To be held on 11 July and 12 July 2024, the eighth edition of NGV India Summit organised by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India at the NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi will focus on clean mobility.
With the theme ‘Navigating India’s Clean Mobility Transition’, the summit will get industry experts from the concerned ministries, government bodies and private companies to discuss about the environmental impact of conventional vehicles versus vehicles that are powered by greener fuel technologies.
The discussion will also be on the progressive movement towards the net-zero target of 2070 and multiple challenges disguised as opportunities, which lie in front of India in its mission to achieve zero CO2 emissions.
Besides the collaborative steps taken by the NITI Aayog, by the nodal government ministries and by the private industry players that are leading India’s energy transformation, the summit will also put the spotlight on the role of the mobility (automotive) sector in the way it is taking big strides towards diversifying the energy basket and reducing the dependence on petroleum imports in view of the fact that one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions is the mobility and transportation sector. Both are largely dependent on petroleum.
Speakers of the summit will share their views through a series of curated sessions on areas like ‘Charting India’s multi-fuels roadmap in the transition towards clean mobility’, ‘Vision 2030 India: Becoming a Gas-based Economy’, ‘Expansion in gas infrastructure (CNG-LNG)’, ‘Hydrogen Infrastructure: Production, Storage and Transportation’, ‘Opportunity areas: Electrolyser, modelling fuel-cell’, ‘CNG Economics: Volatility in pricing hampering the growth of CNG segment’, ‘Opportunities in Ethanol production for sugar and agro-industry – addressing the supply-side constraint’, ‘Government schemes and policies in fostering the fast adoption of flex-fuel vehicles in India’ and ‘Waste-to-Wealth economy: An update on CBG/ Bio-CNG plant set-up projects in India’.
The two-day event will see visitors from electrolyser and fuel cell manufacturing, OMCs, gas storage and transportation infrastructure, automotive OEMs and auto component manufacturers, technology solution providers, EPC firms, natural gas producers, oil and gas companies, transport industry, fleet owners, shared mobility, sugar and agriculture-based industries besides others, making it an unmissable summit for the Indian energy sector.
Horse Powertrain Launches kAIros AI Initiative To Accelerate Manufacturing
- By MT Bureau
- March 17, 2026
Horse Powertrain has announced kAIros, a company-wide artificial intelligence (AI) initiative led by its Horse Technologies division. The programme aims to reduce time-to-market by nearly 50 percent, decrease low-value process work by 40 percent and improve design cycle efficiency by 25 percent.
The initiative is supported by Nvidia, Google Cloud and Deloitte, focussing on engineering, production and business operations.
At the core of the initiative is the Horse Powertrain AI Factory, which supports model training, simulations and digital twins. The infrastructure is designed to generate training data to refine models and improve real-world deployment.
The technical framework includes:
- Nvidia RTX PRO servers equipped with Blackwell Server Edition GPUs.
- Google Cloud NVIDIA RTX 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs.
- Nvidia AI software, including CUDA-X, Omniverse and Cosmos, to accelerate application development.
- Google Gemini Enterprise for the deployment of AI agents to automate coordination tasks.
The kAIros initiative supports physical AI, connecting real-world operations with virtual systems in real time. This integration enables autonomous decision-making for cobots, automated guided vehicles and smart machinery. Key applications include video-based quality inspection, product simulation and robotics for process optimisation across factories and logistics.
A Centre of Excellence has been established to lead internal AI development. This multifunctional team will build applications to scale industrial expertise across the organisation and improve predictive accuracy in propulsion solutions.
NXP And Nvidia Collaborate On Integrated Robotics Solutions For Physical AI
- By MT Bureau
- March 17, 2026
NXP Semiconductors has announced a series of robotics solutions designed for real-time data processing, sensor fusion and motor control. Developed in collaboration with Nvidia, these ready-to-deploy systems implement the Nvidia Holoscan Sensor Bridge with NXP’s system-on-chip (SoC) technology to reduce component count, power consumption and costs in robotic development.
The solutions focus on Physical AI, which requires low-latency data transport to synchronise motion and sensor data. By integrating the Holoscan Sensor Bridge into NXP's software, developers can establish a direct transport route between a robot's body and its central processing unit.
The architecture incorporates several NXP technologies:
- i.MX 95 Applications Processor: A machine vision solution designed to deliver high-bandwidth data to the robot brain.
- i.MX RT1180 Crossover MCUs: A motor control solution based on a kinematic chain.
- S32J TSN Switch: Aggregates motor control data and provides direct connectivity to the brain using Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and EtherCAT protocols.
- Asymmetric Data Transport: Technology acquired through Aviva Links to manage high-throughput data across the robot body.
The unified architecture is designed to support humanoid form factors, which require complex motor synchronisation and real-time perception. NXP’s automotive-grade networking and functional safety expertise are used to ensure the reliability of these systems in physical environments.
Charles Dachs, Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Secure Connected Edge at NXP Semiconductors, said, “Physical AI is redefining what machines can do in the real world, and humanoid robots represent the most complex expression of that revolution. By combining NXP’s deep expertise in edge processing, secure networking, functional safety and real-time control with Nvidia robotics platforms, we are greatly simplifying physical AI development, enabling seamless connectivity between the physical AI edge and the central brain. This is just the beginning of what NXP will deliver to accelerate the ecosystem for physical AI.”
