Synopsys, Inc. is presenting its latest AI-driven and software-defined engineering innovations at CES 2026, addressing one of the automotive industry’s greatest challenges advancing vehicle design and development in the AI era while reducing cost and complexity. Through intelligent system-level simulation and semiconductor design down to the atomic scale, Synopsys empowers automakers and suppliers to virtualize silicon and software development, accurately predict system performance, and enhance reliability, all while minimizing prototyping expenses and accelerating time-to-market.
“The rise of software-defined mobility and the introduction of AI into the car necessitate a foundational shift in automotive engineering,” said Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer, Synopsys. “Synopsys is empowering automakers to innovate at the pace that software-defined, intelligent platforms demand. By virtualizing design, integration, and prototyping, we are helping automotive customers accelerate development, reduce costs and time to SOP (Start of Production), and deliver next-generation performance and safety.”
Also Read: https://webnewsaddiction.com/wendy-koh-joins-hitachi-vantara-as-vp-of-sales-to-drive-apac-growth/
Enable New Industry Economics Through Virtualization and Intelligent Engineering
As software becomes the core driver of automotive profitability, R&D efficiency has emerged as a key competitive edge. With OEMs navigating electrification, autonomy, and sustainability, traditional design-to-cost models can no longer keep pace, resulting in excessive spending on testing and validation. By virtualizing vehicle electronics across design, integration, and testing stages, automakers can reduce development costs by 20–60% and bring vehicles to market faster. This software-first approach not only streamlines engineering but also opens new revenue opportunities through connected features, over-the-air (OTA) updates, and lifecycle services, establishing a sustainable foundation for the software-defined mobility era.
Synopsys empowers automotive innovators across the entire ecosystem, including Arbe Robotics, Audi, and Samsung, to compete and win in this new paradigm.
“Delivering radar technology that transforms automotive safety requires innovation from antenna design to AI-driven perception,” said Dr. Noam Arkind, CTO at Arbe. “With Synopsys’ engineering IP and leading simulation, we can validate complex architectures, adhere to ISO 26262 safety standards, and accelerate development without costly hardware iterations. Synopsys’ systems-to-silicon expertise enables us to bridge hardware and software seamlessly, helping OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers bring next-generation ADAS and autonomous features to market faster and with greater confidence.”
“Audi is advancing the in-vehicle experience by putting the customer at the center of development,” said Geoffrey Bouquot, CTO at Audi. “Virtual methods allow us to address this focus at the earliest stages of the process. With Synopsys’ simulation solutions, our teams leverage AI-driven models to accelerate design exploration and scale virtual validation across programs. This approach reduces physical prototyping and shortens development cycles while ensuring greater reliability and customer benefit — paving the way for safer, smarter, and more intuitive mobility experiences.”
“At Samsung, we envision a future where automotive systems deliver greater safety and intelligence through advanced imaging,” said Haechang Lee, EVP and head of the system LSI sensor business team at Samsung Electronics. “By integrating the Samsung ISOCELL Auto 1H1 into Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors, we are enabling OEMs and suppliers to virtually experience real-world driving conditions with predictive accuracy — long before hardware integration. This collaboration represents an important step toward accelerating autonomous vehicle development, reducing risk, and helping shape a smarter, safer mobility ecosystem.”
Amplify Engineering Performance with Integrated Simulation
This week, Synopsys announced a series of updates underscoring its commitment to driving innovation across automotive and motorsport through strategic partnerships and advanced simulation technologies that enhance safety and speed up development.
The Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors platform now integrates the Samsung ISOCELL Auto 1H1 automotive image sensor, enabling high-fidelity performance simulation under real-world driving conditions. This advancement allows OEMs and suppliers to validate and optimize designs early in the development cycle without physical hardware.
In addition, Synopsys is collaborating with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to advance single-seater safety standards. Leveraging cutting-edge design optimization and digital human body models capable of processing thousands of parameters, Synopsys aims to identify the next generation of safety improvements for high-performance motorsport vehicles.
Accelerate Vehicle Time to Market: “Shift Left” Electronics System Verification and Validation
Synopsys is accelerating the evolution of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with its industry-leading virtualization solutions, enabling the creation of highly accurate electronics digital twins. By integrating these capabilities with partner technologies and deep domain expertise, Synopsys empowers automakers to develop, test, and validate systems before silicon production, significantly reducing integration risks, shortening release cycles, and ensuring a faster, more reliable Start of Production (SOP). Synopsys news at CES 2026 with automotive ecosystem partners, includes:
- Arm: Synopsys introduced a new Virtualizer Development Kit (VDK) for Arm Zena Compute Subsystems (CSS), enabling automotive teams to rapidly build, integrate, and validate systems on a standardized, safety-capable compute platform — on-prem or in the cloud. The VDK provides a SOAFEE blueprint showcasing the OpenAD autonomous driving stack, providing a reference implementation to jump-start development. This solution supports scalable virtual development with multi-ECU, multi-vendor integration as well as CI/CD pipelines from concept through silicon for continuous updates throughout the vehicle lifecycle.
- IPG Automotive: Synopsys and IPG Automotive are demonstrating an expanded multi-ECU prototype with multi-fidelity, multi-ECU electronics simulation integrating IPG CarMaker and Synopsys virtualization technologies via SIL Kit. The prototype aims to accelerate the development of SoC-based electronics and system software; enable rapid, reliable SDV validation; and establish a continuous test strategy that together help improve software quality, reduce development and post-sale warranty costs, and enable faster time to market.
- SiMa.ai: SiMa.ai announced the first integrated capability with Synopsys resulting from the companies’ strategic collaboration. The joint solution provides a blueprint to accelerate architecture exploration and early virtual software development for AI-ready, next-generation automotive SoCs that support applications such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and In-vehicle-Infotainment (IVI).
In addition, automotive engineers rely on Synopsys VDKs to begin software development using virtual prototypes of SoCs months before silicon is available, enabling full system bring-up within days of silicon availability and accelerating vehicle time to market by up to 12 months. During CES 2026, Synopsys announced the following new VDKs:
- Synopsys and NXP Semiconductors are expanding their collaboration with Synopsys VDKs supporting the new S32N7 family of high-performance computers for AI-powered, next-generation vehicle cores.
- Texas Instruments: To simplify complex vehicle software management, TI is collaborating with Synopsys to provide a VDK for its TDA5 SoC family. The Synopsys VDK enables electronics digital twin capabilities that help engineers significantly accelerate time-to-market for SDVs.
Join Synopsys’ CEO Discussion with Six Five Media
Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi will join the hosts of the Six Five Podcast, Patrick Moorhead, Chief Analyst and CEO of Moor Insights & Strategy, and Daniel Newman, Chief Analyst and CEO of the Futurum Group, for a conversation on the future of automotive engineering. This includes how technology advancements from AI to digital prototyping promise to re-engineer how cars are engineered.
- When: Wednesday, January 7 from 1:00–1:30 PM PT
- Where: Synopsys Booth #6701 West Hall
Visit Synopsys at Booth #6701, West Hall, during CES 2026 to experience its AI-driven automotive engineering innovations firsthand, and explore the full lineup of executive sessions on the Synopsys website.
