Today, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore (NTU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner leading automotive
electronics developer Desay SV Automotive
(Desay SV) to develop innovative solutions for mitigating cyber security
threats faced by the automotive industry.
The MoU was signed by Prof Thambipillai
Srikanthan, Executive Director of the Cyber Security Research Centre @ NTU
(CYSREN), and Mr Azmoon Ahmad, Senior Vice-President and Member of the
Executive Management of Desay SV, at the CyberTech Asia Conference 2018.
With increased connectivity and innovation
involved in the development of autonomous vehicles, the risk of cyberattacks
also rises.
The partnership aims to develop new
technologies to make automotive electronics, such as in-vehicle infotainment
and advanced driver assistance systems, more secure.
This research and development (R&D)
collaboration will be led by NTU’s CYSREN which has an extensive knowledge base
in the interdisciplinary capabilities of cyber security.
NTU and Desay SV will leverage future
technology and innovation to develop robust cyber security and cyber resilience
in every stage of product design and development.
Both parties will also develop novel methods
in 3 areas, namely:
(1) Secure embedded processing and
communication, or the development of additional security measures;
(2) Vulnerability analysis for cyber
hardening, which is the removal of inherent weaknesses in a system that could
be exploited; and
(3) Security testing for autonomous vehicles
(AVs).
NTU Vice President (Research) Prof Lam Khin
Yong said, “With the ongoing development of autonomous vehicle
technologies on the NTU Smart Campus, we already have a good idea of how it
will change our lives in the near future. The growth of autonomous vehicles is
set to have a significant impact in the way we travel. But this will also bring
new challenges and demands.”
“That is why this collaboration with Desay SV
is very timely, building on NTU’s deep expertise in artificial intelligence
(AI), cyber security and smart transportation to develop innovative cyber
secure capabilities for the automotive industry,” Prof Lam added.
According to Desay SV’s Executive Chairman Tan
Choon Lim, the company is focused in ensuring its future by investing in the
R&D of new and upcoming technologies.
“We are aware that we cannot do all by
ourselves. Desay SV is ready to open and explore opportunities outside and
beyond China. And that is also the secondary reason why we are here today, to
forge and explore possibilities to cooperate, collaborate and partner with
technology players and institutions,” Mr Tan said.
Established in 1986, Desay SV is based in
Huizhou, China and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. It specialises in the
development of automotive electronics and has R&D facilities in China,
Germany, Japan and Singapore. It has strong partnerships with well-known vehicle
manufacturers including Mazda, Nissan, Skoda, Toyota and Volvo.
At the CyberTech Asia Conference, Prof Tim White, Associate Vice President
(Infrastructure and Programmes) at NTU, gave a presentation on NTU’s efforts in
leading collaborative translational research and creating university-private
sector partnerships.
According to Prof White, NTU as a research
university sees the need and potential in integrating the university’s
research capabilities with industry needs. He named the pan-universities
institute CYSREN as one of the key examples of university-private sector
partnerships.
At the same time, the NTU Smart Campus is a
living testbed of the latest transportation technologies of the future
developed with partners like BMW, Volvo, BlueSG and SMRT.
NTU has also partnered leading industry
players in cybersecurity research and development such as BAE Systems, a
leading technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions provider.
NTU is BAE Systems’ first academic
research partner outside of the UK. The
partnership aims to jointly develop next-generation cybersecurity solutions to
meet the challenges posed by the increasing prevalence of cybersecurity
attacks.
