A Wave of AV Safety Standards to Hit in 2020

IEEE P2864, initiated by Intel/Mobileye, seeks a “formal model for safety consideration in automated vehicle decision-making.” IEEE P2851’s job, meanwhile, is a much-needed interoperable “data format for safety verifications of IP, SoC and mixed-signal ICs,” according to the working group. Just for good measure, IEEE has reactivated an IEEE standard originally developed for nuclear power plants. IEEE P1228 now will address AV software safety throughout the vehicle’s life cycle.

IEEE isn’t alone. Underwriters Laboratories’ draft of UL 4600 is currently on the ballot. Billed as “The First Comprehensive Safety Standard for Autonomous Products,” it is a little different from other industry standards.

Instead of prescribing how to do safety by following certain steps, UL 4600 offers a guide to “build the safety case” for an AV design. Intel’s Jack Weast, chair of IEEE’s new P2864 working group, sees UL 4600 complementary to IEEE P2864, calling UL 4600 the “low-hanging fruit.” The standard offers a checklist against which AV designers can argue the safety case for their design elements.
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