Revolutionizing Automotive Simulation: Siemens PAVE360 on Azure with AMD Power

Siemens Digital Industries Software is turning heads again with its latest innovation in automotive simulation. The company’s PAVE360 technology for Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) development is now available on Microsoft Azure, powered by AMD Radeon PRO V710 GPUs and AMD EPYC CPUs. This powerful trifecta of cloud scalability, graphical acceleration, and compute performance is poised to reshape the SDV development landscape.

A New Milestone in SDV Simulation​

Automotive design has increasingly become a software-centric endeavor. Today’s vehicles are essentially complex, interconnected computer systems on wheels. Recognizing this, Siemens’ PAVE360 development platform focuses on providing a system-aware view of a vehicle’s behavior. By leveraging Azure’s cloud capabilities combined with AMD hardware, engineers can simulate thousands of virtual scenarios during the early stages of development. This reduces unexpected defects later in the design cycle—or even after a vehicle enters the market.
A telling insight from Siemens VP David Fritz encapsulates the breakthrough: “Extending our support to Microsoft Azure and AMD hardware gives our customers greater flexibility.” In simple terms, this means that SDV development no longer has to be held hostage by limited hardware options or isolated simulation environments. Instead, engineers now have access to scalable, high-performance resources designed to handle even the most complex simulation tasks.

The Power of AMD and Azure​

AMD Radeon PRO GPUs: Driving Realistic Simulations​

PAVE360’s success depends heavily on the quality of its graphics acceleration. For accurate simulation of real-world scenarios, the platform must replicate intricate details of dynamic environments. AMD Radeon PRO V710 GPUs are engineered for precisely this task, delivering enhanced graphical performance that facilitates:

• Detailed rendering of complex scenes
• Smoother visualisation of infotainment systems
• Accelerated execution of AI-based perception, recognition, and inference models

These GPUs ensure that every simulated scenario is as close to reality as possible. For engineers and designers, this means spotting potential issues—like lighting challenges or sensor misreads—before they translate into major hardware defects.

AMD EPYC CPUs: Accelerating Computational Workloads​

Complementing the visual prowess of AMD GPUs are AMD EPYC CPUs. These processors are built for heavy-duty computational tasks, handling the vast number of calculations required during simulation. With EPYC CPUs running on Azure, PAVE360 can execute complex AI models, manage extensive datasets, and crunch numbers at blistering speeds. This dual-processor approach ensures that every simulation not only looks right but functions correctly under a multitude of conditions.

Microsoft Azure: Cloud Scalability and Flexibility​

The decision to move PAVE360 to Microsoft Azure is as much about scalability as it is about performance. Azure’s cloud platform provides:

• On-demand computing power: Developers can scale up resources quickly, ensuring simulations run efficiently regardless of workload intensity.
• Robust infrastructure: Azure’s global network of data centers guarantees reliability and low latency—a must for real-time simulation and testing.
• Integration with modern development tools: The seamless blend of cloud services and advanced hardware means engineers can integrate other AI or data analytics tools into their simulation pipelines.

Together, the strengths of Azure, AMD’s Radeon PRO and EPYC lines create a high-performance ecosystem that promises to accelerate SDV development to new heights.

System-Aware SDV Simulation: Enhancing Safety and Efficiency​

One of the most transformative aspects of PAVE360 is its system-aware simulation approach. Unlike traditional model-based design strategies, system-aware simulation allows engineers to gain a holistic view of a vehicle’s behavior. Here’s why this matters:

• Early Detection of Flaws: By running thousands of virtual scenarios, engineers can uncover software, hardware, and system defects long before they become tangible problems. Such early detection is critical in reducing costly recalls and preventing potential brand damage.
• Identification of Corner Cases: In automotive systems, rare or extreme conditions (often called “corner cases”) can cause unpredictable behavior. System-aware simulation helps isolate these scenarios, ensuring that even the most unlikely failures are anticipated and mitigated.
• Integrated Testing Environments: Instead of testing individual components in isolation, PAVE360 allows for comprehensive assessment of how various subsystems interact. This dynamic simulation environment reflects real-world complexity better than ever before.

For a sector where even a minor oversight can lead to catastrophic consequences, these capabilities offer a much-needed safety net. Engineers now have the tools to not only design better vehicles but also to validate—and even optimize—their performance well before production.

