#CES2026 is four days away, and I’m back with another theory I’ll be testing from the show floor. Software-defined vehicles are evolving again. But this next shift is bigger than OTA updates or new infotainment features. The hypothesis I’m testing is around SDVs becoming AI-defined vehicles (AIDVs).
In an AI-defined vehicle, AI moves beyond software updates to enable real-time perception, prediction, and proactive decision-making. Think agentic AI at the edge, not cloud-dependent features. Vehicles that adapt continuously, personalize behavior, and perhaps most interestingly, change how they perform, not just how they look on a screen.
If this shift is real, it compresses development cycles, improves safety and ADAS performance, and opens entirely new monetization models. Cars stop behaving like fixed hardware and start acting like adaptive computing platforms.
Here are some of the things I’ll be looking for at CES:
–> Low-latency edge AI running on the vehicle, not round-tripping to the cloud
–> Proactive systems, not reactive alerts
–> Multi-model AI ecosystems that coordinate perception, prediction, and action
–> OTA updates that will eventually change a mechanical characteristic of the vehicle (think suspension damping, how the brakes feel, energy management, etc) and not just infotainment apps
I’ll also be looking for gaps around cybersecurity and data control as these become even more pressing in an AIDV environment.
There are a bunch of places at CES where I’ll be able to see the progress from SDV to AIDV.
Sonatus will be giving live demonstrations of its Sonatus AI Director platform running on a 2026 Nissan LEAF and a Kenworth truck. They will be highlighting edge AI for diagnostics, battery management, cybersecurity, and fleet intelligence.
Renesas Electronics will be demonstrating its R-Car Gen 5 SoC as a foundation for AI-defined vehicles coordinating perception, control, and infotainment across multiple domains.
Elektrobit will be showcasing right-sized SDV platforms designed to support AI-driven adaptability across EV architecture, cockpit, and vehicle software.
Fujitsu is focusing on physical AI and connected fleet technologies that push decision-making closer to the vehicle, a core requirement for AI-defined mobility.
Hyundai Motor Group will be demonstrating Pleos, a new SDV software brand.
AUMOVIO is showing its scalable E/E architectures and ADAS platforms aimed at enabling AI-driven perception and decision-making in future vehicles.
ZF Group is showcasing an SDV reference architecture built to support centralized compute and AI-defined behavior at production scale.
Vector (Vector SDV Solutions) will be demonstrating SDV development tools that accelerate how quickly AI-defined capabilities move from model to vehicle.
There are few other SDV trends I’m tracking, but the shift to AIDV is a big one I’ll be looking at closely at CES.
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