of the standard's API. 2014: First time release of open-source software together with standard (ASAM XIL 2.0.) 2015: ASAM opens office in Japan to support Japanese members. First release of ASAM OTX Extensions. The standard is proposed for transfer to ISO 13029 as part 4 of the standard. 2016: First release of ASAM MCD-2 CERP and ASAM CPX 2017: First release of ASAM MCD-1 POD Members ASAM has more than 200 member companies worldwide. They mostly originate from the automotive industry, although ASAM does not limit the membership to this industry. Major member companies are BMW, Bosch, Continental, Daimler, Denso, Delphi, GM, Honda, SAIC, Toyota, TRW, Volkswagen and Volvo. The member companies can be broadly categorized into three major groups: End Users: OEMs and their suppliers, mostly applying tools and processes compliant to ASAM standards ASAM System Providers: tool vendors and service providers, implementing ASAM standards in tools or via engineering services Educational: universities and research institutions Members pay an annual fee, which is dependent on the number of their employees. They gain free access to all ASAM standards and checker tools, and can use them for the development of tools or for providing engineering services. Furthermore, the membership allows to propose changes to existing standards or the development of new standards and to participate in their development. Typically, large companies such as OEMs and Tier-1s have a strong interest in standards, as they are used to displace proprietary or home-grown systems and make them more independent from specific tool vendors or costly, internal tool departments. ASAM standards are an insurance for OEMs and Tier-1s that their investment in testing and development equipment is stable and can be reused for the long term. ASAM System Providers have a significant advantage, too, as ASAM standards create a global and OEM-independent market for their products. The standards allow them to sell products to a wide group of End Users without having to implement major product customizations. This minimizes development costs and maximizes profits. Those companies, who actively participate in the development of the standards, have an additional "first-to-market" advantage. The strength of ASAM is its large group of System Providers. Nearly two-thirds of the ASAM members belong to this group. As a consequence, ASAM-compliant tools and engineering services are widely available. According to an expert opinion, there are about 500 products worldwide available just in the area of MCD-systems. Organizational structure ASAM