Deepu Talla, Vice-President of Robotics and Edge AI, Nvidia, commented, “The development of autonomous machines requires a high-performance computing architecture that can synchronize complex motor controls with real-time perception. By integrating Nvidia Holoscan Sensor Bridge into its edge portfolio, NXP is providing developers with a scalable foundation to accelerate the deployment of physical AI.”
- TIER IV
- Autoware
- SoC
- Level 4 Autonomous
- University of Tokyo
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Hyundai IONIQ 5
- Toyota JPN TAXI
- Technical University of Munich
- Volkswagen T7 Multivan
- Shinpei Kato
- Yang Zhang
- Yutaka Matsuo
TIER IV Launches Data-Centric AI Software Stacks For Level 4 Autonomous Driving
- By MT Bureau
- March 17, 2026
Tokyo-headquartered deep-tech company TIER IV has announced that it has developed new software stacks for Level 4 autonomous driving powered by data-centric artificial intelligence. The software is available via Autoware, an open-source platform, and is designed to be hardware-agnostic, supporting various system-on-chip (SoC) and sensor configurations.
The software stacks are built on an end-to-end (E2E) architecture and offer two primary configurations to allow adaptability across diverse driving environments:
- Hybrid System: Utilises perception and planning AI. It employs diffusion models to capture temporal changes in surroundings and generates trajectories by combining machine learning models with environment perception.
- E2E System: Integrates perception, planning, and control into a single learning process. It uses world models to treat surroundings and driving status as vector representations, creating a pipeline from recognition to vehicle operation.
Automakers can use TIER IV’s machine learning operations (MLOps) platform to iterate AI models. The platform manages data-quality validation, anonymisation and tagging, while generating synthetic and real-world datasets for system evaluation.

TIER IV has commenced 60-minute test runs in three global hubs to validate the technology under distinct traffic conditions:
- Tokyo: Collaborating with the University of Tokyo using a Toyota JPN TAXI to evaluate urban hub-to-hub travel.
- Pittsburgh: Partnering with Carnegie Mellon University using a Hyundai IONIQ 5 for robotaxi tests between Pittsburgh International Airport and the university.
- Munich: Working with the Technical University of Munich using a Volkswagen T7 Multivan for safety evaluations in European urban scenarios.
While safety drivers remain on board to comply with local regulations, no manual intervention is expected during normal operation.
Shinpei Kato, Founder and CEO, TIER IV, said, “To achieve Level 4+ autonomy, we need technology that evolves autonomously alongside the environments it serves. Our new data-centric AI models and collaborative MLOps platform provide a common language and a shared foundation for the entire industry. By working with research institutions, industry leaders and the development community to advance autonomous driving technology through Autoware, we are creating an open, transparent environment that fosters continuous, collective innovation for the benefit of society.”
Yang Zhang, Chairman, Autoware Foundation’s Board of Directors, said, “Autoware serves as the global foundation where researchers, corporations and developers collaborate to advance autonomous driving software. Our collaboration with TIER IV strengthens the international framework for validating and refining E2E autonomous driving through real-world deployment. By testing across three continents, we are driving standards-based innovation and expanding an open ecosystem that lowers the barrier for a diverse range of partners to join and contribute.”
Yutaka Matsuo, Professor at the University of Tokyo, added, “The release of these software stacks and MLOps platform is a vital step toward deploying advanced AI models in industrial applications. By accumulating data from Japan’s distinctive traffic environments through our Tokyo testing and contributing those insights back to Autoware, we aim to further bridge the gap between academic research and real-world deployment.”
Marelli's Zone Control Unit Named Engineering Product of the Year
- By MT Bureau
- March 13, 2026
Tier 1 automotive supplier Marelli has received the ‘Commendable’ honour in the ‘Engineering Product of the Year’ category at the Digital Engineering Awards 2026. The ceremony, hosted by L&T Technology Services in association with ISG and CNBC-TV18, was held in Boston, USA, on 12 March 2026.
The award recognises the role of Marelli’s Zone Control Unit (ZCU) in the transition towards software-defined vehicles.
The ZCU is designed to replace traditional domain-based architectures with a platform that delivers cross-domain control through a single Electronic Control Unit (ECU). This system simplifies vehicle electrical and electronic (E/E) layouts and enables communication across vehicle zones. By reducing the number of dedicated ECUs and streamlining wiring, the ZCU reduces wiring harness weight by 30 per cent compared to existing systems.
It is built on the EliteZone platform and supports ethernet capabilities, hardware accelerators, and remote-control protocols. It features processing performance up to 6 KDMIPS, two-port Gigabit Ethernet, and more than 20 CAN and LIN interfaces. The unit also includes an integrated hypervisor and data routing engine, supporting functional safety up to ASIL D standards.
For power management, the ZCU accommodates 48V system requirements with dedicated power input and efuse-protected output. The hardware uses a service-oriented architecture (SOA), which decouples software development from hardware. This approach allows modules to subscribe to services exposed by the ECU, supporting feature updates throughout the vehicle lifecycle and shortening development cycles for manufacturers.
Ravi Tallapragada, President, Marelli’s Electronics business, stated, “This recognition for our Zone Control Unit makes me and all of us at Marelli truly proud. It reflects the impact of our work on supporting the industry’s transition toward software-defined vehicles. By bringing cross-domain control into a single, scalable platform, our ZCU enables vehicle makers to innovate at speed. I want to congratulate our global engineering teams, whose dedication and expertise made this achievement possible.”

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