In-Vehicle Electronics: How the Software-Defined Vehicle and AI-Based Engineering Are Shaping the Cars of Tomorrow
Image: VDI Wissensforum
The ELIV International VDI Congress took place on October 14 and 15, 2026, in Baden-Baden.
(Düsseldorf, October 21,2026)
From software-defined vehicles to the possibilities of AI-based engineering: The professional community discussed the fundamental transformation of automotive electronics and the resulting requirements at the two-day international VDI Congress ELIV on October 14 and 15 in Baden-Baden. Another focus of the event was India – as one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for vehicles and as an innovation-driven hub for electronics and software development.
With 103 presentations, over 50 exhibitors, and two panel discussions, ELIV once again underscored its importance as a leading platform for the automotive electronics and software community. Approximately 600 attendees took advantage of the two-day event in Baden-Baden to learn about the latest developments.
Image: VDI Wissensforum
From Software-Defined Vehicles to Artificial Intelligence
Two technological developments shaped not only the presentations but also the accompanying trade exhibition and numerous discussions during breaks: First, the software-defined vehicle is rapidly entering mass production. This is transforming the vehicle’s electronic architecture into a zonal E/E architecture with powerful central processors. Second, the era of AI pilot projects in automotive engineering is over – the focus has now shifted to translating this technology into applications that deliver tangible benefits.
Other key topics at this year's ELIV included automotive engineering, automated driving, open source, and quantum computing.
Building Bridges Between Europe and India
An Automotive Trend Session at this year’s ELIV focused on India, the country with the world’s largest population and growing geopolitical significance: “India is driving technological innovation in the automotive sector while also offering a market with high potential,” emphasized session chair Dr. Rolf Zöller at the outset, referring to the upcoming free trade agreement between the European Union and India. The prospects were explored in several presentations, a panel discussion, and at the exhibition.
Image: VDI Wissensforum
Kishor Patil, CEO of KPIT and Vice Chair of the Indian IT and software association NASSCOM, called in his keynote address for Europe and India to combine their technological strengths and form strategic partnerships. “Together, we can create the world’s second-largest mobility bloc.” Europe, he noted, has an established leadership role in automotive development and manufacturing, as well as close collaboration between academia, industry, and research. India, according to Kishor Patil, can contribute strengths such as embedded software, AI, and E/E engineering, the strong growth of its domestic market, and a highly qualified workforce: “Together, we can build engineering capabilities that enable faster software development, scaling, and validation.”
Binoy Paul of Mahindra agreed: “Automotive suppliers and manufacturers from India bring strong software expertise, extensive resources, and process know-how to the table. At the same time, the Indian market offers attractive business opportunities for Tier 1 through Tier 3 suppliers as well as engineering service providers from Europe.”
AI has moved beyond the pilot project phase
The second Automotive Trend Session at this year’s ELIV focused on applications in the field of artificial intelligence. Dr. Christoph Grote, Senior Vice President of AI & Innovation at the BMW Group, described how scalable architectures and AI are redefining vehicle development in his highly acclaimed keynote address: “A clean, modular architecture paves the way for a rapid and widespread rollout.” He reported measurable productivity gains just a few months after introducing AI into software development: a 37 percent increase in output was accompanied by a 62 percent reduction in time spent. Dr. Grote further emphasized: “The next step is the transition from AI-supported to AI-native software development.”
“AI in the Automotive Development Process” is the title of a new study that Bora Ger and Steffen Krause (both of Capgemini) presented in their keynote address. Comprehensive, cross-industry surveys paint a current picture: “The era of AI pilot projects is over,” emphasized Steffen Krause. The challenge now, he said, is to move from siloed engineering to AI-based development ecosystems. However, this can only be achieved through fundamental changes in the organization, according to Bora Ger: “The motto should be: ‘Buy the model, own the context.’” It is crucial, he said, to retain data sovereignty and empower employees to shape the technical context.
Image: VDI Wissensforum
Open-source projects and industry-wide initiatives
Industry-wide initiatives, the establishment of standards, and, for example, the use of open source can all contribute to this. ELIV provided insights into numerous current projects. These include progress on the Eclipse S-Core platform, where the first production applications are set to launch by the end of the year. The VDI Congress also provided insights into the work of the European Alliance for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (ECAVA) as well as into the new white paper “New E/E Vehicle Architecture” by ZVEI e.V., published in the run-up to ELIV, which defines clear specifications as well as standardized interfaces and protocols as its objectives.
Side Event on Electronics in Agricultural and Construction Machinery
In his keynote address, Dr. Martin von Hoyningen-Huene, CTO of the Claas Group, described how similar – yet different – the requirements are on the road and off-highway: Even in agricultural machinery, topics such as autonomous driving, connectivity, the use of AI, and the software-defined vehicle are central – especially in light of the challenges facing agriculture and the goal of further automation. The Mobile Machine Electronics conference, held in parallel, provided in-depth insights through approximately 20 technical presentations covering topics ranging from intelligent sensor technology and robotics to AI-supported systems.
A platform for startups and new ideas
One special feature that has become an integral part of ELIV for the third year in a row is the Lightning Talks. In pitches lasting just three minutes each, twelve speakers presented innovations and concepts to the industry audience. New business ideas also found their own platform in the Start-up Area. Numerous networking opportunities arose during conference breaks as well as at the “Night of Electronics” held at the historic Kurhaus Baden-Baden to conclude the first day of the conference.
Awards for Up-and-Coming Talents and Outstanding Presentations
ELIV recognized outstanding achievements with several awards. The Auto Electronic Excellence Award honors young presenters up to age 33 for innovative, scientifically sound, and practical presentations. First place (3,000 euros) went to Dr. Ankur Deo of KPIT Technologies for “ADAS for Unstructured Traffic Ecosystems”. Second place (2,000 euros) went to Max Pabinger of useblocks for “Docs-as-Code Meets ASPICE”. Third place (1,000 euros) was awarded to Kirill Shiianov of Capgemini Engineering for his presentation on quantum computing in automotive engineering.
SMARQ Creative Technologies was named “Best Start-up” for its AI-powered engineering platform. Andrej Levitin of Porsche Consulting received the “Best Presentation ELIV” award for his presentation on SDV transformation. At the Mobile Machine Electronics parallel conference, Dr.-Ing. Janko Petereit of Fraunhofer IOSB impressed the audience with his presentation on autonomous off-road robotics, which was honored as the “Best Presentation Mobile Machine Electronics”.
In 2026, ELIV conveyed a sense of positive optimism and a spirit of renewal. Given the numerous industry initiatives and the diverse program of presentations featuring new developments and production applications, the (non-representative) survey of participants yielded a decidedly optimistic result: When asked, “Will the automotive industry achieve a turnaround in the software sector?” a clear majority answered “Yes.”
Image: VDI Wissensforum
The next International VDI Congress ELIV will take place on October 20 and 21, 2027, in Baden-Baden. To register for the event, visit https://www.vdiconference.com/eliv/ or contact the VDI Wissensforum Customer Center, P.O. Box 10 11 39, 40002 Düsseldorf, email: wissensforum@vdi.de, phone: +49 211 6214-201, fax: -154.
For the latest information, updates on ELIV, and the newest trends in automotive electronics, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/elivcongress/