Tata Elxsi, IISc to steer cybersecurity solution for vehicles

In what could be a significant research initiative to ensure network security in connected vehicles, leading design and technology service provider Tata Elxsi will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to develop an automotive cybersecurity solution.

The collaboration, formalised as part of an existing MoU, is aimed at overcoming cybersecurity challenges that emerge from complex in-vehicle networks of sensors and various software applications.

Announcing the partnership on Thursday, IISc noted that the advances made in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-anything (V2X) connectivity have presented more opportunities for theft, remote control, tampering, and siphoning of personal information.

Tata Elxsi’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning skill set will complement IISc’s strong research credentials in developing the solution. AI and ML-based detection of intrusion in connected vehicles and prevention of potential security threats will be covered under the partnership.

Manoj Raghavan, CEO and MD of Tata Elxsi, noted that cybersecurity is critical as vehicles increasingly rely on digital technologies. He said the partnership with IISc’s Department of Electrical Communication Engineering would enable automakers to build “safer, more resilient” vehicles.

“A modern car easily has upwards of 3,000 chips sensing and controlling the car’s operation. The design complexity associated with enabling safe in-vehicle networking is enormous,” Prof Rajesh Sundaresan, Dean of the Division of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Sciences, IISc, said.

Researchers in IISc have also been working separately on developing automotive vehicle technologies and on network security, smart grids, and other critical systems.

Prof G Rangarajan, Director, IISc, said in today’s digital and interconnected world, cybersecurity threats are growing in pace with technological advances. “At IISc, we are always keen on academia-industry partnerships that can help address such challenges,” he said.