key player in the automotive software market, which is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade."

Forbes outlined the unique value Wind River brings to Aptiv's automotive portfolio of products, with its dominance in the field of edge computing: "By eliminating the need to ship information to and from distant data centers, edge computing reduces time lags in data processing and milliseconds especially matter for things such as autonomous vehicles, which need to react instantaneously to data they're generating and receiving."

Aptiv President and CEO Kevin Clark credited the shifting focus within the automotive industry to software-defined vehicles as a key factor behind the acquisition. "With Aptiv and Wind River's synergistic technologies and decades of experience delivering safety-critical systems, we will accelerate this journey to a software-defined future of the automotive industry. In addition, we are committed to further strengthening Wind River's competitive position in the multiple industries it serves. We look forward to welcoming the world-class Wind River team to the Aptiv family as we continue to develop a safer, greener and more connected world."