Synopsys, which acquired global engineering simulation company Ansys, unveiled its automotive engineering solutions leveraging AI and virtualization technologies at CES 2026, held in Las Vegas from January 6th to 9th. Through this, Synopsys showcased application cases and collaborative achievements aimed at accelerating the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
Synopsys virtualizes the entire vehicle electronics and software development process, reducing development complexity and costs. It also offers an integrated engineering environment that enables proactive prediction and verification of system performance and reliability. The core of the solution is minimizing physical prototypes and shortening development cycles through a connected workflow, from system-level simulation to semiconductor design.
As software grows in importance in the automotive industry, R&D efficiency is emerging as a key competitive factor for automakers and component suppliers who must simultaneously address electrification, autonomous driving, and sustainability challenges. Synopsys explains that it is helping automakers and component suppliers virtualize the design, integration, testing, and verification of vehicle electronic systems, reducing development costs by 20-60% and accelerating time to market. This approach, the company predicts, could lead to the creation of new revenue models, such as connected services, over-the-air software updates, and vehicle lifecycle-based services.
Synopsys is working with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to advance safety standards for Formula single-seat racing vehicles and is driving next-generation safety innovations in motorsports using digital human body models and design optimization technologies.
Furthermore, by integrating Samsung Electronics' ISOCELL Auto 1H1 automotive image sensor with Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors, a high-precision sensor simulation environment reflecting real-world driving conditions has been created. This allows automakers and parts suppliers to verify sensor performance and incorporate it into their designs before hardware production.
Along with this, Synopsys introduced examples of collaboration with partners across the automotive ecosystem, including Avrobotics, Audi, Arm, IPG Automotive, Cima AI, NXP Semiconductors, and Texas Instruments, along with electronic digital twin-based virtualization solutions. They stated that the Synopsys Virtualizer Development Kit (VDK) enables software development before silicon is released, which can accelerate vehicle launches by up to 12 months.
Synopsys showcased its automotive engineering solutions at booth 6701 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) during CES 2026.
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