The eSync Alliance has announced that Arm has joined the organization as a charter member, becoming the first compute platform company to commit at eSync’s highest membership tier.
Arm already powers more than 300 billion chips across mobile, cloud, and embedded systems. Its support transforms eSync from automotive industry initiative into a potential standard for vehicle software updates.
“This validates that eSync is becoming a universal language for automotive OTA,” said Mike Gardner, Executive Director of the eSync Alliance. “When Arm commits as a charter member, it means every ECU supplier building on Arm-based processors can potentially plug into our pipeline without starting from scratch.”
Automakers currently struggle with fragmented system updates. While some cars can be updated wirelessly, many more require dealership visits for software fixes. According to ABI Research, in 2022 nearly 10 million cars were recalled in the United States due to software-related issues, with nearly half requiring software updates by a car dealer, costing automakers half a billion dollars annually in in-person updates. Arm’s proven architecture provides the foundation to help make vehicles easier to update through over-the-air capabilities.
As a charter member, Arm has voting rights in eSync governance and direct input on specifications. This ensures its processor roadmap accounts for automotive OTA requirements. Meanwhile, eSync benefits from architectural backing that can scale from entry-level vehicles to autonomous platforms without compatibility issues.
The partnership caps eSync Alliance’s strongest growth year since 2018. Recent demonstrations at CES and AutoTech Detroit showed real-time software updates in moving vehicles. The collaboration between Arm and initiatives like eSync and SOAFEE reflects a broader push toward standardizing interfaces and moving beyond a fragmented ecosystem.
About the eSync Alliance
The eSync™ Alliance is a non-profit trade association driving a multi-company solution for Over-the-Air (OTA) updates and diagnostics data in the automotive electronics space. Used in millions of vehicles around the world, eSync has the power to save auto makers and the supply chain millions by offering the only standardized OTA bi-directional data pipeline that is proven for remote software updates, diagnostics, and telematics. OEMs can access an easy, effective, and secure platform that is ready to be integrated into vehicles. Tier-1 suppliers are not required to spend time and resource re-engineering their product to meet a multitude of different OTA protocols. Learn more at: esyncalliance.org
