ZF presents middleware for vehicle systems Middleware—a computing concept that has been around since the late 1960s, but that especially gained traction in the 1980s—is software that provides common services and capabilities to applications beyond what is offered by an operating system. Middleware serves, in effect, as a mediator between an operating system and software applications, and provides opportunities for greater integration of third-party solutions—both hardware and software. In a preview to CES 2021, ZF has presented new middleware for vehicle systems. Key functions of the middleware are the abstraction of computing hardware from software applications and the communication between these applications.