Interview with Hanno Wolff, Synopsys
“Chiplet-based designs enable scalability and performance”
Wolff studied Industrial Engineering and Computer Science at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau and later completed certificates in Technology Entrepreneurship and Python for Research at Harvard University.
Anna McMaster
As SDV development accelerates worldwide, regional strategies diverge sharply. Hanno Wolff from Synopsys explains how global ecosystems, semiconductor innovation, and early co-design shape the next generation of automotive computing.
Hanno Wolff is Executive Director Business Development
Automotive at Synopsys, where he drives strategic collaboration between
semiconductor engineering and the automotive sector. Before joining Synopsys,
he held key leadership roles at Volkswagen and Cariad,
including responsibility for the global MEB platform and its software and
architecture governance.
With decades of experience at the intersection
of vehicle architectures, electrification, and software transformation,
Wolf brings a rare dual perspective on both OEM realities and semiconductor
dynamics. As moderator at the Automotive Computing Conference 2025, he
guided the audience through the event. After the conference, we spoke with him
in detail about global SDV trends and semiconductor–automotive integration.
ADT: The automotive industry is becoming a global
software ecosystem, with different regions moving at very different speeds.
From your perspective, how do Europe, China, and the USA currently differ in
their approach to the SDV?
The global shift toward software-defined vehicles is
unfolding at different speeds across regions. Europe’s strong engineering
heritage and regulatory rigor shape progress, but traditional OEM structures
can slow adoption. Collaboration through ecosystems and standardized platforms
is the preferred path, though speed remains a concern. China, with its
vertically integrated EV players and strong government support, is moving
fastest. Companies embrace software-first strategies and agile development
cycles, accelerating innovation. The United States combine deep tech expertise
and a vibrant startup ecosystem with legacy OEMs, creating a mixed landscape in
which Silicon Valley drives rapid innovation while Detroit focuses on adapting
established processes. Across all regions, AI is viewed as a critical enabler
to overcome complexity and accelerate SDV development.
At the ACC 2025, you represented Synopsys, a key enabler
in chip design and verification. How do you see semiconductor design tools
evolving to meet the unique demands of automotive-grade reliability and
AI-centric architectures?
Automotive-grade reliability and AI-centric architectures
require a new generation of design tools that go beyond traditional EDA. At
Synopsys, we see increasing demand for integrated solutions that combine
functional safety, security, and AI acceleration. Our EDA tools leverage AI
algorithms to automate and optimize traditionally manual design tasks such as
floorplanning, placement, and routing. This accelerates design cycles and
improves power, performance, and area. Over the past two years, we have achieved
significant reductions in power consumption and measurable improvements in PPA
through AI-supported EDA workflows. AI-powered simulation and testing tools
further enhance reliability by predicting failures and identifying flaws more
effectively than traditional methods. In addition, our tools support scalable
chip architectures, enabling modular designs that accommodate evolving
workloads—essential for powering AI systems in future autonomous vehicles.
Synopsys plays a bridging role between the semiconductor
and automotive worlds. What are the most promising areas for collaboration that
could accelerate SDV adoption across markets?
The most promising collaboration areas lie in early-stage
co-design between chipmakers and OEMs, particularly for zonal architectures and
centralized compute platforms. Chiplet-based designs enable scalability and
performance while reducing time-to-market. Integrated IP and software stacks
help align verification, IP, and software with automotive requirements,
accelerating SDV adoption. Advanced verification technologies, including formal
methods and AI-driven coverage, support automotive-grade reliability for
increasingly complex systems. Synopsys is uniquely positioned as a
silicon-to-system partner, bridging semiconductor innovation with automotive
needs to help OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers deliver safe, secure, and
high-performance software-defined vehicles globally.