Implications for the Automotive Industry​

The integration of SDV technology with cloud platforms and high-performance hardware signifies a major shift in automotive development. Traditionally, vehicle testing and validation have been resource-intensive, often requiring extensive physical prototyping and lengthy design cycles. With PAVE360 running on Azure, the following benefits become apparent:

• Cost Reduction: Early detection of defects can save manufacturers millions by reducing the need for post-deployment recalls and extensive reworks.
• Faster Time-to-Market: Simulation-driven design accelerates the development cycle, offering manufacturers a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.
• Enhanced Safety: By addressing potential defects during the simulation phase, manufacturers can significantly improve vehicle safety and reliability.
• Future-Ready Development: As vehicles become increasingly reliant on software, having a robust simulation platform ensures that the next generation of automobiles is built with safety and performance at its core.

This isn’t just an incremental improvement—it’s a paradigm shift. The ability to simulate, test, and optimize software-defined vehicles in a virtual environment is set to redefine how the automotive industry approaches design and innovation.

Challenges and Future Outlook​

No technological leap comes without challenges. While integrating advanced simulation techniques on cloud platforms brings numerous benefits, there are also hurdles to overcome:

• Data Integrity: As simulation models become more intricate, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the data becomes paramount.
• Cybersecurity: With increasing reliance on cloud-based systems, robust cybersecurity measures must be in place to safeguard sensitive development data.
• Integration Complexity: Bringing together hardware and software from different vendors can pose compatibility challenges. However, Siemens’ efforts to harmonize these components show promise in overcoming such obstacles.

Despite these challenges, the industry is poised for a future where simulation-based design becomes the norm rather than the exception. As automotive systems grow in complexity, the need for reliable, scalable, and high-fidelity simulation environments will only increase.

Real-World Impact: A Closer Look​

Imagine a scenario where an automotive engineer is tasked with designing a vehicle’s autonomous system. Traditionally, this would involve a prolonged cycle of prototyping, real-world testing, and iterative refinement. Now, with PAVE360 on Azure equipped with AMD processors and GPUs, the engineer can simulate:

• Urban driving scenarios with unpredictable traffic patterns
• Highway conditions involving rapid lane changes
• Adverse weather conditions that challenge sensor performance

Each simulation run provides valuable insights into how the vehicle’s system responds to varied conditions. By tweaking parameters and rerunning simulations, the engineer can identify weaknesses in the system. This iterative process not only boosts safety but also delivers improved performance metrics—all before the vehicle hits actual roads. In essence, what once took months or even years in a lab now unfolds in a virtual environment where changes can be made in real time.

Strategic Advantages for Windows and Cloud Developers​

While the immediate impact is felt in the automotive sector, the broader Windows and IT community stands to benefit from this integration as well. For developers working on Windows-based cloud applications or complex simulation software, this move sets a benchmark. It highlights how advanced graphics and compute operations can be efficiently handled in the cloud, paving the way for:

• Enhanced virtual prototyping for diverse applications: Beyond automotive, industries such as aerospace, robotics, and industrial automation can leverage similar high-performance simulations.
• Integration of AI and Machine Learning Models: With accelerated execution capabilities, Azure combined with AMD hardware serves as an ideal environment for testing and deploying AI solutions.
• Optimized Resource Management: Developers can use these cloud capabilities to optimize resource allocation, reducing downtime and improving overall system efficiency.

The convergence of cloud computing, advanced GPU/CPU hardware, and simulation technology is already influencing how developers think about and build robust applications. For many on Windows and Azure platforms, this announcement underscores a broader trend towards more integrated, high-performance cloud solutions.

Conclusion​

Siemens Digital Industries Software’s move to deliver PAVE360 SDV technology on Microsoft Azure, powered by AMD Radeon PRO V710 GPUs and AMD EPYC CPUs, is a game changer for the automotive simulation landscape. The initiative brings together the best of cloud scalability, visual fidelity, and high-speed computing, ensuring that software-defined vehicles are developed with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency.
By providing a system-aware simulation environment, Siemens’ strategy addresses one of the most critical challenges in vehicle development—identifying hidden defects before they become costly and dangerous real-world issues. As technological trends lean increasingly towards software-centric automotive design, the integration of PAVE360 on Azure marks a pivotal step in harnessing cloud-based innovation to drive safer, more efficient mobility solutions.
This development isn’t just a fleeting industry headline—it’s a glimpse into the future of automotive engineering, where precision simulation and robust cloud-based infrastructures converge to usher in a new era of innovation and safety.

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Source: Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/design/eda-and-ip/pave360-sdv-tech-available-on-amd-cpus-and-gpus-on-azure-2025-03/