The Automotive Computing Conference (ACC) US 2026 will take
place on 24 and 25 March 2026 in Detroit, Michigan, bringing together experts
from across the automotive value chain to discuss the future of vehicle
computing. The conference focuses on the technological
foundations of software-defined vehicles, from system architectures and
virtualisation to AI-enabled vehicle functions and next-generation silicon.
As automotive software, hardware and electronics become
increasingly intertwined, the ACC has established itself as a platform for
in-depth technical and strategic exchange. Rather than concentrating on
individual products, the conference addresses system-level challenges that OEMs
and suppliers are currently facing.
What will ACC US 2026 focus on?
The 2026 edition of the ACC US addresses a broad range of
closely connected topics. These include hardware and software trends and
architectures, the virtualisation of automotive computing, standardised
software platforms, silicon trends and markets, hardware enablement for
software-defined vehicles, and AI in vehicle functions.
The agenda reflects the growing need to consider computing
as an integrated system rather than a collection of isolated components. From
development toolchains and validation strategies to compute platforms and
memory architectures, the conference highlights how architectural decisions
influence scalability, safety and long-term flexibility.
OEM perspectives: From stack ownership to ADAS
architectures
A strong OEM presence underscores the relevance of the ACC
US 2026.
In the opening keynote, Ari Mahpour, Software Systems Engineer at Rivian
Volkswagen Group Technologies, sets the tone with his presentation “Own the
Stack, Ship the Car”. His talk explores how virtual ECUs are changing
development workflows and enabling AI not only to drive vehicles, but to
actively shape how they are built.
ADAS and E/E architecture are another key focus. Simon
Fürst, Cooperation Manager Automated Driving at BMW Group, discusses how
consolidation and centralisation are transforming vehicle architectures and
what this means for scalable automated driving
functions. From a multi-brand OEM perspective, Daniel Cashen, Automotive
Technical Leader at Stellantis, provides insights into how large platform
strategies influence technical decision-making across diverse vehicle
portfolios.
Virtualisation, software platforms and development
workflows
Virtualisation plays a central role throughout the
programme. Cedric Armand, Director of Virtualisation at Ford Motor Company,
outlines successful virtualisation strategies and explains how they accelerate
development cycles while supporting AI/ML integration and edge computing.
From a software platform perspective, Jan Rüdiger, Director
Business Solutions Architect at Elektrobit Automotive Americas, addresses the
gap between SDV ambitions and real-world implementation, highlighting
architectural and organisational challenges in modern vehicle programmes. Complementing this perspective, Ralf Fritz, Business
Development Manager at Vector North America, will present “Streamline the
Complex, Costly Software Foundations”, focusing on strategies to reduce
complexity and cost within increasingly layered SDV software stacks.
Programming languages and
toolchains are also part of the discussion. Florian Gilcher, Managing Director
of Ferrous Systems, and Pete LeVasseur, Staff Software Engineer at Woven by
Toyota, provide practical insights into the use of Rust and Ferrocene in
safety-critical automotive environments, drawing on certification projects and
real-world deployments.
AI in the vehicle – and in development
Artificial intelligence is another dominant theme at ACC US
2026, both as a vehicle function and as a development enabler. Auston
Payyappilly, Director Product Management & Acquisitions at Bosch, examines
how high-performance AI can be integrated into existing
cockpit architectures and how OEMs can bridge the gap between edge and
cloud.
AI-driven development is addressed by Felix Martin, Research
Engineer at Tasking, who demonstrates how LLM-based engineering agents are
becoming part of embedded software toolchains. Fay Arjomondi, Founder and CEO
of Mimik, introduces the concept of a device continuum, showing how agentic AI
enables flexible distribution of workloads across vehicle, edge and cloud.
Cybersecurity at the intelligent vehicle edge is
addressed by Michael Fulgencio, Solutions Engineer at VicOne, in his
presentation “Edge AI for Automotive Cybersecurity: Challenges and
Opportunities”. His session explores how AI-driven security mechanisms can be
deployed at the vehicle edge to identify emerging threat vectors and strengthen
resilience in increasingly connected and software-defined architectures.
Looking further ahead, Priyanka Mathikshara, CEO of Voltai,
discusses how AI agents can design, validate and optimise vehicle electronics,
offering a glimpse into future development workflows.
Silicon, chiplets and memory as key enablers
Hardware innovation remains a critical foundation for
automotive computing. Robert Day, Director Automotive GTM at Arm, addresses the
evolving requirements for automotive compute platforms, while Priya
Muralidharan, Director Marketing at Infineon, focuses on edge AI, functional
safety and the role of safety microcontrollers in L3+ autonomy.
Advanced silicon architectures are explored by Tanuya Rao,
Executive Director and Multi-Die Solutions Architect at Synopsys, who presents
chiplet design methodologies and packaging flows for high-performance
automotive compute. In
her dedicated session “Chiplet Design Methodology and Flows”, Tanuja Rao will
detail architecture performance analysis based on real workloads,
silicon-proven IP subsystems for 2.5D, 3D and 5.5D stacks, as well as advanced
packaging flows validated with test chips. Francois Piednoel, CTO of Athos Silicon, provides an
architectural perspective on future SDV processors, while Jim Foresi, Director
R&D Semiconductor Center at imec, outlines how open and standardised
chiplet architectures could form the basis of a new automotive compute ecosystem.
Memory and AI come together in the presentation by Chris Jacobs, Vice President and General Manager at Micron,
who highlights how multimodal AI workloads are pushing memory architectures to
an inflection point.
Thermal management is addressed by Andrei Catuneanu, Team
Lead & Advanced Product R&D at Dana Incorporated, in his presentation
“Next Generation Liquid Cooling of Automotive SoCs in ADAS / IVI Drive
Computers”. He examines how rising compute demands for higher SAE automation
levels have driven exponential increases in heat dissipation, making advanced
liquid cooling solutions essential. His session covers automotive SoC liquid
cooling concepts, CFD simulation, chip-to-cooler flatness tolerances and
continuous furnace brazing as scalable manufacturing approaches for
next-generation cooling systems.
Networking, panels and cross-domain exchange
Beyond individual presentations, the ACC US 2026 places
strong emphasis on dialogue and networking. Panel discussions, Q&A sessions
and dedicated breaks are designed to encourage exchange between OEMs,
suppliers, semiconductor companies and software providers.
A highlight of the first day is the panel on standardised
software platforms, moderated by Martin Schleicher (formerly Continental). The
discussion brings together Florian Frischmuth, independent (formerly Ford Motor
Company), Partha Goswami, Principal at PG Mobility Analysis, Amin Rasti,
Senior Product Marketing Manager at the Eclipse Foundation, Girish Shirasat,
Senior Director & Global Head of Automotive System Software Architecture at
Qualcomm, and Sören Wildemann, Head of Strategy & Tech at Bosch. The
conference concludes with a strong focus on edge AI, cybersecurity and network
architectures, featuring speakers from Sonatus, VicOne and Intrepid Control
Systems.
