-Unveiled at CES, the Awards Celebrate
Visionaries Driving the Future of Mobility Through Software
Innovation in the Automotive Industry-
LAS
VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MotorTrend
Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, has announced the winners
of the third annual SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle) Innovator
Awards, which were presented at the SDV Innovator Awards Gala at
CES 2025 in Las Vegas, and
presented in partnership with QNX, a division of BlackBerry Limited
(NYSE: BB; TSX: BB), whose technology is used by countless
automakers around the world.
The SDV Innovator Awards program was established to honor the
next phase of automobile technology, with the goal of elevating and
highlighting those who are leading the automotive industry's
foundational shift from hardware to software. MotorTrend introduced
the awards to recognize innovators who are redefining how vehicles
are designed, manufactured, operated, and experienced.
Winners were awarded in the Pioneer, Leader, and Expert
categories, as chosen by a panel of jurors from MotorTrend's
editorial team. This year's winners were selected from the largest
nomination pool in the award's history. The finalists, innovators
from 23 automakers and suppliers, were announced in November.
"Software-defined vehicles have fundamentally upended the
automotive industry, from the way the cars are designed, built,
driven, and experienced," said Ed
Loh, head of editorial at MotorTrend Group. "It is an honor
to unveil the distinguished winners of the third annual
Software-Defined Vehicle Innovator Awards, who exemplify innovation
and progress in this rapidly evolving field. We are proud to
celebrate this year's exceptional Pioneers, Leaders, and Experts,
whose groundbreaking efforts are at the forefront of
software-defined vehicle transformation."
Pioneer Award Winners
These outstanding individuals have demonstrably broken new ground
within the SDV space through research, development, and application
of new automotive software.
- Milena Boytchef, Tech Strategist, Auto &
Manufacturing Generative AI, Amazon Web Services, for
advancing how autonomous systems are created with cloud training
platforms, generative AI-enabled tools for synthetic data creation,
and scene search. Earlier in her career, Ms. Boytchef also
developed the industry's first cybersecurity solution for
autonomous trucks and created the "mission control" concept to
manage fleets of AVs.
- Andrej Karpathy, Founder
and CEO, Eureka Labs, for his early work at Open AI
on deep learning and reinforcement learning and leading the
development of the AI and computer vision system that are central
to Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.
- Dr. Stefan Poledna, CTO
and Co-Founder, TTTech Auto, for his pioneering work
developing Audi's zFAS driver-assistance domain controller and the
MotionWise safety software platform that decouples hardware and
software, allowing for more flexible and scalable vehicle
architectures.
- Joe Xia, CEO, JIDU
Auto for adopting a vision-only version of Baidu's Apollo
autonomous driving platform and integrating all sensors, cameras,
and functional components into JIDU's SIMO AI assistant.
- He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO, XPENG Motors for
integrating a highly centralized electronic architecture,
implementing a large AI model for both digital cockpit and
autonomous technologies, and for bringing advanced driver
assistance features to more accessible price points. Mr. Xiaopeng
also entered a strategic collaboration with Volkswagen for joint
platform and software development and continues to advance the
eVTOL flying car concept.
Leader Award Winners
These outstanding individuals
hold a senior management position and lead a team that is
transforming the automotive industry through the broad adoption and
application of software solutions.
- Anders Bell, Chief
Engineering & Technology Officer, Volvo Cars, for
leading the development of core computing technology underpinning
the EX90, Volvo's first vehicle to be truly software-defined from
inception to production.
- Michael Goertz, VP,
Vehicle Controls, Rivian, for leading the team responsible
for developing more than 95 percent of the code underpinning the
new zonal architecture that defines the Gen 2 R1 products at
Rivian.
- Matt Jones, Executive
Director of Technology Platforms, Ford Motor Company, for
his work spanning the planning to delivery of digital software
inside Ford, and for his industry liaison work and leadership with
COVESA and the SDV Alliance.
- Jeffrey Shay, President,
North America, Valeo, for
his work spearheading software-defined vehicle technology both
within his own company and by helping launch and lead the B2B
software-services marketplace SDVerse.
- Qiyan Wang, VP of Digital
Systems, NIO, for spearheading development of the next-gen
digital architecture SkyOS that underpins NIO's software-defined
vehicles and for his industry liaison work on the board of the
open-source seL4 Foundation.
