The 16th AUTOSAR Open Conference was held on May 26-28th in Bruges, Belgium.
Dedicated to the motto "AUTOSAR solutions for SDV challenges," the 16th AUTOSAR Open Conference welcomed over 200 participants from around the globe.
The week in Bruges kicked off with an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of TREMEC headquarters, setting the tone for a conference focused on transformation and collaboration. In partnership with Automotive TECH BELGIUM, attendees explored innovations in dual-clutch transmissions, hybrid systems, and electric drive units, and toured the production facilities behind high-performance drivetrains powering vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and Maserati MC-20. The visit featured live demos, open dialogue with engineers, and insights into TREMEC’s strategic view on AUTOSAR’s role in future mobility. The day concluded with relaxed networking at the Bruges Beer Experience, blending Belgian heritage with international connection.
The conference opened with a welcome address by Michael Niklas-Höret, AUTOSAR Steering Committee Member, and was moderated by Mr. Günter Reichart, AUTOSAR Spokesperson, who guided participants through the two-day event. The opening was followed by a keynote presentation from Dr. Max Lemke, Head of Unit for the Internet of Things at the European Commission, on the topic “European Automotive Action Plan: the digital vehicle innovation ecosystem.” The afternoon featured a session on “AUTOSAR in SDV: Introduction, Strategy, and Roadmap,” presented by Thomas Rüping, Eduard Metzker, Masaki Gondo, Oliver Garnatz, and Manfred Zajicek.
During the presentation AUTOSAR also announced the framework for the AUTOSAR Common Adaptive Platform Implementation (CAPI). With this framework, AUTOSAR is extending the scope from specification work towards source code implementations. Those implementations will be accessible by OSS projects and commercially useable by AUTOSAR partners with an exploitation license. The presented OSS collaboration working model shall lead to the avoidance of parallel activities with overlapping or similar scope for the middleware of SDV. Taking the existing ecosystem around AUTOSAR into account and extending the scope towards code development the AUTOSAR Common Adaptive Platform Implementation (CAPI) is the fastest and most efficient way to come to Standardized middleware for SDV / ADAS High performance computers.
The CAPI announcement was followed by third-party presentations and technical sessions, moderated by representatives from leading automotive industry organizations such as SOAFEE, COVESA, EU Federate, NDS, Eclipse, JASPAR, Khronos, ASAM, Mercedes-Benz, KPIT Technologies, PopcornSAR, LG Electronics, Lauterbach, Bosch, Elektrobit, and Aptiv Services.
The day concluded with a panel discussion titled “AUTOSAR Solutions for the SDV – How Must the Standard Evolve to Meet Future Expectations?”, moderated by Michael Niklas- Höret and featuring panelists Max Lemke, Thomas Rüping, Jean-Philippe Dehaene, Marco Maniscalco, and Masaki Gondo.
The second day of the conference began with a keynote titled “Driving Forward: The Power of Platform in Automotive Software” delivered by Marco Maniscalco of Mercedes- Benz. The agenda then shifted to a full day of presentations on collaboration and technical sessions delivered by leading international companies, including Honda Motors, Elektrobit, RTI, MathWorks, Great Wall Motors, Denso Automotive, ETAS, Neusoft Reach, KPIT Technologies, Hyundai AutoEver, Gliwa, Expleo, Intellias, Elektrobit, AVIN Systems, PopcornSAR, Nuremberg Institute of Technology, Terberg Special Vehicles, TASKING, DXC Luxoft, and SystemWeaver.
Throughout the conference, the Exhibition Hall emerged as the vibrant hub of the conference, hosting leading AUTOSAR partners and tool vendors. Attendees experienced live tool demonstrations — including a Picar demo by Ayane Makiuchi, a demonstrator of the Automotive API (a result of the collaboration between COVESA and AUTOSAR) by Martin Lunt and the AUTOSAR Explorer by Nan Lv — alongside practical showcases of cross-platform solutions bridging AUTOSAR Classic and Adaptive platforms. The exhibition also provided valuable insights into cloud integration, DevOps workflows, and embedded security, while fostering continuous dialogue with technical experts and project leads. The feature graph gave exhibition visitors an overview of the functions and protocols supported by the standard, as well as their dependencies.
A moving tribute was paid to Dr. Günter Reichart, long-time AUTOSAR spokesperson and widely regarded as the father of AUTOSAR. His pioneering work began in 2002 with the Open Systems Architecture (OSA) project at BMW Group, which laid the foundation for what would become the global AUTOSAR standard. As Dr. Reichart approaches retirement, the AUTOSAR community extends its deepest gratitude for his visionary leadership, unwavering dedication, and lasting contributions over more than two decades.
We also extend our sincere gratitude to our Sponsors — ETAS, PopcornSAR, Avelabs, Lauterbach GmbH, AVIN Systems, GLIWA, SystemWeaver, Qt Group, MathWorks, VECTOR, Fujitsu — for their generous support of the AUTOSAR Open Conference and for their ongoing trust as long-term partners.
The 16th AUTOSAR Conference reaffirmed that the AUTOSAR community remains dynamic, solution-oriented, and firmly focused on the future. Rooted in the core values of openness, responsibility, and trust, this global network — now comprising over 330 partners — continues to thrive through strong collaboration and sustained innovation.
We look forward to the 17th AUTOSAR Open Conference 2026, taking place in Detroit, United States, and to continued collaboration with the global AUTOSAR community.