International pulse

This article highlights the transition of Catena-X (CX) in North America from pilot initiatives to large-scale adoption within the automotive industry. It positions CX as a decentralized data ecosystem—an “Internet for data”—that addresses critical challenges such as quality management, sustainability compliance, and battery passport reporting. Drawing on insights from the AIAG Catena-X Conference and Supplier Onboarding Day in Detroit, the article emphasizes that digital transformation and AI initiatives are fundamentally data challenges, often hindered by fragmentation across organizations and supply chains. Catena-X provides a practical, business-oriented approach by combining trusted data-sharing infrastructure, ready-to-deploy use cases, and a scalable onboarding model for suppliers. The experiences shared by industry leaders demonstrate how CX accelerates time-to-value, enabling companies to transform fragmented data into interoperable, trusted data flows that underpin generative AI, digital twins, and future digital business models.

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.

In December 2025, T-Systems advanced Catena-X adoption in Asia through two key events: the Catena-X Supplier Onboarding Day in Tokyo and the Global Data Spaces Roundtable in Beijing. From practical supplier onboarding to large-scale automotive pilots in China, discussions focused on regulatory pressure, data sovereignty, and secure cross-company data exchange. Together with partners such as Siemens, BMW Group, BASF, and Flex, T-Systems demonstrated how trusted dataspaces enable scalable, compliant collaboration across global automotive value chains.

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 has launched its Connect & Integrate service on local infrastructure in China, enabling Chinese suppliers and manufacturers to securely and efficiently join the Catena-X ecosystem, bridging connectivity with global OEMs while ensuring data sovereignty and regulatory compliance.

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.

AIAG has launched the Catena-X Hub North America at ALSC 2025, marking a major step in scaling the trusted automotive data ecosystem globally. The hub will accelerate digital transformation, supply chain collaboration, and sustainability initiatives by enabling secure, sovereign data exchange. The launch featured expert panels, success stories like the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) tracking pilot, and reinforced Catena-X’s role in driving efficiency and innovation across the value chain.