HighTec EDV-Systeme, Elektrobit and Infineon Technologies have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating automotive software innovation by enabling the integration of Rust applications with AUTOSAR Classic basic software.

As ecosystem partners within Infineon Technologies’ Drive Core for its AURIX™ microcontrollers, HighTec and Elektrobit are jointly launching a development bundle designed to simplify and accelerate software development for the automotive industry. The bundle includes Elektrobit’s EB tresos AutoCore and HighTec’s automotive-grade LLVM-based Rust and C/C++ compiler, specifically tailored for the AURIX TC4x families of microcontrollers.

Through this close integration, embedded software developers will gain seamless access to all necessary tools and software in a single package. The solution is geared towards enabling the use of Rust for functional safety applications, even in the most complex automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs).

Rust is increasingly being recognised as a critical programming language in automotive environments due to its performance, reliability and memory safety. Its strong safety attributes are especially relevant as the industry shifts toward software-defined vehicles and prepares for evolving cybersecurity and functional safety regulations such as UN R155 and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.

By combining HighTec’s ISO 26262 ASIL D-certified Rust compiler with Elektrobit’s AUTOSAR Classic basic software, the collaboration enables a hybrid development model. This allows new software components developed in Rust to operate alongside existing C/C++ code, reducing risk while maintaining compliance with stringent safety standards.

The Drive Core software bundle for Infineon’s AURIX TC4x includes the complete toolchain to start development: EB tresos configuration tool, Infineon MCALs and an extensive set of examples and tutorials for building AUTOSAR components in Rust.

Additionally, Elektrobit’s EB tresos has been enhanced to support clean and efficient Rust development, aiming to minimise or eliminate the need for "unsafe" code. The integration offers a robust toolchain capable of generating system-access code while also supporting advanced static analysis tools like Rust’s Clippy and automatic code formatting. This strengthens safety assurance and improves development productivity.

HighTec’s Rust and C/C++ compiler, based on the well-established LLVM open-source framework, is the first Rust compiler developed specifically for Infineon’s AURIX TC3x and TC4x microcontrollers. It includes advanced architecture-specific optimisations and a rapid build system designed to facilitate the development and certification of safety-critical software.

Infineon, which boasts the industry’s largest Microcontroller Abstraction Layer portfolio, continues to embrace an ecosystem approach to foster innovation and scalability. Its Drive Core software bundles are designed to provide foundational support for modern automotive software development, combining microcontrollers, basic software and extensive tool support into a cohesive development platform.

This partnership marks a significant step forward in the integration of modern programming languages like Rust into traditional automotive software frameworks, aligning with the industry's growing focus on safety, security and performance.

Patrick Will, Senior Director of Automotive Software, Infineon, said, "We believe that Drive Core is a game-changer for the automotive industry, and we are excited to see companies such as HighTec and Elektrobit leveraging it to drive innovation."

Florian Bartels, Senior Expert and System Architect at Elektrobit, said, “By taking Rust to the AUTOSAR Classic environment, Elektrobit continues to drive innovation in the automotive software industry. Rust’s inherent safety features and its seamless integration into existing AUTOSAR Classic environments make it a perfect fit for modern ECU development, enabling developers to create reliable, secure and high-performance automotive software.”

Mario Cupelli, CTO, HighTec, said, “Our partnership with Elektrobit empowers automotive customers to build safer and more efficient software solutions. By offering our proven Rust compiler along with Elektrobit’s tools in a comprehensive bundle, we give automotive suppliers and OEMs a competitive edge.”

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The OPEN Alliance, a leading industry consortium, has issued a call for greater strategic alignment across the automotive sector to unlock the full potential of ‘automotive ethernet’.

According to the newly released Automotive Ethernet – Architecture Change Drives Growth report from Tech Insights, vehicle Ethernet ports are projected to triple from approximately 962,000 sockets in 2025 to 3.42 million by 2032.

Despite this rapid growth, the analysis highlights a significant ‘adoption gap’. A small group of advanced Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) currently installs 4.5 times more Ethernet ports per vehicle than the market average, leading to high variability in maturity levels across different regions and manufacturers.

The report predicts that the average number of Ethernet sockets per vehicle is forecasted to rise from 11 in 2025 to 27 by 2030. While 100BASE-T1 remains common, its share is declining, 1000BASE-T1 is expected to become the dominant speed grade by 2030 to support high-bandwidth backbones.

The demand for 10BASE-T1S is gaining traction in body and infotainment domains, while 2.5GBASE-T1 is being adopted for advanced sensors and cameras. Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) is projected to underpin nearly 50 percent of all Ethernet-equipped vehicles by 2030.

Suma Prabhakara, President, OPEN Alliance, said, “Automotive Ethernet is set for rapid yet uneven growth as new architectures, higher sensor bandwidth and emerging applications drive a near-tripling of Ethernet sockets in vehicles by 2032. As regions like China grow in overall socket share but remain internally fragmented, the OPEN Alliance’s role in reducing variability and accelerating consistent, standards‑based adoption becomes even more important. We encourage OEMs and suppliers to align with our work and share their implementation experience.”

The report warns that fragmented strategies – where different OEMs use divergent implementation methods – risk keeping the cost of developing autonomous driving and next-generation systems ‘unnecessarily high.’

The OPEN Alliance advocates for the use of its standardised test suites to ensure interoperability and prevent costly integration delays.

Additionally, the report identifies geopolitics as the top risk factor for market stability. It also notes that SERDES (Serialiser/Deserialiser) technology will continue to grow alongside Ethernet rather than being displaced by it, as vehicles require a mix of high-speed data protocols to support complex sensor suites.

Samuel Sigfridsson, OPEN Alliance Board Member, added, “The industry cannot afford fragmented approaches. Tested, standards-based implementation will prevent the costly divergence that slows innovation.”

