Chris S. Langdon

Flex leverages Catena-X to build a reusable, standards-based automotive data ecosystem. By starting small and scaling through economies of scope, Flex delivers multiregional data solutions for ECU management, certificate compliance, and supply-chain traceability, enabling sovereign data sharing, faster innovation, and cost-efficient reuse across multiple OEMs and use cases.

At CES 2026, industry leaders demonstrated how data readiness, digital twins, and dataspace ecosystems are turning Industrial and Physical AI from experimentation into production. Through PwC’s West Hall panel, an invitation-only C-suite roundtable, open showfloor engagements, and Catena-X supplier onboarding, executives from automotive, mobility, and technology aligned on a shared message: AI success now depends on “truthful” data and governed cross-company sharing. With Web3-inspired dataspace technology already live in ecosystems like Catena-X, CES underscored a decisive shift—from product innovation to production ecosystems—where interoperable, sovereign data flows enable scalable digital twins, resilient supply chains, and measurable business outcomes.

The Catena-X taskforce, together with CAAM, launched the “China Automotive Industry Trusted Data Space” pilot at IAA Munich, enabling secure, compliant, and scalable local data exchange for Chinese OEMs and suppliers, starting with Certificate Management. Early results show faster, traceable, and machine-readable certificate transactions, laying the foundation for future quality, sustainability, and PCF use cases.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s conference “From Silos to Ecosystems – Creating Europe’s Digital Momentum” (Berlin, 5–6 Nov 2025) highlighted Europe’s unique opportunity to lead in industrial data ecosystems powered by dataspace technology. While Europe may not compete at scale in general-purpose foundation models, it holds a strategic advantage in sovereign, cross-industry data sharing. Keynotes and panels emphasized the urgency of data readiness, with Oliver Ganser (BMW, Catena‑X) calling for accelerated adoption to maintain Europe’s lead. Practical workshops showcased initiatives such as Manufacturing‑X, Industrial AI, and the IPCEI on Cloud Infrastructure and Services, while RoX demonstrated early prototypes for AI‑based robotics dataspaces. The event underscored that Europe’s digital momentum will hinge on scaling industrial ecosystems, anchoring them in local clusters, and expanding across supply chains to unlock new growth opportunities.

In October 2025, AIAG hosted its Detroit Triple—Quality Summit, IMDS & Sustainability Conference, and Catena-X supplier onboarding—highlighting AI-driven quality, sustainable product compliance, and streamlined data exchange via Catena-X to boost supply chain efficiency.

T-Systems and iPoint deliver a joint, production-ready Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) solution that enables end-to-end carbon transparency across the automotive value chain. Combining Catena-X-certified data exchange with decades of compliance and sustainability expertise, the solution empowers suppliers and OEMs to meet regulatory demands, integrate securely with existing systems, and scale digital sustainability — turning compliance into measurable business value.

At IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich, the spotlight was on next-gen EVs and software-defined, data-driven mobility. Catena-X and Cofinity-X demonstrated scalable supplier onboarding, cross-tier data chains, and use cases like Product Carbon Footprint tracking, highlighting the critical role of trusted data for supply chain efficiency, vehicle performance, and sustainability.

AIAG has launched the Catena-X Hub North America, advancing the adoption of trusted dataspace technology for the automotive industry. At its VIP Immersion event in Detroit, industry leaders explored use cases like Product Carbon Footprint tracking, Quality Detection and Prevention, and Demand & Capacity Management. With T-Systems and other partners driving implementation, the hub sets the stage for secure, scalable, and collaborative data sharing to boost efficiency, compliance, and innovation across the automotive value chain.

RoX launched live at Automatica 2025 with three AI-powered robotics demos, a first ecosystem dashboard, and KITs as key enablers. Backed by a €52M consortium of over 20 partners, RoX is accelerating secure, data-driven robotics innovation, proving how collaborative ecosystems can reduce complexity, unlock value, and create new growth opportunities.