About AI4SDV
AI-assisted Methods and Tools for Software-Defined Vehicle Engineering Automation
Vision
AI4SDV will significantly increase the productivity of Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) engineering and shorten time-to-market through advanced automation and AI-enabled development support. The initiative is fully aligned with, and integrated into, the open-source software activities of the automotive and SDV ecosystem, orchestrated by the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA). The project will also explore how its results transfer to other industries and assess new cross-sector collaboration models.
AI4SDV provides the SDV engineering toolchains needed to strengthen Europe’s automotive competitiveness. It addresses all layers of the vehicle software engineering workflow, spans the entire software lifecycle and covers multiple functional domains. Results will be demonstrated at Technology Readiness Levels 6–7 and validated within real vehicle-software development projects across the full automotive value chain.
Our approach
AI4SDV will deliver 90+ AI-assisted methods and tools for all phases of the engineering process, designed to work together and orchestrated into configurable toolchains through an open and extensible AI-assisted integrated platform. The tools cover six engineering phases:
ARequirements Engineering
BArchitecture, Modelling & Design
CImplementation & Integration
DTesting, Verification & Validation
ERelease Management & Deployment
FIn-Use Monitoring & Data Analysis
To structure the work, AI4SDV introduces seven conceptual planes – Processes, Engineering Phases, Tools & Services, Control (orchestration), Data, Distribution (value-creation chains) and Use Cases – covering all technical facets of automotive software engineering.
Three iterations towards industrial readiness
Iteration 1 · TRL 4+
Use cases are set up and an engineering baseline is established, while an initial set of proof-of-concept tools and toolchains is developed.
Iteration 2 · TRL 5+
Tools are refined based on the validation feedback and progress is measured against the baseline using the defined KPIs.
Iteration 3 · TRL 6–7
Tools and toolchains reach the robustness needed for uptake by the open-source community and industrial application.
Project facts
| Full title | AI-assisted Methods and Tools for Software-Defined Vehicle Engineering Automation |
|---|---|
| Acronym | AI4SDV |
| Grant Agreement | 101329675 |
| Programme | Horizon Europe – Chips Joint Undertaking |
| Call / Topic | HORIZON-JU-CHIPS-2026-FT4-IA – Focus Topic 4: AI-assisted Methods and Tools for Software-Defined Vehicle Engineering Automation |
| Type of action | Innovation Action (IA) |
| Start date | September 2026 |
| Duration | 36 months |
| Coordinator | AVL List GmbH, Graz, Austria |
| Consortium | 55 organisations from 12 countries |