Building the software inside tomorrow's vehicles

Senior Solution Architect with 18 years in automotive and embedded software

About me

I'm Balu Pillai, a Senior Solution Architect and Technical Manager at a leading premium automotive OEM in the UK. I've spent 18 years in software and embedded systems, most of them in automotive. Today I look after the architecture of a hypervised cockpit domain controller for next-generation electric vehicles, covering over-the-air updates, vehicle-wide logging and lifecycle management.

Outside my day job, I'm a guest lecturer on automotive software engineering at Loughborough University. I also co-founded a London-based ad-tech start-up, where I designed and built a cloud ad platform from scratch and took it to market. I have a patent pending for a pause-and-resume method that handles interruptions during vehicle software-over-the-air updates.

I enjoy helping other people grow. I mentor international students and career changers who want to get into UK software jobs, and I've offered internships at my start-up. Through my podcast, TechTalkWithBalu, I teach AWS cloud architecture to engineers in short, practical episodes.

Every Saturday, I share one actionable tip to kick-start your journey into the world of software development.

Get occasional practical tips on automotive software and building a tech career.

Some of my clients

Work Experience

18 years in software and embedded systems, most of them in automotive. I've worked across carmakers, suppliers, research and my own start-up, from real-time firmware to vehicle-wide architecture and team leadership.

Expertise

Automotive Software Architecture

I design software architecture for vehicle domain controllers, including hypervised platforms that run several operating systems side by side. My work follows industry processes such as ASPICE.

Driver's hand on steering wheel with digital instrument cluster and infotainment screens

Over-the-Air Updates

I design OTA update systems built on delta updates, compressed image transfer and A/B partition banking. The aim is smaller updates and less time the vehicle is out of use.

Embedded & Real-Time Systems

I've built embedded software for head-up displays, fuel cell systems and EV firmware. I work with AUTOSAR, MISRA C, ISO 26262 and time-triggered architectures.

Diagnostics & Logging

I build vehicle-wide logging and debug frameworks on DLT (COVESA). Good logging helps teams find the root cause of field and bench issues faster.

Cloud & IoT Platforms

I've designed cloud systems end to end on Google Cloud and AWS, including an ad platform that delivered 99.9% uptime. I also work with IoT and edge protocols such as MQTT.

Technical Leadership

I line-manage architects and act as technical lead for a wider architecture team. I've also worked as a Product Owner, taking features through programme gates using SAFe and Scrum.

Education

I hold an MSc in Embedded Systems Engineering from the University of Leeds, awarded with distinction, and a BTech in Electronics and Communication from Cochin University of Science and Technology, India. I've also completed a Systems Engineering certification at University College London (UCL).

A futuristic, sleek vehicle with a transparent roof and aerodynamic design is displayed in a dimly lit environment. Surrounding the vehicle are projections of eco-friendly technology, including wind turbines, solar panels, and a dam. These images suggest themes of sustainability and innovation.

Balu Pillai

Automotive Solutions Architect

London, United kingdom

contact@balupillai.com

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