- Seok-Hyun Eun, President,
LG Electronics VS, for his work developing LG's AlphaWare
suite of software solutions and its Automotive Content Platform
designed to deliver immersive in-cabin experiences.
- Alex Purdy, Global Head
of Digital Product, Ford Integrated Services, Ford Motor
Company, for his leadership in Digital Product development at
Ford working on projects like BlueCruise, the FordPass app, and
other means of optimizing retail and commercial customer
experiences.
- Li Zhuang, Founder and
CEO, Megatronix (Beijing)
Technology Co., LTD, for founding Megatronix to support the
global automotive industry's need for a "software-defined hardware
framework" of domain controllers and big-data
platforms.
Expert Award Winners
These outstanding individuals are subject matter experts within a
specific SDV discipline (e.g., advanced driver assistance systems,
digital cockpit, over-the-air updates), whose work has advanced the
field.
- Tolla Cherwenka,
Worldwide Tech Lead, Digital Customer Experience, Amazon Web
Services, for transforming BMW's business with generative AI,
cloud technologies, and a "data first" strategy.
- Wes Morrill, Cybertruck
Lead Engineer and Senior Director of Engineering, Tesla, for
bringing steer-by-wire, a 48-volt electronic architecture, and the
bidirectional gigabit Etherloop controller network to
production.
- Eddy Reyes, Senior
Manager, Embedded Software In-Vehicle Experiences, Rivian,
for his work on advanced 3D rendering for driver assistance
visualization, digital instrument clusters, and infotainment, and
for delighting customers with monthly over-the-air updates.
- Roberto Secchi, Head of
Software Platforms and DevOps, Marelli, for leading the
development of an advanced Digital Twin solution that replicates
the features of a digital cockpit and allows developers to modify
and deploy new applications in just seven minutes.
For more information on the awards and how QNX provides the
high-performance foundational software for the vehicles of today
and the future, please visit: blackberry.qnx.com/sdvawards
Download Awards Event Photos & Videos
About MotorTrend Group
MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, is the world's
largest automotive media group dedicated to introducing, inspiring,
and intensifying people's passions for the motoring world.
Comprising more than 50 iconic brands including MOTORTREND, HOT
ROD, ROADKILL and more, MotorTrend Group is the ultimate source of
entertainment and information for both auto enthusiasts and car
shoppers, with a monthly audience over 30 million in addition to
over 70 million social followers. Featuring world-class automotive
entertainment across the No. 1 television network for automotive
fans, digital streaming channels, iconic events, the largest
automotive social network, category-leading podcasts, over seven
decades of print and digital editorial content, and cutting-edge
resources for new car shoppers, MotorTrend embodies every corner of
car culture. From electric vehicles to timeless classic customs,
MotorTrend Group brings the latest motoring trends to fans of all
generations.
About Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and
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About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides enterprises and governments
the intelligent software and services that power the world around
us. Based in Waterloo, Ontario,
the company's high-performance foundational software enables major
automakers and industrial giants alike to unlock transformative
applications, drive new revenue streams and launch innovative
business models, all without sacrificing safety, security, and
reliability. With a deep heritage in Secure Communications,
BlackBerry delivers operational resiliency with a comprehensive,
highly secure, and extensively certified portfolio for mobile
fortification, mission-critical communications, and critical events
management. The company is also a pioneer in leveraging Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning to deliver advanced cybersecurity
solutions to its customers.
About QNX
QNX, a division of BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:
BB; TSX: BB), enhances the human experience and amplifies
technology-driven industries, providing a trusted foundation for
software-defined businesses to thrive. The business leads the way
in delivering safe and secure operating systems, hypervisors,
middleware, solutions, and development tools, along with support
and services delivered by trusted embedded software experts. QNX®
technology has been deployed in the world's most critical embedded
systems, including more than 255 million vehicles on the road
today. QNX® software is trusted across industries including
automotive, medical devices, industrial controls, robotics,
commercial vehicles, rail, and aerospace and defense. Founded in
1980, QNX is headquartered in Ottawa,
Canada. Learn more at qnx.com.
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MotorTrend Group Press Contacts:
Gabrielle Flamand, CIVIC on behalf
of MotorTrend Group, gabrielle.flamand@civic-us.com
Chloe Lauter, CIVIC on behalf of
MotorTrend Group, chloe.lauter@civic-us.com
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