Synopsys Unveils AI Automotive Engineering Vision and Completes Ansys Merger at CES 2026

Synopsys, Inc. unveiled its vision for AI-driven, software-defined automotive engineering this week at CES 2026, centering on the completed acquisition of simulation leader Ansys. This multi-billion dollar merger creates a unified platform that bridges semiconductor design with physical world modeling to streamline vehicle development. The combined technology aims to tackle rising complexity while reducing prototyping costs by as much as 60 percent for global manufacturers.

The company currently serves more than 90 percent of the top 100 automotive suppliers, providing tools that virtualize silicon and software integration. By moving testing to the digital realm, engineers can predict system performance and optimize reliability before physical parts are even produced. This "shift left" methodology is becoming a critical differentiator for manufacturers as profitability increasingly depends on software efficiency and rapid release cycles.

Strategic partnerships highlighted at the event include a new collaboration with Samsung to simulate ISOCELL Auto 1H1 image sensors within the Ansys AVxcelerate environment. This allows automotive teams to validate camera performance under rare or dangerous real-world conditions with predictive accuracy. By using virtual models early in the design process, suppliers can avoid costly hardware iterations and improve overall safety standards. Synopsys is also accelerating the development of autonomous driving stacks through a new Virtualizer Development Kit for the Arm Zena compute subsystem. This solution provides a blueprint for cloud-native development, allowing teams to integrate and validate systems on a standardized compute platform. Partners like NXP and Texas Instruments are also expanding their use of these kits to shorten vehicle time-to-market by up to 12 months.

Safety advancements were a major theme, particularly through a partnership with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to enhance motorsport standards. Synopsys will use state-of-the-art design optimization and digital human body models to process thousands of crash parameters for single-seater racing. These high-fidelity biological models allow for safety refinements that typically influence future consumer vehicle design.

Industry leaders such as Audi and Arbe Robotics are actively using these virtualized solutions to stay competitive in the era of software-defined mobility. Audi leverages AI-driven models to scale validation across its programs, reducing the need for physical prototypes while ensuring greater reliability. This comprehensive approach from silicon to systems is reshaping how modern vehicles are designed, tested, and delivered to the global market.