Autonomous driving is set to become a reality in Europe in the coming years, and Bosch and Cariad are intensifying their cooperation within the Automated Driving Alliance, developing a software stack for Level 2 and 3 assisted and automated driving, leveraging the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI).
In a statement, Bosch announced that the two companies “are expanding their existing approaches to include state-of-the-art AI methods. This is expected to lead to more powerful and intelligent driver assistance systems that operate as naturally as a human driver, elevating the driving experience to a new level and making it even safer”.
In this way, AI is now being utilized throughout the entire software technology chain: “from object recognition and the fusion of various sensors, such as cameras and radars, to decision-making and the safe automated control of the propulsion system, steering, and brakes. In the future, automated driving functions will be entirely based on an AI architecture, in which all modules become even more powerful and intelligent”, Bosch states.
The first prototypes are already circulating on public roads in Europe, Japan, and the USA, where teams from Cariad and Bosch are working together, testing driving functions in order to create a software stack for automated driving that can be used in various global markets. The development is driven by data, which means that the software can be imported into the test vehicles multiple times a day with new updates and optimizations to the source code.
The technology is already being used in test vehicles, such as the ID.Buzz and the Audi Q8. Just this year, hundreds of additional test vehicles will be equipped with a comprehensive set of sensors in order to collect high-quality data. This data helps programmers further optimize the AI stack and analyze rare and complex driving situations, known as edge cases.
“A software stack for application in production projects will be available from mid-2026”, according to the statement, which adds that the “VW Group plans to integrate the automated driving functions from Bosch and Cariad into its new architecture for software-defined vehicles”.
“When it comes to reliably and scalably putting automated driving systems on the roads, data and AI are key. We will only be able to successfully tackle this challenge if we act as equal partners and abandon entrenched mindsets. Together with Cariad in the Automated Driving Alliance, we are demonstrating how this can work.”, said Mathias Pillin, CTO of Bosch Mobility.
