VerSACE will make frequent software updates in automated vehicles safer
VerSACE is a new Vinnova FFI project that aims to make it easier to deliver frequent software updates in automated vehicles without compromising safety. The project develops methods to continuously test, verify, and follow up safety as systems evolve, also for complex software and AI/ML functionality.
The project is coordinated by Volvo Cars and runs from November 2025 to January 2028. Funding from Vinnova is SEK 9,968,415. Project partners are Magna Electronics, Traton (Scania), Aptiv, Lunds University, Chalmers University of Technology and Volvo Cars (and non-SAFER partners Adamai, RemotiveLabs and KTH).
The project builds directly on insights and concepts from the SAFER-funded pre-study CoDeSafe. CoDeSafe established an important foundation for how continuous deployment can work in safety-critical automotive systems and VerSACE now takes the next step towards solutions that can be applied at scale.
In practice, VerSACE connects:
- safety analysis during development
- pre-deployment testing (e.g., simulation and proving)
- post-deployment data from real operation
The aim is that safety evidence can be generated faster and risks can be detected early to help save lives in traffic.
VerSACE is expected to deliver, among other things, more verification-friendly system structures for safe updates, clearer links between requirements and tests, and improved tool support to keep safety arguments up to date as software changes.