Representational image courtesy: Pexels/AmmyK

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Bengaluru-headquartered L&T Technology Services (LTTS), a global leader in AI and Digital Engineering R&D, has entered into a strategic global partnership with Emerson, a global automation leader.

The strategic collaboration aims to accelerate system integration and product development across the industrial, transportation, semiconductor & aerospace and defence sectors.

Under the agreement, LTTS will act as a global System Integrator and technology development partner for Emerson’s NI (National Instruments) test and measurement platform. The partnership focuses on architecting software-defined, data-centric engineering environments that enhance system performance and sustainability.

As part of the understanding, LTTS will establish a dedicated CoE at its Mysuru campus in India. This hub will leverage NI hardware and software to drive applied innovation, test automation and validation workflows. The partners will co-develop solutions tailored for high-complexity sectors where resilience and engineering rigor are critical. The engagement also includes joint go-to-market initiatives and extended client support models to provide ‘lifecycle enablement’ for global enterprises.

Ritu Favre, President for Emerson’s Test and Measurement business, said, “Engineering environments are becoming increasingly software defined, data centric and interconnected. Our open, modular NI platform provides the architectural foundation organisations need to manage growing system complexity while accelerating validation and deployment cycles. Through our collaboration with LTTS as a global system integrator, we extend this platform into industry-specific implementations that help customers move from engineering uncertainty to operational confidence and leveraging the proven technology leadership of NI automated test and measurement solutions.”

Alind Saxena, Executive Director & President at LTTS, added, “Our clients in Mobility, Sustainability and Tech require engineering systems that are intelligent and future-ready. Our partnership with Emerson strengthens LTTS’ ability to architect and deploy such systems at scale.”

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Mumbai-headquartered SUV major Mahindra & Mahindra has successfully deployed AI-powered conversational voice agents to manage the massive customer outreach for the launch of its premium SUV, the XUV 7XO.

The initiative, led by the group’s dedicated Mahindra AI division, utilised AI-tech from ElevenLabs to handle high-volume customer interactions during the peak launch period.

The XUV 7XO, which premiered on 5 January 2026, represents Mahindra's most technologically advanced internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. To manage the typical surge in inquiries that accompany a major automotive launch, Mahindra AI opted for a scalable digital solution rather than traditional call centre expansion.

The AI voice agents, named nAIna, conducted thousands of concurrent outbound calls, engaging prospective buyers in natural, multi-turn conversations. Powered by ElevenLabs’ Text-to-Speech API, the agents provided human-like, low-latency responses in multiple languages. The campaign is said to have achieved around 8 percent conversion uplift in qualified inquiries, successfully routing high-intent leads directly to dealerships.

Using AI, the system provided ‘always-on’ support, contacting leads and answering queries outside of standard business hours.

Manjari Upadhye, Chief Marketing Officer, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Large-scale launches need new ways to manage customer conversations. During the XUV 7XO launch, our partnership with ElevenLabs helped us successfully deploy AI voice agents to support peak demand and helped route queries to dealerships.”

Karthik Rajaram, GM & Country Head, India, ElevenLabs, added, “Automotive launches compress weeks of customer demand into days. Every call needs to sound as natural and responsive as the first, whether it is the tenth or the ten-thousandth. This partnership with Mahindra showed that AI voice agents can operate at enterprise scale in India - handling thousands of concurrent calls in multiple languages without compromising conversation quality. This sets a new benchmark for how automotive brands can engage buyers at launch.” 

Following the measurable success of the XUV 7XO campaign, Mahindra AI plans to integrate these intelligent voice layers across the entire automotive lifecycle, including service reminders, follow-ups, and long-term customer engagement workflows.

The XUV 7XO is positioned as the premium evolution of the XUV700, priced between INR 1.5 million and INR 2.55 million. It is the first vehicle in India to feature the combined Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos entertainment experience, alongside a ‘Coast-to-Coast’ triple-screen HD display and Level 2 ADAS safety features.

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MathWorks, a leading software tools company, recently concluded MATLAB EXPO 2026 today, hosting over 1,300 engineers, scientists and industry leaders to discuss the transition of generative AI, engineering copilots and agentic AI from experimental phases to production-scale deployment.

The event focused on the integration of AI-assisted design and simulation into Model-Based Design workflows across industries such as automotive, aerospace and semiconductors. Discussions highlighted the importance of maintaining engineering rigour, traceability and safety while utilising automated workflows.

At the event, MathWorks leaders Seth Deland and Avinash Nehemiah demonstrated how agentic AI capabilities in MATLAB and Simulink are accelerating simulation-led decision-making and system deployment.

Savyasachi Srinivas, VP at Collins Aerospace, detailed the use of AI-enabled knowledge systems and digital twins to move aerospace products from initial concept through to formal certification.

The event saw a panel discussion featuring representatives from Boeing, Mercedes-Benz R&D India, TCS, HSBC and the Indian Institute of Science addressing the critical need for human oversight and verification when validating AI-assisted outputs in real-world systems.

Also, the event saw technology demonstration including Raftar Formula Racing from IIT Madras, displayed their competition-winning race car designed using MathWorks tools.

The highlight at the UAV Pavilion saw drone and eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) platforms from Speedgoat, Zmotion Autonomous Systems and Reude Technologies.

Sunil Motwani, Country Manager – Sales and Service – MathWorks India, said, “This year’s MATLAB EXPO reflected growing industry interest in applying GenAI, copilots and agentic AI to engineering workflows in ways that improve productivity while preserving validation, traceability and safety.”

The conference underscored a consistent industry shift: engineering teams are moving beyond basic AI experimentation toward certification-ready systems where AI agents accelerate design and verification while keeping engineers central to the decision-making process.

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